The EP Feel Like I Do appears as something of a euphoric glitch, floating enthusiastically – somewhere between modern music and the free flowing sound of dreams.
The introduction Pain comes across as anything but what it’s title suggests. The music pours out drop by drop; the repetitive synth, with it’s minimal variation of notes, has maximum impact when presented amidst the thick and organic beat that later falls into place. Then the guitar sound appears, another riff, another unexpected moment of instrumentation, and what you get from this is the feeling of a long lost Pink Floyd track that somehow found itself disguised as a new age bit of trip-hop. And all of it is beautiful, every moment. The introduction is almost three minutes long, and the way each part of it steps forwards really keeps you intrigued and mesmerized at all times – by the ambiance, and the compelling progression of the sound.
The easy listening atmosphere of the intro implies a certain sort of mood, but there’s far more to this release than the opening track implies. All that remains throughout is the artist’s creative drive – the evolution of the instrumentation, the riffs, the effects; everything else is fairly certain to be three steps ahead of you with each moment that passes.
Done With It sounds nothing like anything else that’s made it’s way through the airwaves in recent years. What stands out about it is that it feels like a song, it works as a track, complete with structure, sections, even a musical hook. Much of the world’s instrumental music of late has the sort of sound that easily blends into the rest of the collection it sits among. This is not the case here. You’d recognize Done With It as it’s own piece of music, with it’s intricate and rhythmic peacefulness, and an after effect that teeters somewhere between the calm and the storm.
Uprising has a little more of a pop sound to it; the intro could quite easily lead into a hit song played on radio stations around the world. The development of the track, however, keeps that alternative creativity alive with great strength, and the beauty of it is that even as an instrumental piece – the track, and the concept of uprising, conjures up feelings of overcoming, of revolution; there’s a positive energy to the whole thing that is freeing to listen to. The sound makes your mind wander to the most beautiful of places. The key to this is that creativity. It’s not just about the skills you need to produce complex music, it’s about the emotion behind all of it, and this is something that’s made clear from start to finish on Feel Like I Do.
Like I Do introduces a gentle vocal melody and a minimal set of lyrics, but rather than being the odd track out in the collection, it keeps this addition to a level that fits in brilliantly with the overall atmosphere expressed by the project. The voices are incorporated as additional instruments, they don’t simply sit on top of a backing track. The production is of the absolute highest quality at all times, and it’s so easy to appreciate this – turn the music up to full volume, cancel out the noise of the world, and lose yourself for a half hour in this blissful soundscape that the artist has carefully and thoughtfully built up.
As things move forwards you get a little bit of a soul vibe from Someone New. The low tones of the intro, the click, the thickness of the beat – the music creates an entirely new vibe at this point, and it’s a welcome change in mood. The good vibes are massively enjoyable, and as always, D3VL utilizes the benefit of effective structuring to keep things interesting. The track develops with incredible style and skill, and there’s also a hell of a lot of originality in the instrumental choices – all of which holds tight to your attention.
Feeling Better has a suddenly heavy and dramatic sound to it. The pace increases, the piano adds a manic and rather disjointed element to the sound, so the whole thing comes across much like the soundtrack to some final moment of intensity. It would be a stunning accompaniment for anything requiring high levels of energy or enthusiasm. It’s a pretty sublime moment when the drop hits and the bigger rhythm crashes into action. There’s room for any number of remixes with this one. The hook section, as it were, has an incredible amount of power, particularly in the way it contrasts with the surrounding sections. This is a massively energizing and mind blowing piece of music that would top off any all nighter with an amazing wave of adrenaline and euphoria. If ever a title has been chosen with perfect accuracy, Feeling Better is it.
Night Out comes in strong as a follow up to Feeling Better. The creative experimentation shines brightly and proudly for this track; the way the sound develops and evolves and mutates is captivating – part haunting, part soothing, and everything in between. The build up is nothing short of an exasperating ride through sound and indeed your own thoughts. Usually music with such a fast pace leaves little room for you to think, but the way the track breaks away intermittently in this case creates a pretty vast cavern for your mind to linger within when the loudness falls away. It’s a striking effect, and really memorable.
The EP finishes with High, which is, in many ways, a culmination of everything you’ve experienced in the run up; and yet, in many other ways, it’s nothing like anything you’ll have heard before. Once again, the instrumental choices are impossibly unpredictable, at times wonderfully bizarre, but always in keeping with the mood the music puts forth.
This final track leaves you in a state of manic wondering. The energy is high, the sounds and effects that soak you throughout last far longer than the track itself. It’s a clever way to finish, it reminds you of how eclectic the collection is, and although you could pick any one of the tracks or bonus tracks to play at any given time, the EP in it’s entirety makes for an unmissable experience. The originality is consistent, as is the creative freedom, and there’s also a lot of skill shown in the structure of these tracks and in the arrangement of the final playlist. Well worth paying attention to.
Find and follow D3VL on Twitter and Soundcloud to stay updated. You can also check out his label Provision Records on Twitter or visit their Website. Download D3VL’s music via iTunes. Listen to an EP teaser below.
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