D Maestro has stumbled upon a subtle niche within the contemporary hip hop and pop world with this project. While from a distance the mainstream selling points are on show – the vocal style, the rhythm – it doesn’t take much time to realise how much else there is at play.
For starters, the very concept of Cosmic Reality is explored in a poetic and deeply thoughtful way throughout. This is brought back down to Earth intermittently, by those familiar references to relationships and modern hip hop, but it still allows D Maestro’s style to stand tall.
Then you get the soundscapes themselves, particularly in the case of the project’s opener Alot. This dreamlike ambiance, complete with multiple layers of synth-led melody and softness, adds a calming, other-worldly aura to the music, which meets with the occasionally cosmic nature of the lyrics in a fine way.
As things progress, this fusion of elements continues in an eclectic fashion. LoveFrequency adopts a similar pathway through space and intimacy alike, this time in an explicitly melodic manner. The vocals bring a different tone, everything’s gentler, smoother perhaps. Both tracks barely hit the two-minute mark, meaning they’re far more likely to leave you wanting more than to outstay their welcome.
LoveLost sees things get all the more personal, delving into the story and relationship at hand in a manner that presents vulnerability and honesty with the potential to cut deep. Still the playlist makes sense, each track leads into the next with flawless relevance and flow.
A notably experimental Daylight brings things to a colourful, upbeat finish. More than this, a massively insightful, heartfelt rap verse kicks off perhaps the most captivating track of the EP. D Maestro’s voice is familiar now, recognisable, and you hang on these final words as a means of bridging the gap, building that connection and seeking to understand (and feel understood). A definite highlight, musically satisfying as well as lyrically compelling and heavily focused on truth.
D Maestro is fueling this unique fire of his in a way that will hopefully reach the audience it deserves. Effective songwriting, smooth musicality, creative freedom and soul, all unite within the walls of this EP. There’s even a hint of electric guitar during the final moments. Really nicely done.
Download or stream the EP here. Find & follow D Maestro on Twitter & Instagram.
