Infrared is everything the dance or trance fan could want – simple yet subtly recognisable details, a consistent sense of movement and energy, and a brilliantly skillful bit of craft-work that lets the whole thing rain down with an awakening vibrancy.
Music
Easily one of the most alternative and experimental tracks to cross our path in recent months. harlequins enigma takes listeners through a multi-layered, complex and colourful tunnel of audio with this release, the steamy kitchen at hand being one overflowing with fragments of ideas and dashes of melody.
While the first appearance of the track already boasted enough grit and distortion to hit with impact, somehow Heckert has managed to re-imagine the journey with additional strength and chaos.
Chris Nole manages to captivate throughout this project, in the same instance as paying a more-than worthy tribute to the blues and its 100+ year history.
An achingly poignant lyric that (sadly) still holds true today, By My Silence essentially details how it’s wholly possible to be complicit in awful (or just unfair) things coming to pass by remaining fearful, passive and silent about them. It’s a lovely version of a melancholy-drenched tune.
Exploring themes of obsession and jealousy (and over far too quick, in my opinion), Mine feels modern and personal and would grace any angsty playlist going. The beautifully-recorded vocals and intricate backing track do a fabulous job of exploring how overwhelming obsession can feel. Love it. It’s a gloopy delight, with a magic vocal.
Rico exercises a simple love for the genre, a fairly creative and surprisingly dreamlike backdrop accompanies a seemingly carefree, intimate vocal delivery that suits the upfront nature of the lyrics.
Lil Dream collaborates with an array of producers and artists on this latest EP, driving with an immediately colourful musicality, and a clear sense of good vibes and rhythm.
The verses lay out detail and personality, a performance that meanders and is consistently expressive and interesting. At these moments, the soundscape connects more strongly, seeing the track suddenly feel like a genuine hit from yesteryear – a mid-album D12 or Outkast track, but with a fresh identity and intention.
Enter Oluse, an artist who couldn’t care less what the genre expects musically, but who rolls with the punches in his own creatively free and surprisingly captivating manner.
Savesomeone’s voice offers a fitting level of calm and quiet confidence. There’s honesty in the lyrics, vulnerability even, and this, combined with a notably minimalist backdrop, means the performance manages to connect well.
It’s hard to compare the work ethic of Cesare to anyone else in independent hip hop right now. The first of yet two more brand new releases is a track that hits with memorable impact, showcasing Cesare at his peak passionately, engaged within a story-line that holds close to the intense & gritty vibe presented by the music.