40 Days In Quarantine Part II – Various Artists
Touching from the past and moving on into the present, Melodic Diggers brings you the second installment of our ‘40 Days In Quarantine’ series. Whilst the world might have moved and re-strengthened itself since our first part in April - a situation we never thought we’d see ourselves out of - we are still living through such consequences and re-adjusting to the new world we are living in.
For this special three-part series, we invited artists who we connect with musically to join forces with us and keep the spirits up during this dystopian period we have all been living through. This installment takes focus on a breadth of artists and genres we showcase regularly on our channel - bringing you a variety of sounds and styles to lose yourself in. Over nine carefully-curated tracks, we bring the essence of the party world into yours, to help fill the void we are so dearly missing right now.
Aera: return to never
As a bunch of slender ticks rein us in suitably for the opening, Aera pushes us inwards and sets a rather simple yet sophisticated tone. ‘Return To Never’ is the first production in his studio post-lockdown after many months of making music at home, and whilst it’s labelled as a piece which came together quickly in a rush of excitement, there’s no sense of hastiness or urgency here: instead it breezes itself along calmly and collectively. Focusing on minor chord progressions for the fundamental melody, Aera plays around with a mellow build-up of hi-hats, synthesized haloes and reserved waves, all so finely and thoroughly packed to orchestrate minimal escapism - a delicate vessel of only the most adoring tones letting life back into new-found landscape we are in.
Murat uncuoglu: niche
Murat is a niche within himself. Aside from running one of the must-listen labels of the past year, he’s quickly becoming noted for creating tracks full of rich and lavish textures, which are also big, bright and beautiful. ‘Niche’ is a track inspired by Northern Jazz and artist Erik Truffaz’s track ‘Comptine’. A beginning which sees the bass wallop itself in slow tempo as glass marbles run themselves up and down, a snare steps itself in to lead up to the suspense. Quite obviously inspired by all that jazz has to offer us, there’s a slight encouragement of percussion and bells which lead up to the original vocals in ‘Comptine’. It’s been reworked in a much deeper and confident approach, whilst still utilising the grassy woodwork in the background for authenticity. Leading to where all good elements kick in, Murat shapes the charm of the original and allows the woodwind to have its moment as so rightly deserved. A rather handsome spectator, the ending sees a recipe of all there is to offer: twinkling notes, exaggerated keystrokes and indulgent cinematic bursts, all so effortlessly shaped with grace.
Invoker: yaguar
Imagine this - you’re in the Amazon rainforest, being chased by a Jaguar, and somehow, out of complete coincidence, you end up in a party deep within the greenery of your surroundings. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? And yet, ‘Yaguar’ is no fictitious dream, but the soundtrack to Invoker’s real-life story, and one we’ve already become familiar with since it being in his ‘Afternoon Creations’ mix with us recently. And even though familiar, it’s still an enthralling rendition which gets us into gear like the very time we were introduced. From the start, with the fast tempo, bolting bass and whiplashes weaving alongside the rattling clicks, we are plunged into the centrefold of the drama, running fast and swishing around - much like a heart beating rapidly and legs moving non-stop to an unknown destination. Bright and docile chords glide forwards to the breakdown laced with a tribal drum, only to clap us back into place with high-pitched twinkles for that touch of extra drama - surely a sign of the party being found? Now in a much less frantic stage and everything much more cohesively together, we are taken to second breakdown, where the atmosphere becomes slightly darker yet bounces back to a more joyous soundscape, where the rattles and drums lead us to the end, and of course, envisage the good luck struck upon the storyteller.
depeche mode: my little universe (kevin di serna remix)
Like short, stumpy strobes which flog themselves into the misty air, Kevin Di Serna sources the original thoughts behind Depeche Mode’s ‘My Little Universe’ (a track which keyboardist Andy Fletcher called ‘a very techno track’), and ups the ante to encapsulate a rather intense and dazzling climate. Rather laboriously working as the backdrop, the voluptuous bassline pairs with smothered bee stings and tin-can drums for a much more brutal rendition to the original. Stuck on repeat for the perfect awakening, piano chords confidently plant themselves for a few bars to guide us into the original elements. Di Serna ensures the vocals are kept clear and understandable - the vocals singing a meaning which he himself identifies with - us being the protagonists of our lives, and that we just need to be aware so we can take this into action. With the backdrop still present to continue to throw us along, jabs of zinky zaps play themselves now and again towards the second verse. Breaking and blending deeper than the surface of the original, this is a rework which brings a richer depth and portrays a free-spirited emotion rolling around in the lyrics with the addition of the heavily-induced beats and gentle splashes of piano keys. It’s an almost postmodern rework which is made for the dancefloor - and one we’ll (hopefully) be hearing out sometime in the near future.
lehar & musumeci feat. ost & kjex: nattergal
Lehar and Musumeci shake their way to a new vibration with ‘Nattergal’. Not only is it sentimental with its endearing nu-disco vibes, but it’s also a nod in appreciation to when the Italian artists first collaborated together in 2015 on Diynamic with their remix of Ost & Kjex’s ‘Easy’. Encircling us in full motion with the relentless broken beat, cool shades of balearic vibes waver up and down and run themselves large until the beat kicks in, and a romantic chime turns the blues tones into a warmer romantic energy for a full-good feeling. Giving Ost & Kjex their time to shine with their ethereal vocals to help calm us down for the short moment, we’re once again soaked in sunshine until the end, where the chime continues to run itself around the cosmic frazzles whilst all else glistens and saturates itself lovingly until the end.
santiago garcia: seremonial
Poised and purposeful, make no mistake in thinking ‘Seremonial’ is here to be left on the side. A contrasting surprise from the previous track, Santiago Garcia strikes us with his forced and chaotic approach which bleeds intensely from the start. Jumping up and down with 80s-inspired computer strokes, a dented whip helps shuffle the structure into a more merged stance, where the elements take their edge of the intensity and move forwards, and, at times show us hope from the deep murky depths of all which is surrounded. Hardly a breath out of sight, we are pelted with a distorted-rocking synth which continues with unattainable courage and determination. As we boil in at five minutes, the walls come tumbling down and push us back into intense frenzy. A piece which echoes the beginning of Santiago’s next steps: creating intense dark moments, but giving hope, ‘Seremonial’ is made for the current times we find ourselves living in.
Ivory: cathedral
There are no signs of Ivory slowing down. And at least for now, he brings out another track which showcases his constantly-growing talent for producing big built-up dance-floor gems made to make us smile and let loose once in full effect. ‘Cathedral’ is undeniably no different. It takes its name from one of Ivory’s favourite short stories, by writer Raymond Carver - a slow-burning piece about a blind man visiting his long-term friend and her husband, where in the end the husband relieves all grudges against the blind man, and draws a Cathedral with him. Originating with a trippy four-to-the-floor structure, which explodes at every last count, ruthless tremors spell out the impending frustration as foretold via the husband narrator in the beginning of the story; a repeated sequence to indicate the continual annoyance as so put upon us. As a secondary beat builds up, we can feel the tension becoming bigger than ever. Yet beginning as downcast in their monotone manner, the computerised rasps take a turn for the majorised chord and build up the suspense. Packed full of the gargoyle screams and swirling around like the smoke dribbling from the mouth of the blind man in the story, the tension erupts in unmeasurable dilation. A meaty build up of suspension of the rage running through the air, the final quarter boils the tension downwards to relieve the angst and replaces itself in a rather relieved manner to fade us out with the flashes of positivity.
recent arts: movements & codes (Yubik’s we are fictional edit)
Ramping up the ferocity to full play, Yubik resculpts the VA’s boundaries like there’s no tomorrow, throwing out intense shade and making us tick nervously in between the nooks and crannies, as the beat whips itself confidently to form the outline. As they pine themselves away, stone-cold pulsations leather against the velvety vocals of the original ‘Movement And Codes’ from Recent Arts, creating a rather haunting climate which mystifies to full voltage. “A lightning bolt” as so perfectly put by Yubik, we can feel the ground shaking as the drums blister down and slay around to their demise. For a brief, yet completely beautiful moment, the atmosphere swirls itself to let the intensity blow over, before the climate regains stronger ground to a more authoritarian frequency, splicing the intensity and raging itself chaotically till its temper boils over and the volume has over-expanded the electricity.
mind against: walking away (Yacine Dessouki & NRDk remix)
A collaboration between Moroccan artists Yacine Dessouki and NRDK mellow us out to flawlessly polish off the VA. Readjusting Mind Against’s ‘Walking Away’, slightly but surely, this is a remix which captures the core beauty in one drop of bountiful essence. Replacing the tone of the original in warmer shade for a higher and more magnifying frequency, the soul-enriching bassline cements itself gently with the vocals. Adding a cosmic touch, there is a concoction of delicacies which enrich the safe and majestic haven: euphonious strings, beams of glowing synths playing nicely with the rather translucent vocals for quite the refined picture. Charging itself towards an emotional ending, the voyage throws all tricks together for the grande finale, setting itself in stone as a track which will cause a beautiful spin of remembrance for those set closing moments we all adore to remember.