Picks Of The Week (30.01.21

1. SØL, Alec Primavera - I'll Never Change / So Far Away [Pilot.]

Recommended if you like: Fox Stevenson, Blooom, Polygon, The Outsiders

My first pick of this week is someone I featured in a Hidden Gem section a few weeks back, but now has so many big channel uploads and playlist additions that I can't call him that anymore. Make way for SØL!

SØL is a not-quite-yet twenty-something from Newcastle in Australia, which I will call Costa De Søl from now on, and the latest addition to my "people way younger than me that make amazing music" list. He first started uploading music as SØL in late 2019 and instantly made some of the nastiest bass-face-worthy music around. Back then he swung from one genre to the next, from Halftime to Dubstep to Drumstep to, I'm sure you guessed it, Drum and Bass. Well, Jump Up mostly. A progression that kind of made sense, I mean what is Jump Up if not Riddim DnB? His first "official" DnB release, the Upside Down EP, was released on JumpUp Cave's Cave Records in mid-2020. Most of it was still very much in-your-face jump up, but it all had a really neat melodic twist to it and such unique production that it made some listeners reconsider jump up altogether. For someone whose minimum and maximum jump height is only exactly 30cm, he really knows how to make people jump.

Back then he was already absølutely worth checking out, as fans of Fox Stevenson's Pizza Party streams will know. At that point in time Foxy already regularly played some of the stuff SØL had in the pipeline and I'm ashamed to admit that it took me way too long to catch onto it. A few months later, i.e. December 2020, he finally came up on my radar too. Regular readers might remember that I featured him on my Destinations, Vol. 2 EP review. His contribution to that EP, Too Much, is a track I've looped for quite a bit and can never have too much of. Hehe.

One of his new years resølutions in 2020 (and also 2021) was that he wanted to create a new track every single month. Now he is slowly starting to reap the spoils of that commitment with his first sølo release on Pilot: I'll Never Change / So Far Away. Well, not quite sølo, as both tracks feature the Dallas-based singer Alec Primavera (aka Alec Trael), but I had that pun lined up before I thought too much about it and do you really expect me to throw away a sølid pun just like that? Of course not!

I'll Never Change, also known under it's very official alternate title Netherack, is SØL's most beautiful production søl far. Whereas Too Much still kept the very high energy parts of his more jumpy productions, this one is a lot more mellow, melancholic even. Maybe it's because the cover art is literally a star-filled sky, but the main synth melody present throughout the track is so floaty and dreamy that I can't help but think of a shuttle drifting through space. Getting major DuckTales Moon Theme vibes. That little part already made me pay full attention the first time I listened, but as soon as Alec Primavera's incredible vocals came in, I was completely søld.

The singer, who started out on YouTube way back in 2012 with covers of various songs, simply elevates this to a whole 'nother level. It's no secret that I love singing along to literally anything, but it's still super rare for me that a vocal is as sing-alongable as this one. I won't be the first person to make this comparison, but it's like a more soulful, melancholic Fox Stevenson. I love it.

The drop takes the Moon-Theme-esque melody and injects it with some pure jumpy energy. Even the drums are still very recognizably jump up, but it's all just such a happy vibe. Instead of making you pull bass faces and drawing gunfingers, you are simply smiling. Just like every single other element of this song, it fits right in with the rest. Every element complements the rest. Such a lovely production all around.

That brings us to So Far Away, which of course should have been called When Did You, but it is what it is. Compared to the spacey synthy soundscapes of I'll Never Change, So Far Away is a bit more grounded in the sounds it uses. The combination of a lovely background piano loop and the strings is a perfect introduction to the more energetic second half of this release. Not just that, it is the perfect backdrop for the once again amazing vocals by Alec.

While the atmosphere is still very beautifully melancholic, it gets way more hectic the closer we get to the drop. That makes sense because the drop is straight-up chaotic. In a good way. I can't even explain how a melody this wonky works so well, let alone at all. It just does. It's an unsølved mystery to me. The good thing about music is you don't have to understand it to appreciate it and that's exactly what happens here. Incredibly unique tune.

All in all, amazing. With this release he really sølidified his position as Newcomer To Watch™ for me and hopefully you too. Can't wait for everything else he has in store.

Other recommended things from me this week:

Technimatic, Charlotte Haining - Still Miss You
Lexurus, Dualistic - Continua
Dossa & Locuzzed - Right Way / Tommy
Various Artists - The Voice Of Ekou (VA Remix Compilation)
Various Artists - Overview: The Remixes LP
The Bloody Beetroots, Teddy Killerz - Elevate
A.M.C - Gotham (Drumsound & Bassline Smith Remix)
Jon Void - Drop It Low
Killbox - Cypher Pattern
TR Tactics, Manta - The Hunt

2. Sonic Rain - Evening Sun EP [Influenza Media]

Recommended if you like: Low:r, Nelver, Edlan

Since SØL has already too much of a following, there's still something missing: The Hidden Gem Of The Week™! Of course!

This week's pick is Sonic Rain's debut EP, the Evening Sun EP on the legendary Influenza Media. Sonic Rain, also known to some as Boris Garland, is a London-born, Budapest-raised seasoned DJ that has recently started releasing his own music. He first started making waves as Sonic Rain in the mid 2010s by shelling out set after set at various shows in the Eastern European Capital of DnB that is Budapest. In 2017 Boris moved to Bristol to study music production at BIMM Bristol, where the likes of Om Unit and Dazee teach students all about music production. Fun fact: he now lives together with En:vy!

While this is his debut EP, he already has had some single releases on other labels recently. On the dark oldschool flavored Unity on Peer Pressure and the more modern, but equally dark Polar Field on Foundations Vol. 3, which was released on Melinki's label Four Corners, Boris showed the world what Sonic Rain stands for: Unique productions and great vibes. Another fun fact I nearly forgot to mention: he was also trained in piano and drums from an early age!

For this first full release, the Evening Sun EP, Boris really tapped into all kinds of different sounds that make up his repertoire, while still keeping it mellow and liquid. Last Goodbye starts the EP off with literal water drops, on the one hand signaling to us that this EP is going to be more on the liquid side and on the other making a reference to his name. Well, not quite sonic rain yet, but little water droplets at least. The great synth work and progression on this intro track already tell us that this is going to be a great 17 minutes.

Next up, Days Go By. Remember when I told you the fun fact about him being trained in piano like 50 words ago? This is where it comes in again! Days Go By heavily features a lovely piano that guides us through the 4 minute runtime. A few ambient "happy kids playing on the playground" noises here, a few interesting drums there, you've got yourself a vibe. My personal highlight of the track is the synth that comes in at around the midpoint of the track, which only appears for a short while but really adds a lot to the track in my opinion.

Next in line is the title track, Evening Sun. Just like Days Go By, this one is very piano-focused. The piano is joined by various nature sounds, from frogs croaking to water running. Really makes you feel like you're sitting at a lake or river and just chill out for a bit. Would be a great soundtrack for that scenario at least.

Lastly, we've got Sea Blue. This one combines it all: atmospheric piano chords, some super chill-out vocals, funky oldschool-sounding synths, some relaxed electronic guitars, what more could one even ask for? Really nice vibe throughout with quite a few variations and switches that work together super smoothly.

One of the liquid lovers out there, really looking forward to hear more from him!

Other Hidden Gems this week:

Kit Jones - Valeyard
Nemean - Serious Business EP
Primitive Instinct - Breaking