Dimension - Organ [Dimension]

Welcome to my fifth album write-up! I apologize in advance for the wall of text that is about to follow. Scroll down for a TL;DR on the LP.

Background

Surely pretty much all of you have heard of Dimension already. I bet not everyone is familiar with the whole backstory of the dancefloor behemoth though. So let's jump into our time engine (only the best of the best puns here) and find out where it all started!

Humble Beginnings

Dimension, also known as Robert Alexander Etheridge, has always been very musical. The London-based producer had been learning (read: begrudgingly forced to learn) to play the piano from a young age, but he soon became frustrated with playing other people's music that he had no interest in and branched off to create his own music. His actual first steps in der Maschine of electronic music only happened once he was introduced to Fruity Loops though, at the young age of 15. Struggling to think of a good name for his first ever proper composition, a remix of The Prodigy - Voodoo People, he looked down at his computer and saw the name Dell Dimension. And just like that, the first ever Dimension Mix was born. There goes my theory of him growing up in a Defense Intelligence (DI) mansion.

While Dimension is already not the most google-able name, I think we can call ourselves lucky his parents didn't own a iMac or Asus EEE, that probably would have been even more of a nightmare to google. Also, I need to (di-)mention that I identify with that naming process very much. A lot of my early childhood passwords were literally just "random book my dad had lying around next to the PC".

Skanking and bassing

While I would love to hear that Voodoo People remix, I sadly couldn't track it down anywhere. The first official upload of an Dimension tune that I could track down is the then-unsigned and eventual TalkinBeatz dub Stargazer, uploaded by UKF in April 2010. While UKF were really early to the Dimension hype, there's another big channel that was even earlier: Skankandbass.

Why mention them specifically like that? Oh I've got good reasons for that! Sebastian Weingartshofer, who founded Skankandbass around 2009, has been working together with Dimension since at least early 2010, when they launched their Regal Records label together. During this time the two mates also started producing music together under the alias Supra, a group which was later expanded with the talents of Tomekn. A few Supra releases here, a few solo releases there, and Dimension's well-produced, dare I say Netsky-esque, liquid dancefloor productions had already caught the attention of most of the scene.

More than alot CYNs of greatness

With the massive amount of support not just from YouTube channels, but also from radio show hosts like Danny Byrd and Friction, also came more than a lot of label attention and offers for exclusive signings. In 2012 he reached an agreement with one such label: Cyantific Records, later also known as CYN Records. Even though the label was still quite new - it was only established in 2010 and Dimension was the first artist signed to it that wasn't a founding member - there was still a lot of talent attached to it already. Around the time of the signing, the label founder Cyantific brought on two of his mates to help with the label: Snapclicker and none other than Wilkinson!

After two years of great release after great release on CYN, as he mentioned in various interviews thanks in no small part to the proper high-quality industry mentoring, Dimension was approached by Chase & Status. To be specific, Will & Saul, which might sound like ABC's next big Breaking Bad spin-off but is actually just their real names, contacted Dimension during his international tour in Australia. To remix their tune International. There's a joke somewhere in there. Aaanyway. As expected and as you all probably know, Dimension knocked the remix out of the park and put himself even more on the map than before. While this is happening, he is offered a signing at Chase & Status' label More Than Alot Records, also known as MTA Records.

Multi-dimensional sounds

This is where his work really started to take on another Dimension. I don't think I have to tell you that I intended this pun, do I? While tracks like Crowd Reaction, Basilica and yes also his remix of International already showed that he is starting to branch off from his 2011 dancefloor roots, it was the time at MTA when he really started to develop his own sound. On the one end of the Dimension spectrum you've got the emotionally-charged dramatic sounds of Love To Me and Pull Me Under, on the other end you've got the cinematic industrial compositions like Whip Slap or Maschinen.

It is clear that he more and more incorporates elements and vibes from other genres into his style. From House to Garage to Techno, he is able to transform the atmosphere into a DnB tempo perfectly. It comes to no surprise that he cites having taken inspirations from some of the German Techno he had been listening to for Jet Black, it really is oozing that "Berlin bunker" ambiance. He even experimented with producing some of his favourite non-DnB genres himself, at the time the most notable example being the last 2 minutes of Maschinen. Pure modern EBM, Gesaffelstein-esque goodness. It's this combination of styles and outside genres influences that really made up Dimension's sound at the time.

This was also the time he started changing his aesthetic, most notably his artwork style. When he first embarked on his journey on MTA, he started working closely with a designer called Tom Cotton. Together, they developed a series of black and white artworks depicting metal sculptures that symbolised the beautiful themes with a dark energetic undercurrent of Dimension's music. Even when this specific series of artworks came to an end, the aesthetic kind of stuck: Black and White, still very industrial, but more focused on architecture.

Dimension continued his streak of great releases on MTA, including but not limited to some absolute anthems like Pull Me Under, Dark Lights and Automatik or legendary rave tunes like UK or Panzer, until around late 2016. In this time he also remixed huge names like Emeli Sandé, Duke Dumont and NERO, not to (di-)mention Deadmau5's Strobe. Safe to say, his time at MTA was quite a successful journey. But everything has to come to an end.

Before I tell you what happened next, I have to acknowledge one of the big key players during the MTA years: Sebastian Weingartshofer. Yes, the Skankandbass founder again! Or still I should say, he's never really stopped working with Dimension over the years. From 2012 to 2016 he was a product manager at MTA and was responsible for all kinds of things including but not limited to A&R, (product) management, events and digital marketing. Through this, he was in steady contact with not just Dimension, but other artists like 1991, Culture Shock and Sub Focus. After 5 years, he thought: Why not use these connections and experiences for something brand new?

Biblical studies

Enter Worship. With the aforementioned artists, plus MANT and Oliver Winters, Sebastian set out to create a completely new collective delivering the highest quality drum and bass music and events out there. But what did that mean for our protagonist, Dimension? Well, it meant that his time at MTA was now over. Starting with Generator / Beg & Borrow in 2017, all his future singles were now completely self-released.

As an outsider it is sometimes hard to see the whole picture of an artist and their career. One thing is for sure though: Dimension's momentum was increasing more and more after this move to Worship. In late 2017, he released his first ever official music video for the anthemic Black Church, which would also be a great name for the church of Dimension once Worship turns into an actual religion. Soon after, he collaborated with his old musical mentor Wilkinson for one of the biggest releases that year, Rush.

2018 was the big one though. Not only did he teach ravers all over the world how to count to eight in French on Techno, he released a little tune with Sub Focus called Desire. You might have heard of it. No big deal. Was just played on every single stage at all kinds of festivals all day long. Only sold more than 200,000 copies, earning Worship their first Silver certification. It's nothing.

Even though that was obviously a clear highlight in his career, Dimension didn't rest on his laurels one bit. In 2019 he introduced the world to the Dimension Live experience. Feeling bogged down by the limitations of DJing, he reached out to the engineers of the INPLAS production company to create a special synthesizer just for his live shows. With engineering experience on projects for Star Wars, Marvel and Harry Potter movies, the engineers involved had quite the resume. Not only did he map stems from all kinds of Dimension tunes to the synthesizer keys, there was also scent technology and custom-made visuals involved to create the ultimate Dimension experience. Yes, scent. Yes, I too wonder what kind of scents he used. I like to think he would press the "disgusting smell" button whenever the crowd wasn't pulling a big enough bass face.

All throughout this impressive career, there is still one thing missing: An album. Well, this changes today.

Resources for Background

Track Breakdown

Let's get right to it, shall we?

1. Saviour (feat. Sharlene Hector)

Dimension likes to evoke certain images and emotions with his music. A specific example he mentioned in his fantastic UKF interview is a church choir or organ that will fill a listener's mind with a feeling they're witnessing something that transcends this measly little ball of mud and water.

He might not have included a literal church choir in Saviour, but he still manages to get the beyond humanity emotion across very effectively. While the reverbarating acoustics alone don't immediately make you think of a enourmous Black Church ceromony, it is the combination with the massive rising bass melody and the angelic vocals that will definitely make you a believer.

Those divine vocals are provided by Sharlene Hector, the Grammy-winning vocalist known among many other things for her work with Basement Jaxx or Solardo and Eli Brown's "XTC". Written with the help of Jem Cooke, who is probably most famous for her vocals on CamelPhat's anthem Breathe, this vocal performance will truly make you feel like you are witnessing the end of the world as we know it. Every emotionally-charged lyric hits you in the chest, every high note works perfectly, even the Uhhh's are wonderful.

What a way to start an album.

I hope you now also accept Dimension as our lord and saviour. He die-mensioned for our sins after all. (I'm not sorry)

2. Alive (feat. Poppy Baskcomb)

Usually I'd expect any track to come after such a massive intro to feel underwhelming, just by comparison. This is not the case with Alive. Alive is one of those crying at the main stage anthems. One of those, where you initate a group hug with everyone around you, no matter if you know them or not. One of those that make you feel Alive.

The intro alone radiates happiness. Not in a "I am screaming of joy" kind of way, but in a "I am a hundred percent content", smiling while having your eyes closed way. While the heavily synthesized piano plays softly, the blissful vocals by Poppy Baskcomb slowly start building. The amazing intro is only topped by the incredible, chill-inducing buildup right before the drop. While the drop might not be the big explosion one might expect at first, it is stunning nonetheless. Perfect end of the night vibes.

Of course the instrumental itself is beautiful already, but the vocals are the glue that holds it all together for me. The part of the track that makes the track. Safe to say, this is one of the finest performances of the 23-year-old singer from Portsmouth yet. And she had her hands in productions for Melanie C! Yes, Shorty Spice! Not only did she sing the fuck out of this, she and Dimension also did a killer job at writing the song itself too. On the release of this single, Dimension said that this is his favourite he has ever written. I completely understand that.

Might be a bit too poppy for some, but I absolutely love this one. Simply beautiful.

3. Danger (feat. Mc Gq)

Let's. Get. Dangerous.

If you are an avid Dimension follower you might recognize this one. It has been making the rounds as an ID since at least 2019, when he played it in his Essential Mix. Since then it has been reworked quite a bit though! The main melody choppy synth melody is still intact, but the production surrounding it has been completely overhauled. Furthermore, the track now feautures legendary MC GQ, who Dimension has famously sampled for the rave classic UK.

Anyone who thought this album would be cheesy festival anthem after anthem is proven wrong very quickly. I don't even know why anyone would think that though, I mean have you listened to Dimension? Danger is classic Dimension through and through. Straight from the get-go, the dirty breaks, random gun-cocking and especially GQ's hype vocals give off the vibe of a warehouse rave. As we enter the drop, this suspicion is only confirmed. Filthy basses, a Prodigy-esque melody and a little bit of Don't Sleep wubs await you.

4. Devotion (feat. Cameron Hayes)

Next up we've got another blast from the past: Devotion. Unlike Danger, this one was actually released for a while already. Since it's one of my favourite ever Dimension tracks, especially live, I am not complaining one bit it is getting another release on here though. It also gives me a chance to properly gush about it.

Before it was released, it was known as "that Rampage intro ID" and boy oh boy, what an intro to a set this one is. That first Give me your devotion hits hard. Even when I'm sitting at home in my pyjamas, I can instantly see Dimension before my eyes doing his signature conductor-like hand movements and it's hard to not get hyped. So many memories to the countless festival sets that included this anthem. The bass in the buildup just filled the room in a way that makes my hair stand up just from memory, more than a year later. Yes, it also filled the room on outdoor festivals.

I know that's kind of Dimension's thing, but the whole production gives off such a dramatic atmosphere. Even more so than most of his tunes that came before or after. One big reason for that is that he chose the perfect vocalist for this song, as per usual. Cameron Hayes is a very fresh face, especially back in 2019 when Devotion was released, but that has not stopped her from smashing her performance to bits all the way through. She has since then confirmed her vocalist to watch status even further with her great contribution to the Portals album last year. What a resume to have at 22!

You should know this one by now. Hasn't aged a day.

5. Psycho

What if Dimension had a hip-hop side project? Well, you won't have to imagine, just listen to Psycho to get a glimpse into that parallel universe!

As a hip-hop fan, though my fanboi-iest days are way behind me at this point, this is quite a weird crossover. If you had given me no context before listening to this, I would have never guessed I'm listening to a Dimension track. While the most obvious connection would probably be west coast hip hop à la Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, it mostly made me think of the german rap track SSIO - Halb Mensch Halb Nase. I'm probably literally the only one who would ever think that, I don't even know why I'm sharing this with you. Anyway.

Dimension took that west coast hip-hop vibe (or german rap vibe, depends on your perspective really) and transformed it into a more modern production. Everything is tailored to the Psycho vibe, from the very Dope D.O.D-esque verses to the little twisted descending notes in the breakdown. The buildup is even a bit reminiscent of the classic Psycho violin screeches. While it is not a typical Dimension track, you can still hear hints of his sound in this if you're looking for it. Mostly in the breakdown, but it's there!

I kinda want more.

6. Remedy (feat. Ts Graye)

Let's go back to some nice melodies again.

Next on our list we've got Remedy, which increments the sing-along anthem counter by one once more. Before you listen and it's too late, I will have to warn you: This tune will get stuck in your head if listened to too often. It is so, damn, catchy. Once you are inside this track's gravitational field, there is no way out. One could even say, there's no remedy.

It's seemingly quite a simple track, a catchy hook with a straight-forward melody and jumpy beat, but it's all the little details of the production that really make this track as catchy as it is. The main melody's synths and background basses evoke the feeling of pop songs from before I was born, which the pewpew laz0rz in the buildup enhance even more, and the understated melody during the track's breakdown is just straight-up beautiful. One could probably make a whole track of just that breakdown.

Sometimes a well-executed instrumental is all you need. It helps to have an amazing vocal at your disposal though. TS Graye, a quite new face from Bristol, contributed a lot to this track's catchiness in my eyes. While the melody is the part that gets me to move my head left and right to the beat, it is the vocal that really completes this track. My favourite moment is probably the part of the buildup, where the instrumental is stripped back to the funky bassline and a slightly muted melody and the vocal is given the full spotlight. Gets me every time.

I encourage everyone to check out his How I made Remedy breakdown video. It contains neat little insights into the production process like TS Graye's vocals being marked as "Plus Minus vocals", the breakdown bass guitar being called "Blinded By The Lights 4" (explains my nostalgia feeling quite well) and the snare being called "Hatred Snare".

Has been on repeat for quite a while!

7. UK Border Patrol

Alright, UK Border Patrol, I bet that's going to sound like a soundtrack to border patrol busting some criminals smuggling drugs or something!

It couldn't imagine a statement more far away from the truth if it tried. In actuality, UK Border Patrol is the most laid-back track of the album and could easily be featured on lofi hip-hop radio - beats to relax/study to. Not only because it's a very chilled breakbeat beat, it's the whole package. You can hear it raining a lot in the intro, you've got some lo-fi samples from breakbeat classic Kick Like A Mule - The Bouncer, you can even hear the grain texture popping up every now and then. It is the perfect soundtrack for staying inside on a rainy day. It's not necessarily my favourite genre to listen to, but it's just such a vibe I can't help but enjoy it immensely.

Throughout all this vibing, it soon becomes clear that the track incorporates some very political ideas. If your name's not down, you're not coming in might be harmless enough in a club setting, but through the track name, police sirens and snippets of talk show guests talking about foreigners you quickly realise, this might just be about something else. It's a very melancholic take on Brexit and all the ugliness surrounding it.

Really lovely tune.

8. Organ

Title track time!

In a way, this one is like a big melting pot of all the different styles of Dimension. It's as if you took the vibe and melody of one of his uplifting anthems and combined it with a gnarly dimension rave tune. While it is obviously very danceable and has that classic dark and mysterious aesthetic to it, it is the main synth melodies that are just so sing-along-able and hopeful in a way. When listening to it, I feel like I'm going full throttle towards a good time. I might not be quite there yet, but I damn will be soon. Insert Covid reference here.

Organ isn't just called that because every album needs a title track, it really feels like something that represents all sides of the whole album. On its surface it's of course mostly a very well executed classic Dimension dancefloor track, but in the context of the album and his history, it also works as a kind of explosive here I am, this is me anthem. Interestingly, this is the only DnB track on the album not featuring any vocals at all. I guess it works that way too: If the album is the church, this track is its Organ. The instrument, not the body part.

Great tune that is going to be stuck in my head for weeks.

9. Altar

Altar is the flipside to Organ's uplifting feel. The altarnative side.

Everything about it is simply ominous. While the bouncy bassline might be reminiscent of Generator (and others™), it's evilness is cranked up to 11. Together with the white noise screams in the buildup and atmospheric evil in the background, the whole track really feels like as if Gesaffelstein did DnB. Or maybe as if Dimension remixed PURSUIT. It is straight-up demonic.

I know I probably sound like a repeating record at this point, but: One thing that greatly elevates this feeling in my opinion is the russian vocal. Even if you don't understand anything she is saying, like me, the way the words sound and the way they are said just fit the vibe of the track 100%. Thanks to some big help from a french friend of mine, who also doesn't speak Russian but spent a few hours trying to get it right on Google Translate, I've managed to get access to a partial translation and let me tell you: It makes it even better. No one will save you, nobody will help. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.

I can't get enough of this vibe and bounce.

10. Love To Give (feat. Culture Shock & Billy Lockett)

Okay enough bangers for now, let's do something more beautiful again. Gotta keep the ratio intact!

This one is the mega collabs to end all mega collabs. Teased since 2014 and maybe even earlier, it is the clash of the Dancefloor Titans: Dimension and Culture Shock, the man everyone keeps comparing Dimension to. Love To Give is the first of two collaborative tracks between the two, the other one being Don't Sleep. As is tradition with both producers, one of the tracks is geared towards the dancefloor (Don't Sleep, in case you're not familiar for some weird reason) while the other is a more vocal-focused festival anthem.

The easiest comparison to make would be Culture Shock's There For You. On a literal level there are obviously quite a few differences, but it has that very same "End of the festival summer" feeling to it. It pushes the buttons inside of me that make me feel nostalgic for waving my arms left and right in the sun as my favourite track plays. The instrumental is perfectly aligned with the vocal, every note is enhanced by an additional warm melody or harmony, it's almost as if the song is singing along with the vocal.

Those dreamy vocals were created by Billy Lockett, who is usually more of a piano-focused indie ballad kind of vocalist, but slots right into the warm and fuzzy feeling of the instrumental. I love hearing new voices in Drum and Bass, which is why I enjoy how many different talents Dimension pulled into this, but I would love to hear more from Billy in a 174 tempo. It just works. To hear how a more typical Billy Lockett track would sound like, I would very much recommend the Acoustic version.

I only have love to give for this track.

11. Domino

Equipped with the incredible vocals by Matthew Robert Wilson, Dimension embarks on his next non-DnB mission: Domino.

Maybe my mind is just going there, because the Blinded By The Lights sample name is still fresh in my head, but this track is giving me major The Weeknd vibes. Not only is Mr. Wilson's vocal performed in a similar style as the pop star, the production also feels very 80s. However, even though you can draw these parallels to other artists and even though it's Electro instead of DnB, it still sounds very much like Dimension. It's like looking into another parallel universe (or maybe a look into the future?), where he is producing some of the latest electronic pop hits. I wouldn't even be mad, let alone surprised. So long as we're still getting our DnB fix regularly enough I'd be happy.

I know I've abused this type of joke too many times over the weeks, but I don't care: Domino? More like Domi-yes!

12. Offender

I hope you got your flamethrowers ready.

Offender started its life as a bootleg of The Prodigy - Light Up The Sky, which was debuted during Dimension's Rampage 2019 set. Since he (presumably) couldn't get permission to release the bootleg, he recycled some of the elements of it into a completely new track: Offender. If you compare the end result with the Prodigy bootleg, you'll notice that there's almost nothing left of the first version. Only the very first part of the intro is noticeably similar, especially due to the new but still very Prodigy-esque vocals.

That's where the similarities kind of end though.

For starters, Dimension has embraced the latest big trend in DnB: 174 bpm 4x4. Unlike most of his predecessors this one isn't inspired by Techno, Dimension has already done plenty of those after all. Instead, Offender goes for the Acid route, with a little dash of Psytrance thrown in for good measure. And man, is it ever glorious. I definitely understand why Dimension poses with a flamethrower for this track, it's the soundtrack to a full-on revolution. The anarchistic vocal that keeps reminding us that it's full of Sam, I mean sin, does an excellent job of hyping the listener up to break the walls and bang some doors. Just reading these words gets the melody stuck in my head, goddamnit.

I can't wait to hear this at a rave.

13. Lord's Prayer (feat. Liam Bailey)

Even Dimension, who really likes using vocalists that aren't usually found in the DnB scene, agrees that there can never be enough Liam Bailey in DnB.

Lord's Prayer is a very special track. Instead of the usual heavily synthesized production, Dimension went for a very raw feel here, giving full spotlight to the vocals. The buildups are mainly atmospheric with very minimal drums, with more and more gorgeous strings coming in the closer we get to the drop. During this, all eyes are on Liam's incredibly soulful performance. Seriously, that guy never misses once with his vocals. I will never get tired of his voice.

And then we get to the drop. Beautiful is not strong enough of a word for it. The drums throughout the drop are break-heavy yet roll along smoothly, while the strings are somehow even more blissful than during the buildup. As if that wasn't already perfect enough, we get additional vocals by Vula Malinga. Or Gina Kushka, I'm not 100% sure who did what here. I just know that it's damn glorious.

If this is how Liquid produced by Dimension sounds like I would like a whole album or 20 full of it, please and thank you. Beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, all of it.

14. Plus Minus (feat. Arctic Lake)

While Plus Minus is still drum and bass, it still feels quite different for a Dimension tune. It is not a straight banger, it's more of a grower than a shower. As you will quickly notice, the focus is mostly on the repeated bouncy melody of the intro. In a more conventional track you would expect it to change around throughout the track, but it pretty much remains static, apart from a few filters here or there. What does change however, is everything surrounding it. You've got the Take Me Away vocals by Arctic Lake's Emma Foster coming in here and there, you've got the festival white noise machines, there's all kinds of elements moving about while the melody chugs along. Not my favourite, but an interesting track nonetheless.

What does the subtrahend say to the minuend? Take Me Away.

15. Hatred Ft. E11e

Time for the last signature Dimension banger of the album.

Hatred, featuring mysterious french-accented spoken word artist E11e, is pretty much the continuation of the previous non-album single If You Want To. However, Hatred is way more dramatic than its predecessor. Instead of a woman recapping the previous night out to her friends, this one is about... Okay I have to be honest with you, I'm not quite sure.

The closest I can get to an interpretation that makes sense is that the protagonist is aware she's in a song. While directly adressing the author, she mocks them for the choice of the track title, "Hatred, do you even know the meaning of the word?", and rebels against the producer overengineering her vocal in a Bitch, my voice doesn't need auto-tune kind of way. It is somehow both full of disgust against the antagonist/producer and full of pure boredom. She is so self-aware of being in a Dimension track, she does a Do you feel alive reference and a straight-up Dimension pun. It's like I wrote the lyrics!

One could even say that the at first seemingly random other lyrics are just her "performing" by saying the first things that come to her mind, just to get out of having to work with the producer. I'm not saying this as a bad thing, this genuinely feels like a piece of on purpose story-telling. Sure would be awkward if that wasn't the purpose though, eh?

Man vs. Author interpretations aside, the production itself is as clean as ever. When you read the title your mind probably goes to a hatred-filled rage or revenge act, but this is not about that. It's more of a deeply buried, slow burn hatred. A hatred of someone who wants to act on it or get out of it but can't. The death stare kind. It's pretty much a quintessential Dimension tune: It is dramatic like nothing else, it has the signature super clean production value to it, it is catchy as hell.

I kind of love it.

16. Desire

Come on, you know this one. I will try to keep it short, I've talked about it in the Background already after all. Desire is, even 2 1/2 years later, the festival anthem. It's like Afterglow or We Got It, everyone knows it, everyone can sing along to it. And it is damn well deserved. Clementine Douglas's vocals were an instant classic on release. The production is straight-up beautiful. The melody is way, way, way too catchy. It definitely makes sense to include it in here, it's a huge part of Dimension's recent history. And it still bangs, too!

17. Sensory Division (feat. Clementine Douglas)

We're at the end my friends. We've got one more tune left though: Sensory Division.

And what a tune it is. You might recognize the name, it started its life a few years back already. While I couldn't find any exact dates, it is at least old enough to have been featured in Dimension's 2019 Essential mix. Since then, he made a decision that elevated the whole thing to another plane of existence for me: He got Desire singer Clementine Douglas on board.

But let's step back for a second.

I love this production so much. The intro is giving me huge deadmau5 vibes, which is a feeling I've been craving more of ever since I first heard Dimension's Avaritia and Strobe remixes. Those long drawn-out chords are divine. Not just that, they are made even better with Clementine's vocals. As soon as the first Oooohh comes in, I'm getting chills. A feeling that doesn't leave me for the whole duration of the track. And then there's the drop! I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. If there ever was a perfect drop to run and cry to, this would be it. How will I even cope when I hear this live? I might just fully break down the first time. Probably also the twentieth time. If you're listening to only one track, please make it this one.

If the whole album has to do with religious themes, this would be the Heaven part. But who needs Heaven when you have tunes like this here on Earth? Easily one of my favourite tunes of this year.

It's a masterpiece.

Resources

Conclusion

All in all, an orga(n)smic experience.

This whole album is pure Dimension. You've got the uplifting sing-along anthems, you've got the dramatic German Techno inspired bangers, you've got the warehouse rave slammers, all so different, yet all so very much Dimension. Even the non-dnb experiments all have that same flair to it, you can just tell they're Dimension tunes. Everything is executed exactly how wants it to be, and it shows. He has not only mixed, mastered and produced the whole album all by himself, he has also created the album artwork(s)!

During my research I stumbled upon a particular YouTube comment again and again that said that Dimension could just put all of his singles together into one album and it would be the best album ever. As a certified fanboi™, I'm inclined to agree. However, I'm also very much glad to have gotten so much new Dimension music and general content over the last year or so.

My favourites are Alive, because it's simply beautiful, Devotion, because I'm still not tired of it nearly two years later, Altar, whose dark vibe is something I won't get enough of anytime soon, Lord's Prayers, due to it's sheer beauty, and Sensory Division, which is just unhateable in my eyes.

I pretty much love the whole album, with maybe one or two exceptions. If nothing incredibly crazy happens, this will have at least one of my Album Of The Year votes. In the absolute worst case, it would still get a honourable (di)-mention.