Acid Arab Delivers A Massive LP
- R.A.G.
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
If you are looking for thriving and heavy-handed electronic music with plenty of cultural flair, then I have just the thing for you.
The new full-length LP from Acid Arab hits the mark with incredibly diverse and intricate electronic music coupled with deep-pocket grooves and edgy beats, all blended into an Arabic soundscape that brings these two worlds together amazingly.
This is not just an electronic record. This is an album that breaks boundaries. The way that it's put together is so unique, and how they bring in vocalists and collaborators to really add lusciousness to the record is absolutely outstanding.
This is a different kind of electronic album, and I feel like it's one that can't be missed.
The synthesizers and keys used throughout this record are intense, beautiful, graceful, and at times performed with that Arabic melody and tonality, blending the digital set of instrumentation with a natural approach in performance.
I found that to be one of the most incredible things. This is someone outstanding at sound sculpting, and in doing so, the group has created something robust and engulfing, in the best way possible.
This is the kind of album you listen to all the way through from start to finish, in one shot, if possible.
RESONANCE spans 16 tracks and none of them fall short of amazing, in my opinion.
Some of them are a little edgier, like "Stif", utilizing super hard style beats, touched with light effects to really deepen them and let them cut through everything, along with keys that perform Arabic melodies and Middle Eastern vibes.
This is a beautiful record, and although a lot of the tracks have that hard-hitting sort of edginess, again, they can be very elegant in their performance and melodies.
"Zine" is amazing; it comes through as experimental, cinematic, vast, and the vocalist really adds a different texture and tone to the song and soundscape itself.
A lot of this record is actually quite cinematic, in my opinion.
Again, there are hard-hitting tonalities to this, especially beat-wise, but there's also a lot of spaciousness and ambience in its underbelly.
Loads of layers of these synths and keys come overlapping melodies, and the addition of vocals a lot of the time builds songs out to be something unique.
Because of elements like this, the entire album breeds an atmosphere all its own.
Now, some songs just feel more classic, like "Atlas", which utilizes some old school keys that feel like there's something from an 808 or 303 beat machine.
Sounds like this is more based on house than anything else, and it's done really well because it comes through as insanely danceable.
Even tracks like this still come through with that rich Middle Eastern undertone, and I feel like this is a record that should certainly not be missed, especially by those who love experimental, outside-the-box, and culturally inclusive electronic music, in general.
"Ghzal" showcases such a great level of intensity while still somehow having a smooth aesthetic over time.
Tracks like this have a more widespread beat, deepening those pockets, and once again an amazing vocalist laying in gorgeous melodies that thicken up the song and add even more to the already full-bodied feel.
"Zid Mazzika" is possibly one of my favorites on the record, as it incorporates classic Middle Eastern instrumentation. Although it may be performed on the keys, it still has the right tone and feel so that the song comes across exactly how it was intended.
I feel like Acid Arab pay a lot of attention to the little details. There's a lot of thought that went into how these songs would come across, the arrangements, the mending and blending of styles and approaches, and it's all quite a beautiful experience if you listen to it all at once.
Now, the songs that I mentioned already stand out amazingly as singles on their own two feet; however, the full album gives you a massive experience.
I definitely feel like that's the way it was meant to be heard. All the way through.
This is best listened to nice and loud, in the car with some good speakers, or even with headphones.
Either way, it's the kind of record that's going to make you move. All of these songs make you want to move your body, so if you're listening to it in the car, you're going to be shaking your butt in your seat.
If you're at home, move the couch back so you can dance around the living room. No matter what, you're going to be dancing because it's relentlessly addictive, and the beats, melodies, textures, tones, and sounds are all so insanely alluring.
Almost every one of these tracks comes with an amazing collaborator involved; a lot of the time, no matter which track you're listening to, you'll be pulled into this whole different world.
If you listen to the full album in one shot when it's over, you'll have to snap yourself back to reality again.
I can't remember the last time I heard a record that was this engaging.
This will pull you away from wherever you are and whatever you're doing and put you in a completely different headspace.
A brilliant blend of Arab culture and sound, with thriving electronic music; definitely dive into the RESONANCE album as soon as you can.
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