An Addictive and Experimental Electronic Release from Audiovoid Is Completely engulfing
A borderline brilliant new experimental record from Audiovoid is a damn near perfect example of how certain producers and artists are able to sculpt sound and create entire atmospheres that swallow you up in the best way possible.
The Afterglow EP is robust, to say the very least. Its presence is incredibly cinematic, drifting, edgy, glitchy, and, at times, completely outside the box.
The funny thing about all of that is that it comes through with a lot of character attached to it, and in return, you end up getting attached to that.
Each of these tracks displays a very particular kind of mood. These moods are portrayed with either flowing or slightly invasive synths and keys that are colorful, edgy, and almost always vast in their undertones.
This EP is more of an experience than just a record, and if you listen to it with headphones on, it's one of the best escapes you'll have.
The release opens up with the track called "Three Rivers," and indeed, this is meant to be an introduction to what you are about to step into.
This is one of the more filmic tracks, as it starts off with these brilliant layers of light and sound. It's got a sonic shimmer to it, and it's created particularly by layering these different textures together. You can hear and sort of feel the blend of natural and digital instrumentation coming together, utilizing voice and vocal samples, ambient synth pads, and more to build the soundscape.
The whole thing sounds almost angelic, in a strange sense. You become transfixed by the sound that you're hearing and getting engulfed by it. You find yourself swimming through those layers, and it feels great.
Soon enough, a beat kicks in, and it's not fast. It's a mid-tempo, deep-pocket groove that showcases the producer's ability to start somewhere and end somewhere completely different.
Harmonious and spacious vocals float and invite you to float alongside them. The beat becomes bigger, and more percussive elements come into play, but it's never over the top. Instead, it's very intricately balanced while still providing this robust and boisterous sonic presence.
As I mentioned earlier, this is just an introduction. The record branches out into different directions of electronic enlightenment and most certainly welcomes you to join the ride.
"Drifting" starts off in a similar kind of zone but then quickly separates itself from that first single, hitting with heavier beats, more of a glitchy and almost dubstep-style blend with classic attributes of trance music and EDM.
I feel like the way some of the synthesizers and keys have their own rhythm within the fat beat of the track itself is amazing.
This single, in particular, gives you loads to chew on. Even though it's harder-hitting and has a great beat, it still has that spacious underbelly to it that sucks you into it. You can hear the depth of the track.
"Like That" also comes through with a bit of its own vibe, giving off a heavy swing beat and rhythm that you definitely almost can't help but move your body to. There's just something about this sort of edginess that this one gives off that just feels right.
This song also blends sort of light and flavorful synthesizers with much more alternative and edgy-feeling ones that provide more of the progression element.
There's loads of cool vocal stuff going on on this one, too.
Now, by the time you get to this point of the record, you begin to expect the unexpected.
You realize you're knee-deep in this strangely addictive yet completely outside-the-box and avant-garde electronic journey, and each of these songs dips into some of the artist's many influences he holds close to his heart.
The cool thing about this record, or one of them, I should say, is that even though the songs are experimental, they're still total bangers.
You can hear that old-school influence mixed in with a lot of the fresher stuff he's inputting, and I think I dig that a lot. Just the sheer fact that he's able to bring not just genres and approaches together, but old and new styles as well.
For example, "Only Ever This Moment VIP" totally brings in some classic synthesizers and breeds this fat sort of synthwave feel.
He's definitely not afraid to utilize chunky beats. It's something that this record sort of thrives off of, in a sense.
It's got a lot of drive and melodic threshold, but it also has that sense of smooth and forward-moving flow all at the same time.
This record, in general, is also a great example of something that's released with fewer boundaries than whatever you may be used to.
Even though a lot of the songs are catchy, super memorable, and hold plenty of pop sensibility, there are many sides to it.
It feels kind of unafraid, and because of that, it's freeing to even listen to it.
This was absolutely one of the more immersive records I've heard in a long time, and that's not just on the electronic side of things. I mean, in general.
So, take a deep dive into this release as soon as you can. Listen to the whole thing from start to finish in one shot, as it's the best way to take everything in. Loads of those textures and tones coming at you from the first moment to the last all put you in a certain headspace.
So dig in. See what this does for you.
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