It’s all about new things. That’s literally an
oversimplification when trying to describe life, or at the least a statement of
what makes life interesting. New things, new experiences, that step into the
unknown.
As grand and overbearing as this introduction might seem,
that’s the first impression I received when I sat down to write this review of Stranger by Audible1. See, normally, the
guys at Electric Harmony get really excited about new musicians they’re working
with and ask me to take a look at their work as a whole; which I love writing
about because I can hear the evolution of their sound and pick out common
characteristics and themes and so on. But this time, I’ve been asked to take a
listen to just the one track. From an act, I am fairly ashamed to admit I only
had a peripheral understanding of: Audible1 - the stage name of the incredibly
talented Alex Norgate.
You know when you’re either watching a movie, or playing a
computer game or listening to an album and you’re on the fence about it? You’re
not entirely sure what to make of the creative item you’re experiencing, like
your opinions are still somewhat fuzzy and vague and haven’t quite fully formed
yet? Then there is one moment that seals the deal for you and completely
influences the way you ‘see’ that movie/album/computer game. Well, while
listening to Stranger that moment
occurred for me at some point around the 1:38 mark.
Up until this point, I will say that I was very impressed
with the track, but it hadn’t quite got me hooked. The vocals of featured
artist Eva Lazarus (leading lady of Dub Mafia) were beautifully sweet
against the sharpness of the rhythm, and the Drum n Bass beat that deftly seems
able to bend time to its will is a great way to subtly shift the momentum of
the track, but I didn’t quite feel connected to the track. It wasn’t something
that I would naturally come back to. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t any
criticism of the track itself – as I’ve stated before around here and as you’ve
probably worked out by now, Drum n Bass music, and other music in this general
area aren’t a particular favourite genre of mine unless I’m in the right mood
for it.
But what I do like, regardless of mood, is music that gets
clever. Music that defies expectations. See, at this 1:38 mark, halfway into
the track, I could see the music going one of two ways. Returning to its
introduction style of spacey vocals, with a much more low-key sparse
accompaniment, or continuing on with the high BPM approach. What I didn’t
expect is the track to suddenly infuse itself with a properly Ska/Reggae style
bridge. Brilliant! I’m guessing that this approach might have been done
somewhere else before, so forgive my poor background knowledge of the genre,
but this is the first time I’d ever heard someone combine a ska vibe into a
Drum n Bass track, and I love it. It’s exactly what the track needed to
transition from being a technically excellent track that was really very good,
to being a track that makes me want to tell people about and that I’m going to
remember for a long while to come.
So new things. Sometimes it’s as simple as defying
expectations to create a new experience for the listener, which Audible1 has
certainly done for me. Whether you’re like me, a dabbler of Drum n Bass, or a
hardcore fan of this style of music, you could definitely do worse than
spending a couple of minutes to check Stranger
out.
‘Stranger’ is released worldwide on the 17th December 2012, and is available via all the usual channels, including iTunes and Amazon. The official video will also hit YouTube the same day!
Review by Paul Barnes
Check out Audible1
Buy 'Stranger Today!
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