Polish dance sensation Drist is back with a brand-new single called ‘City Lights’. Setting the tone with uplifting synths that ignite a 90s nostalgia, Drist introduces an addictive vocal that tells an emotional story whilst remaining a key feature throughout. A rising energy slowly develops in the background before quickly dropping out to a short yet catchy violin-like melody to launch the drop into its full force.

‘City Lights’ is intricately detailed in its production with many layers presenting themselves with each listen. It’s also bursting with rhythm and all-round good vibes. Piano stabs make an appearance during the second verse adding yet another dimension to the release, shining a bright light on Drist’s signature style of blending progressive sounds with classical instruments. ‘City Lights’ has an unbeatable drive that keeps its fresh and interesting and having already generated thousands of streams already, this is set to be Drist’s biggest hit yet.

https://www.instagram.com/djdrist/

Drist has taken the scene by storm this year with releases such as ‘Not Enough’, ‘Go With Me’ and now ‘City Lights’. Having achieved top 100 Beatport positions and renowned Spotify playlisting on R3HAB’s ‘Night Playlist’. Drist has been catapulted into the spotlight for his unique productions that satisfy the ears and soul. You can expect to hear many more feel-good tracks like ‘City Lights’ from Drist as he looks to be one of the most promising talents to come out of Poland at the moment.

Drist has taken the scene by storm this year with releases such as ‘Not Enough’, ‘Go With Me’ and now ‘City Lights’. Having achieved top 100 Beatport positions and renowned Spotify playlisting on R3HAB’s ‘Night Playlist’. Drist has been catapulted into the spotlight for his unique productions that satisfy the ears and soul. You can expect to hear many more feel-good tracks like ‘City Lights’ from Drist as he looks to be one of the most promising talents to come out of Poland at the moment.

https://www.facebook.com/djdrist

After a year of stellar releases, and their anthem collab, “run” with Lane 8, Kasablanca, delivers their debut EP “human learning” with an incredible visual teaser.

Kasablanca

Blurring the line between progressive and melodic techno with their debut 2020 release, “Hold Me Close” Kasablanca taps into 80’s analog synth nostalgia with the first song off their debut upcoming EP, “Human Learning”.

Launching on Armada’s Electronic Elements sublabel, not much is known about Kasablanca. Self described as an “Audio visual experience”, Kasablanca’s musical identity comes from their use of melodic retro textures combined with the rhythmic fundamentals of house & techno. Blending genres and influences like Rufus De Soul and ARTBAT with the attitude of acts like Justice and Kavinsky, their debut EP, Human Learning is already garnering the support of underground and main stage DJ’s alike. The identity of Kasblanca may be hidden, but you can expect their sounds to be at every corner of this realm.

http://www.instagram.com/wearekasablanca

https://www.instagram.com/danielrosenholm_music/

https://linktr.ee/aprilannland

https://www.instagram.com/danielrosenholm_music/

“The pair’s intent was to frame the sonic strata of their home state of Minnesota’s overlong winter months. They’ve succeeded.” – Aquarium Drunkard

Elskavon aka Chris Bartels and pianist John Hayes found their way to one another through a common interest in ambient-classical composition, and paying tribute to their mutually beloved home state Minnesota, particularly as it is during its overlong winter months.

Using cassette tape, and both in and out-of-the-box effects processing, to wring every last drop of sincerity out of a small array of acoustic timbres, Hayes and Bartels manage to lure electronic composition away from its oft-accused sterility into a deeply human, empathic realm. Their debut collaborative album Du Nord is out next Friday November 20th via Western Vinyl.

“Refrost” encapsulates the entire project with a wide-framing ambient opening, leading to clicking percussion and complimentary rhythms the rest of the way.

Few words about Elskavon & John Hayes

Elskavon aka Chris Bartels and pianist John Hayes found their way to one another through a common interest in ambient-classical composition, and shared influences spanning Chopin to Eno, both in genre and chronology. On their debut collaborative LP Du Nord,the pair work in a modern framework draped in classical textures, adding up to a moving and tranquil outcome that sonically describes their mutually beloved home state Minnesota, particularly as it is during its overlong winter months. The album is set for release November 20th via Western Vinyl and can be pre-ordered here.

Du Nord makes a gregarious introduction with “Vermilion” wherein a deep four-on-the-floor kick drum anchors a plucked violin leading to one of the album’s most extroverted and percussive cuts that gets into head-spaces occupied by both Four Tet and Balmorhea. The track is streaming via YouTube and all digital services.

Using cassette tape, and both in and out-of-the-box effects processing, to wring every last drop of sincerity out of a small array of acoustic timbres, Hayes and Bartels manage to lure electronic composition away from its oft-accused sterility into a deeply human, empathic realm.

Following “Vermilion”, the heavy percussion recedes into the blizzard, and the focus shifts to subtler, more microscopic emotional detail. On album centerpiece “Closer,” like so much of Du Nord, closeup pianos carry the whispers of their felt and wood viscera, while reverberant strings and synths echo from the pews in solidarity. Echoing the state’s distinctive seasonal changes, title track “Du Nord” is a brisk, gale-force drone that contrasts the relative gentleness of its aforementioned companion piece. The epilogue “Lobby” spotlights a lonely, cornered piano, captured from across the room on a cassette tape that reveals its age in hisses, warps, and flutters. It’s the product of two minds working with such synergy that their sonic thumbprints blend together entirely, becoming one.

John Hayes & Elskavon prove that even though “magic” may be an overused descriptor, there is a healthy amount of it to be found in the distinctive seasons of the Midwest, particularly its winters. In the colder months there, Earth pretends to be a different planet: Woods become more walkable, their underbrush suppressed by snowfall; days get shorter as once-busy locales dress themselves in motionless sheets of ice; a sun that shone gold in the spring and summer now beams a faint purple light from behind cloud cover that only shows mercy at dawn and dusk. Yet, winter has a counterintuitive consequence.

Though the season is bereft of warmth, the absence of heat compels us to seek it out, and makes us hyper-conscious of its necessity and sensation. It spurs a deeper appreciation of spring and summer, the other side where the grass is literally greener. It is in this way that Hayes and Elskavon are able to divine such deep affect and intimacy from the starker phases of their environment. While the Great Indoors is something we’ve all come to know regardless of our respective climes, these Minnesotans have always been in touch with the lonesomeness of such disconnection; theirs brought on by lingering, secluding winters.

The pair met out of the unique brand of kismet that can only be found in local music scenes, and their shared geography is integral to the aim of Du Nord, both practically and thematically. The two lifelong residents of the Twin Cities were introduced through a mutual friend in their city’s burgeoning ambient scene, and the exchange of ideas developed naturally from there. In Bartels’ own words “We first got together to write a song at John’s former apartment, in around the fall of 2018, something like that. Pursuit of a collaborative single turned into a 4-song EP, which eventually turned into this full-length. We’ve just let things naturally develop. For some songs, John improvised on the piano, sent them to me, and I did some chopping and processing, and added some of the more textural layers. But the majority of the album was written together, in the same room at the same time… these were the most creatively exciting times for us.”

ELSKAVON
https://www.twitter.com/elskavon
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https://www.elskavon.com

JOHN HAYES
https://www.instagram.com/johnhayesmusic
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https://twitter.com/johnhayesmusic
https://www.johnhayesmusic.com

The song is about a guy who is loosing the love he though he had.

It was written, recorded, and mixed by me in my basement home studio using real hardware vintage synths like Roland Juno 106 and Yamaha DX7. I use a few VST instrument for stuff like drums and bass and additional keyboard roles.

The lead vocal is sung by Chris Cron who lives in Nashville. We never actually met in person, but worked together via the internet. I sent him a demo with me singing poorly, and he then did it brilliantly in return.

Few words about Weland

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Synthpop songwriter and producer Weland started releasing music in 2019 after trying to write a catchy pop song for 30 years.

“Every time I tried to write or sing something, my critical inner panel of judges rolled their eyes and shook their heads in despair. I always loved pop music, but the inner judges had agreed that I should know better. They had also emphasized that as an adult student at the Music Conservatory, I should focus on far more challenging music genres and skills.

I believed that my attraction to pop would pass and one day I would ‘grow up’ musically. But it just never happened – I still like a good pop song.

Over the years, I have spent thousands of hours recording, mixing, and fine-tuning completely finalized pop productions, except without any melody or lyrics. Those elements were a mystery to me, like a special superpower that only a few people had, and I was not one of them.

But then one day something changed. Maybe it was the realization that we don’t live forever, and if you, like me, are struggling with inner judges, that stops you from doing things you really want, you need to tell them to put a sock in it and ignore it.”

Weland was originally a rock drummer playing professionally in bands signed on EMI and Sony Music, but has always been fascinated by synthesizers and studio equipment.

“The whole process of making it sound like a record was magical for me. I wanted to crawl into that stereo universe of a well-produced pop song and stay there for much longer than the three minutes it lasted. I could listen to the same song again and again and again…

I was a teenager in the 80s and I guess the soundtrack of my life originates from that era, so I keep drawing inspiration from that period. Luckily the 80s vibe is kind of in fashion right now, so I’m just enjoying the ride. In a few years it will be over, and nobody will want to hear a synth or reverb on anything again.”

https://www.facebook.com/welandmusic/

This song is a pop/soul with dance vibes. It is about having something that was so good, but they are no longer there and you want them back and you want to be with them, and be part of them because that is what you need.

https://www.instagram.com/stellasoulmusic/