Ädept is a producer from Salt Lake City, UT. The first single from his new album is “Nothin’ Near”. The song is a refreshing and mellow blend of electropop/hip-hop. With this project, electronic producer Ädept builds a sound that circumvents the part of your brain that wants to contemplate the sensory input it’s receiving. Its wash of dreamy keys and bubbling synths are easy on the ears and sinks into your consciousness before you realize it. His unobtrusive approach drives a subtle groove that gives the music a strong rhythmic pulse. While it’s easy to suggest that “Nothin’ Near” improves from the addition of vocals – one can’t deny the producer’s tendency towards crafting what, for all intents and purposes, amounts to elegant electronic music.
The female vocals certainly does give the music a dramatic uplift. Not only does it bring a much-needed spark of longing to the proceedings, it also adds an endearing touch of the mundane in its message, which makes it relatable to all audiences. Elsha, the songstress, possesses a sweet, silken voice that she maneuvers effortlessly into its upper register.
Especially evident on “Nothin’ Near”, she is able to sing from the back of her throat, wrapping her words in a delicate, reedy film that makes it sound like she’s whispering even when she turns the dial up to full volume.
Ädept seizes on the opportunity, highlighting the whispery element, which thanks to his ears being so attuned to textural details, has the same importance in the mix as the background harmony does. That said, with his distinct vocal character, the male rapper, Blue Oni Sin, invests his verses with more spiked edges to give the song a sense of urgency.
Hence grooving bass lines that underlie the hazy shimmering synths, provide the perfect summertime daydream on which the rapped verses add anticipated edginess, which in turn is contrasted by the beautiful sweetness of the female vocals.
Ädept continues to expand and refine the sound, dipping into even more sublime headspaces in the process. He pushes everything into a kind of transcendental space, and into the kind of song you could easily find yourself zoning out to regardless of your surroundings. Humming synths, and tight snapping drums fit conventional EDM/Pop structures, with vocal deliveries sounding on the verge of completely melting into the music.
For all of the well-crafted, meticulous arranging, and polished production, “Nothin’ Near” ultimately never suffers from the ‘over-produced’ syndrome. Every element used, add emotions without overwhelming. This single combines the sweet urgency of indie electro-pop with the immediacy of hip-hop, transforming it into something three-dimensional.
Ädept’s capable hands behind the boards, fill in the blanks between the verses, the hooks, and between the ebbs and flows, and curves of the rhythm. All making the song that much more memorable, that much easier to get stuck in your head, and that much easier to find yourself humming, long after you’ve turned it off.
Look for the full album in December 2019. “Nothin’ Near” is available now on Spotify. Follow Ädept on Instagram for updates.
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