Dakota is a Los Angeles based record producer hailing from Daytona Beach, FL. The traumatic guitar solos of Pink Floyd and the stylings of trap/EDM, serve as the core inspiration for his most recent EP, “Delave”. His productions dabble in the realm of ambiance over chopped vocal samples, provoking a sense of inner peace in the listener.
Dakota makes use of the dead space found in-between the samples, serving as a tool to create forced groove. Groove is something long lost to the EDM scene. He uses simplistic kits to convey a familiar wave of comfort, but allows the pitched vocal samples to tug at the stability of the audience.
What truly makes music timeless – any music, genre or style – is feeling. “Delave” is pure feeling and depth. It is amazingly organic, thick, and warm. It takes your mind through the fractal scheme of time and space, into the void yet at the same time into complete fullness. It is utterly spine chilling, and so powerful.
Some people may confuse the feelings of balance, truth, and beauty channeled through electronic music, as being cold, distant, or empty. This is because its power is so stark and profound, that it goes beyond what many people can grasp. “Delave” is incredibly hypnotic and suggestive. If you close your eyes, the music takes you through many different dimensions – frozen waters, dark caverns and clear blue skies, green mountaintops.
The 8 tracks that comprise “Delave” successfully delve deep into forgotten places in our minds and hearts, creating a new reality with its soundscapes. You can label this music Chillwave, Downtempo, Minimal or whatever. For me, Dakota has produced a great ambient album period. The lush textures and lucid pads mixed expertly with atmospheric voices will encompass your attention throughout.
If you’re a devout listener of ambient, electronic or new age music, you cannot afford to miss this album. Dakota is a far cry from the mundane commercial tracks of mainstream artists.
From “My Place”, “Sterling”, “Lucid” and “Brother” to “Desufnoc”, “Dialect”, “Steering” and “White Noise”, the sound is abstract, ethereal and powerful and definitely not background music. As deep down underneath each and every tune, there is a grooving leitmotif that gently keeps your toes tapping along to the rhythm.
Unlike so many other EDM or chill wave albums, “Delave” keeps a delicate balance between melody, harmonies, maintaining a consistent theme and not allowing the listener to become overwhelmed by a beat or by fading into too much noise. That is what makes Dakota so good at what he does!
OFFICIAL LINKS:
One Comment
Pingback: Dakota: âDelaveâ is Pure Feeling and Depth! | indiemusicshouts