Bayse tells urgent stories through electronic music

His latest EP Fortune features his newest magical synth compositions

Berlin-based artist Bayse is bringing politics back into electronic music. Growing up on rap and electronic music, this artist and music producer built his roots studying sound art at Universität der Künste, Berlin where he adopted his current style using a modular synthesizer.

Merging dance music with political themes, Bayse has released several singles since 2018. His tracks often merge sound with live atmosphere and feature lyrics that are ironic, humorous, or sarcastic in tone. He expresses a sociopolitical relevance as an activist in his music, incorporating urgent real-world sound and events. His 2020 track ‘Piece of Cake’ features recordings of riots in Athens, and his 2019 track ‘Skaramagas’ has sounds from the life inside of a Greek refugee camp. His experimental, animated music video ‘Ayahuasca’ from 2018 screened at several short film festivals and includes field recordings that he took during a ceremony in Goa, India.

His latest release Fortune is a three track EP, a preview to his upcoming full length album Thunder at a picnic set to drop later this year. Fortune is a re-mastered version of tracks written in 2013 and features delicate and spiritual synth lines that put together a dreamy, heavenly sound. Despite the ethereal tone, his electronic album isn’t escapist, but rather—as Bayse himself puts it— he “tells his story with a bleak smile.”

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Aqeel Aadam collaborates on downtempo, creating ‘Fault’

Together with contemporary artist Fossilize me, Aqeel Aadam delivers a detailed yet effortless EP

A neatly put together album of experimental downtempo, ‘Fault’ marks the coming together of two artists connected with the left field label Mystery Circles. Aqeel Aadam and Fossilize Me both released innovative debut albums in 2020, exploring separate paths into the sounds of ambient electronica. The pair shares an appreciation for expansive landscapes, layering together involved synthesizer work with percussive ambience. The overlap of interests between these two artists results in a collaboration which feels entirely natural.

Our featured track from the album is the work of Aqeel Aadam, a New York based musician who started out with bedroom beats and whose progression is evident in ‘Nails Grow Back’. The release revels in creating a detailed soundscape composed of modulated beats and sweeping synthesizers which manage to avoid encroaching on the central melodies at play. Aadam endeavours to blend in influences from atmospheric hip-hop and post rock, bringing to life new sonic worlds. It’s an ambitious approach, and part of the cause behind the albums alternative but polished quality.

The tracks contributed to ‘Fault’ by Fossilize provide a curious and effective contrast to Aadam’s less percussive inclusions. The outcome is an excellent balance between two perspectives operating within the same field, and an album with a gratifying narrative.

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0110 alights, with debut single ‘Undone’

0110 · Undone

The Canadian duo begin their discography with a graceful, melancholic track

‘Undone’ is a contemplative track, gradual and heavy. The overarching themes are those of ambient and drone, with steady beats of piano asserting themselves then dissipating into darkness. The recently released single marks the first few steps taken by the project ‘0110’, set in motion by a chance meeting way back in 2014.

Created with the intention to venture into fields of experimental sound, 0110 stands free from any preconceptions and limitations, working under a label of the same name. The artists behind the project are Iain Howie and Factor Eight, who first found a connection in Vancouver. Howie has previous experience to draw on from his time composing house and DJ music, whereas Factor Eight has claimed a space for himself in media industry, scoring cinema.

Exactly what sound will emerge from this partnership remains to be seen, although the duo possesses sufficient vision and talent to bring forward something original. Another element that falls into the mix is 0110’s appreciation for lyrics, selecting vocals that complement the lower classical tones in ‘Undone’. The human facet sparks within the debut single, igniting emotion and character. It’s an aspect of the track that balances between cinematic grace and mesmerising dance beats.

Stream the release on Spotify

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