#duffrey

album art by Justin Totemical

In a world of singles and EPs, electronic artists clearly have to maintain the attention of their audience somehow if they want to grow and be successful. Duffrey’s strategy was to produce an entire LP of tracks to play out at all his live sets, and it served him well the past two years, as his following and exposure have grown across the US and into Australia. Now, at long last, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 is accessible to every man, woman, and child for free download via international heavyweight Shanti Planti. You too can enjoy the inimitable soundscapes and rhythmic flairs that make Woody Klann’s music simultaneously perfect for a relaxed listening or a dancefloor, from the safety and portability of your cell phone if you so desire.

The new LP features no particular narrative, but crosses peaks and valleys of sonic (and emotional) landscape in an even fashion. Listen in wonder as Duffrey vacillates between playful and serious, culminating in the penultimate track “Error” featuring CelloJoe, whose presence on earlier track “Earworm” is another great boon to the album’s constantly changing composition. Not a moment is wasted, and never does a song become predictable or transparent, yet they also hover in a space that is endlessly relatable. The tempo especially may betray expectations (Duffrey jokes that his genre would be “Psychedelic Omnitempo” if the name didn’t sound so inaccessible), but the samples and sound design are clear and meaningful, with no wasted space or overcrowded noise. Mostly the general feeling is inspiring, as Paul Dano says towards the end of Error: “If I’m gonna fly I’ll find my way to fly”.

Duffrey’s overall sound could be described as being rooted in hip-hop, as his rhythms are often offbeat and swung. As a child he was taught drums and showed interest in double bass, so it’s no surprise those two receive the special attention, and it’s especially worth noting that he would write drum cadences for the snare while in high school, where he played in the drumline for marching band (ya boi was Nick Cannon, no joke). The percussion on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 goes all over the map, from the xylophone in “A Certain Thickness” and “Error” and the harp in “Split Reality” with 2birds that cause the tempo to make interesting modes, to the outright psybass that pushes into truly funky territory with the way it throws its weight around. The horns in “Spontaneous Construction” lend themselves to a dub interpretation, while the spaced atmospheres of “Laura’s Dirty Pile” and “Trough” trend the feeling more towards downtempo. Special consideration should be given to “Burst,” which exits the wild energy of “Spontaneous Construction” and transforms it into a smooth and sad jazz solo on a Fender Rhodes synth.

Duffrey’s earlier releases through Street Ritual helped build the exposure and experience necessary for these tracks to be written, so be sure to check out 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 and 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘊𝘶𝘱𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 to listen to his growth of confidence and experimentation. He has yet to release his new UltraSloth material (written with veteran bioLuMigen with whom he toured Australia and Hawaii), but plays it live sometimes while touring, which he is currently doing with Art of Fact and Oneness. You can download his music and follow his social media via the following links:

duffrey.bandcamp.com

soundcloud.com/duffrey

facebook.com/theduffrey

twitter.com/duffreymusic