#post-edm

Don Quixote was a heroic fool, one much loved and cherished in the literary scene across the world. While the players in this next one are treasured producers in the electronic scene, I can assure you, there are no fools to be found here, only heroes. French production prodigy Fytch, the boundary pushing, genre blurring maestro whom we’ve extolled countless times over in the past year, places his adroit production prowess on full display as he unveils his contribution to Crywolf’s OBLIVIØN [Reimagined] series with a breathtaking Quixote transmutation. Fytch and Crywolf together on a track feels natural, if not inevitable. Both these artists have been leading-edge architects in electronica with their progressive sound structure, so vividly imaginative and boundlessly affecting. They oft fuse electronica with alternative music, even rock and emo. This Fytch Reimagination of Quixote is spine tingling yet beautiful, a gripping gut-punch of an epic trap and widescreen bass anthem. Crywolf’s  OBLIVIØN [Reimagined] series has also featured the likes of Elminate, Mielo, Roniit, LEViT∆TE , and SWARM. Stream the series, here.

Genre-bending alt flavored post-electronica, oft fused with a copious dose of gritty, trappy hip hop and even emo-styled rock, seems to be the flavor du jour these days, and there are some amazing artists breaking fresh ground in the new ear-perking trend, like Fytch, for one, and also this guy, DED STARK. In fact, he sounds like a cross between Post Malone and Fytch on new single DED END, with the melancholic tones of Joji and the eclectic moodiness of Crywolf or EDEN. Watch the lo-fi video for DED END, a droopy brooding, muddy stirring song. DED STARK lists “LOST Angeles” as his home. You can stream more of his prior releases, including his recent DEDICATED EP, on Soundcloud, here.

guccihighwaters is another delectable find we stumbled across in our serendipitous music discovery adventures on Soundcloud. From what we could glean about the guy, we know that he’s an artist whose genre defying sound fuses ambient electronica with alt emo, kind of like EDEN or Crywolf. crutch is his latest single, a melancholic drawling lament oozing despair and regret. It’s a moving experience, a heavy hearted opus that was obviously masterfully constructed. For another haunting key-trickling anthem from guccihighwaters, stream ‘all my fault’ featuring Softheart below. Fill up with more of guccihighwaters’ deeply cutting music on Soundcloud, here.

Our very first encounter with Fytch might be a song named Without Heaven, but I’m quite certain we have actually found paradise in the wallowing beauty of this glorious electronic anthem. The producer and songwriter, who lists both Paris and Boston as his whereabouts, delivers a melancholic brooder in Without Heaven. The track’s cinematic percussion, somber keys, and behemoth drop takes us on a darkly gripping emotional odyssey. There are moments on the slow burning trap/dubstep hybrid that even feel somewhat Radiohead like, meandering, contemplative vocals and all, but with the post-EDM electronic intensity of EDEN. Without Heaven can also be streamed via Spotify, here. Listen to more Fytch on Soundcloud, here.

EDEN seems to really like releasing things in twos. He kicked off the month with an instrumental track named ‘stutter’ as well as a melancholic aching aria named ‘about time’. And now the esteemed singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Dublin has followed those treats up with two more emotionally arching tracks, ‘nowhere else’ and ‘all you need is love’, an immensely heartrending cover of The Beatles. As before, EDEN succeeds at packing so much sentimentality and poignancy into his tracks that the very air around us seems filled with that energy. It’s as if his music is a catalyst for all the greatest emotions of the heart, much driven by the weightiness of his vocals, which always seem to be on the cusp of cracking under the burden of it all. EDEN’s music, which some label as post-EDM, is as unique and fresh a cascade of orchestral electronica, chiffon indietronica, and intimate R&B-speckled pop as ever. He’ll be kicking off the European leg of his vertigo world tour come November after having sold out every show on its first leg. 

It always blows my mind that some artists have the time to tend to both a solo career and projects with other gifted artists. Both SAKIMA and AObeats are busy musicians. SAKIMA just released his vibrant synthpop track Death Is In The Air a few weeks ago. As for talented producer AObeats, he just signed with TEN Music Group & Kobalt Music the other day. Yet, they’ve both found time to reunite as dynamic post-EDM duo SWIMS to give us Over Me, on which the pair again wed their individual styles to perfection. SAKIMA’s smooth sultry crooning glides over jazzy keys and AObeats’ mesmeric future beats production to create a snazzy simmering, airy flickering pop track. There’s no getting over Over Me, that’s for sure. Over Me is available via major platforms, here.

Late last month, Jersey based singer songwriter and producer Jeremy Zucker released his four track EP, Idle, which includes previously featured End and his much lauded collaboration with blackbear, Talk Is Overrated. Let’s take a moment to appreciate song number two, Ghosts, a melter of an alt R&B and soulful pop ballad with crisp hip hop undertones and an expansive electronic atmosphere. At the forefront of the moving song is Jeremy Zucker’s velvety smooth yet gritty emotive voice. His EP Idle has certainly shaped up to be a deeply moving experience, kind of like EDEN and Lido, but more spacious and voluminous. Idle is available from iTunes, here.

The Chainsmokers defied expectations with their latest single Sick Boy, going for a more Twenty One Pilots meets Transviolet like alt sound on the beast of a tune rather than their usual buoyant prancing future bass and pop on hits like Roses and Closer. xo sad, a mysterious and enigmatic project who seems to have appeared out of nowhere less than a month ago, has begun to forge a namesake with their post-EDM styled covers. xo sad melds gritty alt styled vocals with lush emotive electronic soundscapes. Their latest cover, a raw gripping, rough brooding trap cover of Sick Boy, is a prime example of that mesmeric sound, dripping with emotion and anguish. You can also stream xo sad’s covers of Post Malone’s I Fall Apart and Lil Peep & Marshmello’s Spotlight on Soundcloud, here. Their take on Sick Boy is a free download, here.