New beginnings are always bittersweet. The past is left behind as we continue on into the future, and as we mourn what once was, we must learn to embrace what is to come. This isn’t the first time I’ve released an ambient or trip-hop album, but it’s the first time I’m releasing one on streaming platforms, so as to say that it’s an official release this time. It isn’t the first time I’ve released an album on streaming platforms either, having released my first official rap album at the end of 2022, and a techno/trance album shortly before that. This, however, feels like a refreshing new start. The clean but dreamy, ethereal and atmospheric sounds that flow from each track to the next, leading all the way up to the album’s end, feel nostalgic and dark or defeated even, yet vibrant and triumphant in a strange way, like a phoenix burning to death only to be reborn from its own ashes.
Perhaps I’m attaching this album to certain emotions evoked by various changes taking place in my life at the moment, but then again, life has always been filled with change, and I suspect it always will be, so maybe there’s really something more to it. A lot of these instrumentals have been in the works since as far back as 2011, being remastered and often times completely rearranged, depending on what I was learning and doing at the time, music-wise. In fact, an earlier version of the track “divine dreams” was the intro for Realms of Reality, a mixtape I released on 420 of 2012, meant to be a laid-back stoner rap album, hence the ambient intro. In a sense, this feeling of a new beginning marks the start of a new era for me, a new age of confidence, a time for me to start finally releasing my music, no matter the genre, no matter how experimental it may be, rather than waiting over a decade just to feel as if it’s finally time. Perfectionism can unfortunately lead to indecision and inertia, and I’m starting to lose patience for both.
As the outro track states, “time flies,” and with each passing day I recognize that harsh reality a little bit more, it becomes just a bit more real, more inescapable with each passing moment, harder and harder to ignore. Even though I’ve really gotten into making hardware-based music in the last couple years, this album was almost exclusively produced on FL Studio, which is what I initially started producing with, and still use a lot to this day. Most these melodies were put together with nothing but a mouse as I started working on them before I ever even picked up a MIDI keyboard. In a way, this release feels like freeing a piece of my past, finally letting it breathe, putting it out into the world so that I can move on and continue creating new music, reconnecting with the passion I had back in the day but taking it to different directions, exploring new horizons. It’s hard to explain but it all feels a bit to me like the dawn of a brand-new day, so I hope you all enjoy this album as much as I’ve enjoyed creating and reflecting on it throughout the years.
Hit the Spotify link if you want to stream the album. If you want to buy it click the Bandcamp link, all support is appreciated. Much love!
rebel eye 