A look at voljum & Devisored's new tracks on VALE
InsightsWritten by Keelan Rushby on
If you asked me which label I thought was one of the most innovative at this point in time, constantly pushing boundaries further and further with each release, I'd have to say VALE.
Each piece of music they release is vastly different yet still very much attuned to the aesthetic VALE has been pushing for years (known prior to the re-branding of 'VALE' as the IDM Collective).
Recently they have been focusing less on an IDM based glitchy approach to the label, leaning towards more of a high energy beats & next level sound design output, and my god is it doing them absolute wonders.
The team here at Rendah received VALE'S two next Singles up for release, and they're a great example of what VALE is doing right.
—voljum - monotony
Opening with a brilliantly simple yet catchy bass guitar riff paired with a grungy old-school break, the tune starts seemingly with the intention of having you think it's going to be some luscious 80s-90s type hip-hop instrumental, when very suddenly the 'drop' you never expected comes into play. I love that the bassline here is playing the same melody as the introduction but adding so much variation in distortion and ridiculous movements.
The closer you listen to this tune the more subtle nuances of groove and sound design you will pick up on and there are a lot of moments that are more than worth the multiple re-listens, to be fully immersed in the concept of this masterpiece. I also have to give a shout out to the brilliant use of the flute mid-way through, awesome stuff.
—Devisored - Vulcan
This one is a nutter. The introduction doesn't let much on at all other than the fact that this tune isn't exactly going to make it's way into your 'Sunday night lo-fi chillout' playlist. Once the tune gets to the punch it reveals an insanely twisty, textural aesthetic sounding like someone shovelling tonnes of some sort of rubber & moist concrete & tree root mixture. Absolutely nasty.
The 'lead' playing the melody as a clear cut contrast to all of the unhinged madness happening alongside it is a really smart move, providing interest in the high mid range, spatial variation (different layers of reverb added to it throughout) and a common melody to follow, even though it's pitch bends in very odd ways.
If you've made it mid-way without falling into a texture induced coma, you'll be rewarded with some seriously dope bassline layers that make their way into the structure of the tune and start to mix the pot in a very interesting way that utilises the already present textural aesthetic.
