Friday, 15 November 2019

Orenda 'Reverie' Review





Artist: Orenda



Title: Reverie



Label: Gravitas Music



Released: 15th November











Orenda is an unknown entity to me. Perhaps it’s a new face or perhaps a side project released under a pseudonym from a producer I already know? What I do know is the aim is a marriage of ethereal voices and aggressive bass, a battle between light and dark within bass music, what could loosely be labelled as melodic dub-step.


The journey begins with the title track where you escorted in by airy synths, harmonic female ethereal vocals and sparse bleeps. A minute in and the low frequency bass is dropped. Personally, I didn’t find it too harsh, in fact it worked just right for me. This is followed by a collaboration with Equanimous on ‘Mystic Descent’, this piece initally moves a touch faster with looped sequences and tribal chants, the track slows down into dub-step and then shuffles in and out perfectly.


Next on the agenda is ‘Numinous’ which works a little bit more like I anticipated. With the lighter melodic passages contrasting against the heavier and harsher breaks. Whilst ‘Marmoris’ begins in a style I would compare to the Deepheads label, melodic synths and vocals slowly unfurling ripples of harsher electronics and bass. That impression remains with me on ‘Fracture’ and I’m feeling like I’ve settled into the Orenda sound nicely.


Heading towards the close of the album and I’m still drawing comparisons to the deepheads label, especially with the way the soulful vocals stabs are toyed with over the track. Finally to see us out alongside DTO is ‘Gayatri’ where the bamboo flute intro leads us into similar territory with an eastern edge.


Reviewed by Woodzee

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