A gorgeously diverse electronic sound consumes on Year One, the new album from Sydney, Australia-based artist Daniel Mountain. Hip-hop, soul, and downbeat inspirations bolster an array of heady synth tones and hypnotic rhythms, succeeding also in dynamic use of samples — from Japanese folk to field recordings and ’70s jazz. Daniel Mountain thoroughly impresses across Year One, a fully DIY production taking influence from artists like Blockhead, El Michels Affair, J Dilla, and Aim.
“Diecast Champion” opens the album with immersive electronic atmospherics, intertwining a steady synth buzzing with more twinkling, starry-eyed qualities. Additions of shimmering guitars bolster the memorable soundscape further, exuding shades of The Radio Dept. in its contemplative guitar/synth interplay. The ensuing “Mr Snrub” attains a lusher intrigue, as chilly keys and subdued beats craft a sound fit for winter elegance, compared to the opener’s space-set effervescence. Year One consistently impresses in its tonal dynamics, and its opening one-two punch is a quick showcase of such.
The album continues to dazzle in its array of melodic, eclectic electronic productions. “Old Man and the Sea” alternates between illuminated synth-pop ethereality and more ominous entrancement, the latter arriving past the first minute as clanging piano and bass-y buzzing build with an eerier delightfulness. “Jackals” succeeds in the more rhythmic realm, booming with its percussive pulses and bass griminess, while “Desire Lines” sounds fit for a spy film with its balancing of nocturnal synth swells and glistening dreaminess. Daniel Mountain’s Year One is a gripping electronic success, full of heart and atmospheric variety.
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“Diecast Champion” is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Electronic.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
