After breakthrough releases on Particles and RePlug, Austria-based producer Orsen makes his debut on the mighty Sudbeat with five melodic progressive cuts.
The title track, ‘Komorebi’, is sleek and hypnotic, with two groovy bassline, insistent synth motifs, and a dancing, abstract main hook. ‘Doves’ sees Orsen take a somewhat moodier tack, with atmospheric pads and a weaving bassline setting the scene for sparse but gorgeous bleeps, which intensify nicely for the heady climax. ‘Fade’ has some nice, rich tuned percussion, a pulsing bass part, and menacing synth licks, with Orsen charting the listener through a series of drops – overall, though, this was the track that grabbed me least. ‘Tourist’ immediately introduces airy pads and the spiralling motif that forms the backbone of the other melodic ideas in the track, with a simple bass part and occasional ripples filling things out. The breakdown on this one is seriously lovely, with layers of chimes coming together to create a real moment. Finally, ‘Organisms’ is a bit tougher, with otherworldly stabs and a driving bass pushing things forward, before Orsen drops some trippy, spacey melodies into proceedings. The track really picks up after a short breakdown, powering into a dreamy haze before the drop.
If there’s a complaint to be made here, it’s that the tracks are all in quite a similar style – across five tracks, it would have been good to be exposed to a different side of Orsen’s sound, but we don’t really get that on this release. That said, the sound we do get is immensely appealing, with ‘Doves’ being my personal pick of the strong crop on offer.
