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Think of a soundscape that merges all the sounds of neo-synthwave mixed with a dash of darkwave. Sometimes it can get a little peppy, and sometimes it can get more intimate and emotional. It leads to an artistry that seems completely unbounded by genre-based convention and all kinds of tradition. You merge all of these factors and you get Elevated Focusion.
Elevated Focusion is an artist who hails from Queens, New York, having released his old music under the moniker Jonny Rythmns. He primarily made music on his synthesizer keyboard from 2001 to 2004. In 2022, he then released his catalogue of music under the same moniker, and decided to embark on a new musical journey in 2023 with his new name.
Elevated Focusion then released his debut self-titled album venturing into a new direction by infusing vocals into his music via collabs with a large and diverse repertoire of artists. It marked its significance by being a collection of the first music the artist had made in almost 20 years, serving as an autobiographical soundtrack to his life’s experience in the Big Apple. It was previously covered on this platform; you can read about it here.
This time, Elevated Focusion graces our ears with his new release titled ‘Dark Nights’. It boasts an electronic pop fusion sound, incorporating rock, hip-hop, reggae, EDM, pop, funk, jazz, as well as world music. Majority of the songs on the album do have vocals added onto it, being a departure from the primarily instrumental nature of his debut release. It also aims to be a pioneer in the world of alternative electronic music, making genre fusions where one might think it is impossible. Let us check out the album.
Throughout the album, the thematic intent for a dark atmosphere supported by the use of haunting vocals as well as production is quite apparent and it is very excellently executed. Even though I didn’t think that the album necessarily broke borders, as the interweaving within this album has been done before in other instances, the niches it borrows from are so obscure I think they could pass as something ultimately novel in a resurgence. Take tracks like ‘Night Time Lover’ and ‘Club Hell’ for example, where the instrumental is palpable enough for you to feel a sensation that stands the test of time, but certain trills have been done before. However, I must commend the former track, as the vocals and the trills within the synths remind me of a lot of German electronic music from the past. Think in the domain of artists like Wolfsheim, with an edge.
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The edge of exploration and boundary-pushing gets further pushed with tracks like ‘Sinking into Oblivion’, where the strings and the type of vocal harmonies almost lean towards folk as well as world music. I can definitely hear the influence of other scales, as well as slight atonality- giving the song a feel that is quite hard to recreate. I think tracks like this can definitely be developed upon to build a unique niche for the artist. My only critique is the cadence, as that is quite ‘typical’ for fusion tracks. Otherwise, from a compositional and mastering element, this song is utterly spectacular.
I find certain songs to be the downfall of the album, such as tracks like ‘Hot Gothic’. It has all the perfect marks of good production, don’t get me wrong, but the sound selection with the choice of instruments used for the percussion used for the song really ruins it. I think the song could work in a dark, ethereal manner without the drums, almost like a darkwave song from Bauhaus. Same goes to songs like ‘Zombiefied’, which just emerges as if it were a pop song from the 2010s with a very small experimental front. It strangely sounds generic, in its quest to be original. Kudos to the drum pattern though, as I can hear a decent effort put into the syncopation to make the song more musically variable.
There is a slight rock edge to this album, displayed in songs such as ‘Broken Riddles’, which I would honestly say is a very mismatched song. The vocals sound like as if it should be placed in an early 2000s R&B song, with the bass belonging to a funk song, and the melodies of the electric guitar belonging to a rock song. I understand the vision for a type of fusion with all of these genres, but something about this song makes me feel like this is purely executed and could’ve been done more harmoniously. Unfortunately, the track literally sounds like a mash-up of two different songs from the early 2000s. It’s like as if somebody layered Aaliyah’s vocals with a track from Megadeth. It could be done, but with further refining. It is also apparent in ‘Junked Out’, which I think works MUCH better- the slight Gorillaz groove works with the intensity of the lead guitar itself, as well as the darkness of the synths and the slight flare of the drums matching the grooves of metal at some point. The backdrop of the track shines with the soundscape of the synth for the most part, and the slight airiness of some of the instruments. The ‘wacky’ melodic motif of the track oddly fits, as darkness and oddity seem to come hand-in-hand. This improves with songs like ‘Disco Devil’, acting as the merger of Kraftwerk-era German pop with rock itself.
Lastly, the album has a tinge of rap flair- through tracks like ‘Life Frames’, ‘Drip Drop’ and ‘Dark Nights’. I feel like these songs are not necessarily the apex of the album either, as the styles of rapping within these tracks aren’t quite innovative. The backing tracks are a little hybridised and definitely attempt to pull off a multifaceted song structure, but voices are essentially no different than adding an extra instrument to your track- and they don’t necessarily stick out. Otherwise, the tracks are quite decent, at times even merging instances of a complex rhythm into it.
All in all, I appreciate the level of effort it took to make this album as even though some tracks aren’t quite the greatest to my subjective ear, I can definitely say all of the tracks were mastered quite perfectly. In terms of mastering, the artist definitely put his ‘own personal touch’ to it, as I can hear certain nuanced quirks that he uses within his production- especially with the EQing and effects added to each song that does have a singing vocal track. The tracks that do maintain an air of coherence and general likelihood do shine, as they can serve as decent tracks. Otherwise, a wonderful introduction to alternative, electronic music. This also shows Elevated Focusion’s potential to be a barrier-breaking artist, regardless of personal or subjective taste.
Score/Excellent: ‘Dark Nights’ is an interesting introduction to the world of alternative electronic music. It has tantalising dark themes through the motif of the synths and is overall a great experience- even if certain tracks feel generic- simply due to the wonderful mastering of the album. It is also a great album to ‘start somewhere’ if you’re in the mood to entertain the dark side.
[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]
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