One of Bonzai's most prolific artists, Blufeld delivers his 4th artist album - A World Less Ordinary. We've already had a peek into this stunning piece of work when Threlkeld and A World Less Ordinary were released not too long ago as singles. We had a quick chat with David just after the album's completion, which took around 15 months. He draws a lot of influence from the early roots of the trance sound, a sound in which he incorporates into a progressive moulding. Airwave aka Laurent Veronnez and the late great Quadran aka Philippe Van Mullem still provide a lot of inspiration for him in the music he produces. The album in general was intended to create a mysterious feeling throughout but it is also designed to take the listener into a non conforming world where they can make their own rules. A hugely impressive back catalogue is a testament to the commitment and the drive shown by David, his Bonzai repertoire contains a wealth of mouth-watering, floor shaking grooves that have found their way into many sets over the years. David also runs his own label, Actuate which features the very best progressive trance and tech trance from a wide range of talented artists including several of his own aliases. Progmospherica Sessions is David's monthly showcase where you will get the chance to listen to some of the finest grooves around, well worth checking out. As an added treat we are gearing for a special album, due in 2016, which will be filled with nothing but super chilled out remixes of a selection of Blufeld's work, we can't wait for this one to drop.
The album opens with Introspective, an injection of breezy uplifting melodies over an equally upbeat breakbeat drum arrangement. This combination is the perfect tonic for starting a brand new day and delivers a sense of euphoria that enhances a feel good factor which becomes infectious as the track unfolds. From here we are taken into the progressive bulk of the album starting with the title track, A World Less Ordinary which takes us on a beautiful journey into the progressive sound with a wonderful driving bassline on top of a tight drum arrangement. The attention to detail is sublime with sweeping pads and FX creating textured layers that blend effortlessly. As the track reaches its peak we are locked into an intricate web of melodies that just seem to flow into our minds with ease. The break gives those melodies their chance to shine with a superb synth hook that climaxes with us getting shoved right back into the main groove.
Scheduled for release in late September 2015, Out Of This Life straddles the prog house-trance borderline with a slight leaning towards trance. Again we are faced with an expertly crafted construction filled with driving beats and fantastic synth play. The bassline is where it's at here though, a multi layered approach ensures an energetic ride which bonds perfectly with the sweeping pads and strings on the higher end. Cool melodies float across the sound and bring home that euphoric touch with a hypnotic edge. A tasty Autumn treat for us all.
Glenderamakin is a deep and grooving progressive cut that will send your imagination into overdrive with thought provoking sounds and patterns. A surreal and reflective kinda vibe oozes out of this track, the deep bass meanders along and draws you in with ease as subtle melodies tease leaving us wanting more. A late night track that will definitely grab the attention of many.
Around this time last year was when we got our first snippet of what this album would be about with the release of Threlkeld with its smooth drum led intro with dreamy pads fading in from behind beautifully. The kicks evolve brilliantly into a nice and punchy hit as the bassline begins to drive the track forward and giving that purely progressive house feeling to the sound. The track has a nice organic feel to it and is contrasted perfectly with sweet melodic flavours coming off the synths and pads. Another fine slice from this guy which was very well received indeed.
The Vivid Unknown is up next sets us on course with a trek deep into the progressive sound once again. The intro boasts a nice punchy kick and an almost muted tribal drum construction as cool crispy hats begin to show. The bassline runs deep here and is the perfect platform for the track to unleash an array of sweeping synths that add so much texture. The break delivers a fine display of tweaking as those synths are transformed into a kaleidoscope of sound that hooks you in. Superb stuff you will not want to miss.
At the midway point of the album we run into the first of five wonderfully chilled tracks that evoke all kinds of feelings and arouse various senses. The deep and lush tones of Tulgey Tales with its contrastingly beautiful melodic sequences and super tight drums opens up this world of chill which is broken for a moment by the equally lush and ubiquitous vibes of progressive trancer Jubjub's Invincible Wings. A cool blend of sounds creating an uplifting groove with a traditional feel about it that conjures up evocative and vivid memories. From here we head back into chilldom with Equivocal Mind that is a purely mesmerizing track filled to the brim with the kind of sounds that allow your mind to drift away from reality for just a few short minutes. Coming out of this state we are faced with the uplifting grooves of Memoirs Of A Mountain which delivers a solid prog workout complete with a deep droning bass and superb melodic structure. We are eased into the end of the album with three chilled grooves starting with Emotional Tentacles and its sweeping pads that lead up to a brilliant gated synth that offers a cool twist to an otherwise soft sound. Without A Trace follows and takes us deeper with a warm bass tone and smooth beats that weave intricate patterns ass they go. This track gathers pace as the signature changes with some expert tweaking and wonderful synths that light up the sound beautifully. Rounding off this awesome album we have Gone For Long which is a simple and subtle arrangement of melodies and soft beats, the absolute perfect end to a fantastic journey that will leave you stunned and wanting more.
Exclusive Release date: 28/09/2015 (Beatport)
Global Release date: 12/10/2015
Blufeld - A World Less Ordinary (4th Album)
1. Introspective
2. A World Less Ordinary
3. Out Of This Life
4. Glenderamackin
5. Threlkeld
6. The Vivid Unknown
7. Tulgey Tales
8. Jubjub's Invincible Wings
9. Equivocal Mind
10. Memoirs Of A Mountain
11. Emotional Tentacles
12. Without A Trace
13. Gone For Long
Read the interview with Blufeld for his album, here
Additional info:
Blufeld podcast click here