This review was originally posted to the electronic music blog Dancing Astronaut by Michael Sundius, borrowed for your listening pleasure...
It has become quite apparent that everything dubstep producer Jeff Montalvo, better known as Seven Lions, touches is instantly transformed into a work of delicate and ethereal beauty. Released yesterday on Skrillex’s OSWLA imprint, Seven Lions’Days to Come EP marks the major breakthrough of a prodigy we have been keeping an eye on for sometime. While his remix to Above and Beyond’s “You Got To Go” put him on the map, his Polarized EP solidified his promise, before immaculate remixes to Tritonal’s “Still With Me” and Velvetine’s “The Great Divide” paved the way to this moment: his sophomore EP release and his best work to date.
Read our breakdown of his genre-bending four track EP after the break.
“Days to Come,” the title track off the EP, is a splendid and radiant dubstep production, featuring the lovely vocal accompaniment of Fiora. It is resplendently soft and soothing, like the first seconds upon waking from a dream. Fiora’s evocative vocals are wrapped in a beautiful choral resonance before the well-produced, layered drop takes over, enveloping you in blissful bass. Simply put, this is dubstep for the soul.
In the same vein as “The Truth,” “Fractals” effortlessly incorporates dubstep into a pounding 132 BPM trance beat. Sudden halftime cuts with syncopated breakbeat percussion are seamlessly intertwined into the 4×4 beat, resulting in a delightfully unpredictable and flawlessly composed production.
It has become quite apparent that everything dubstep producer Jeff Montalvo, better known as Seven Lions, touches is instantly transformed into a work of delicate and ethereal beauty. Released yesterday on Skrillex’s OSWLA imprint, Seven Lions’Days to Come EP marks the major breakthrough of a prodigy we have been keeping an eye on for sometime. While his remix to Above and Beyond’s “You Got To Go” put him on the map, his Polarized EP solidified his promise, before immaculate remixes to Tritonal’s “Still With Me” and Velvetine’s “The Great Divide” paved the way to this moment: his sophomore EP release and his best work to date.
Read our breakdown of his genre-bending four track EP after the break.
“Days to Come,” the title track off the EP, is a splendid and radiant dubstep production, featuring the lovely vocal accompaniment of Fiora. It is resplendently soft and soothing, like the first seconds upon waking from a dream. Fiora’s evocative vocals are wrapped in a beautiful choral resonance before the well-produced, layered drop takes over, enveloping you in blissful bass. Simply put, this is dubstep for the soul.
Seven Lions lives up to his popular reputation as a producer of ‘trance-step’ with “The Truth.” While most of his productions take the form of dubstep with trance elements, “The Truth” approaches the generic fusion from the opposite angle, blending dubstep breaks into a grinding four-on-the-floor bassline. Melody-driven with sensuous breakdowns and an invigorating trance drop, “The Truth” is infatuating.
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In the same vein as “The Truth,” “Fractals” effortlessly incorporates dubstep into a pounding 132 BPM trance beat. Sudden halftime cuts with syncopated breakbeat percussion are seamlessly intertwined into the 4×4 beat, resulting in a delightfully unpredictable and flawlessly composed production.
“She Was” represents Seven Lions’ first foray into the often overlooked genre of midtempo. Clocking in at 100 BPM, the track begins with a dreamy, sedative beat that is soon replaced by a growling, gurgling, seemingly organic bassline. Fellow Californians Birds of Paradise inject their imaginative, psychedelic soundscapes into the track, which, in typical Seven Lions fashion, masterfully walks the line between menacing and melodic. (Note: this track is available for free)
Seven Lions’ Days to Come EP represents the blossoming talent of a precocious producer who is finally starting to receive the attention he deserves. With his ventures into midtempo and trance, Seven Lions displays a keen sense of self-reinvention that will carry him on into the future. In a world obscured by overly excessive dubstep productions vying for the dirtiest drop, Seven Lions’ take on dubstep is as refreshing as it is impressive.