Review Summary: Pull me up, bring me back to life
Nostalgia is so often presented with a melancholy tinge. The emphasis is almost always placed on how empty it feels to no longer have what you used to cherish, what made you happy in a time that now seems unreachable. Arizona producer Dylan Browne’s music has always carried a strong air of nostalgia, but bansheebeat doesn’t use familiar sounds and imagery to ruminate on things lost, he uses familiar sounds to remind us of a time when we felt good, and simultaneously offers a connection to said time and feelings. We can throw on a pair of headphones, break out some Oreos, crack open an orange soda, and be transported to a time when everything made sense, and it’s a blissful feeling. bansheebeat reminds us that missing someone or something doesn’t have to be a bad thing, that it’s OK to indulge in the past, but
Techo Deluxe also gently points out that the present isn’t so bad either.
The artwork of
Techo Deluxe says everything there is to say about bansheebeat’s music. The colors are warm and vibrant, there’s a sense of space and it feels lived in - there’s a hint of longing, but it’s still overall a blissful piece. The stellar artwork accompanying the music just goes to show how adept bansheebeat is at presentation - his use of emotive artwork deftly supplements the mood of the music. Much like the meticulously detailed artwork, the progressive song structures of
Techo Deluxe make the album as a whole feel like a journey. bansheebeat weaves in and out of synth riffs and chords, he divides his songs into sections with creative and careful use of samples, and his beats are constantly being switched up, all adding to the sonic landscapes of
Techo Deluxe. Dylan has always had a strong sense of melody, but the dense, interwoven synth patterns, spacey textures, and use of pitch shifted vocals are phenomenal. From the jittery, stay up all night vibe of “Seems 2 Me,” to the relaxing stay in bed playing Final Fantasy VIII all day mood of “Pastel Sea,” and the bubbly closer “Boba Bar / A Pilgrimage” that feels like the emotional end theme to an epic video game,
Techo Deluxe uses nostalgia to create unadulterated joy.
bansheebeat has only been around for a few years, but adding
Techo Deluxe to an already impressive discography puts Dylan Browne near the top of the electronic music hierarchy. Clever use of samples, and stunning features from vocalists Amarobot and danika elevate already impressive music, and allow bansheebeat to reach the top of his potential.
Techo Deluxe is so infectious and so heartwarming it’s hard to put down - it’s hard not to gush over it. It’s a reason to get up early in the morning, grab a friend, break out the Playstation, and smile from ear to ear like you used to. Sometimes being stuck in the present isn’t so bad after all, because
Techo Deluxe is in the present, and it’s wonderful.
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