You most likely haven't heard of Dirty Elegance, the electronica act that has produced 2 albums, both from this past decade. Hailing from the gritty streets of New York, Ditry Elegance provides a spectrum of different sounds and ideas, most of which revolve around IDM and trip-hop. His focus is undeniable; most of his songs have meticulous construction with sounds and instruments placed at certain parts of the songs to resonate effects. Songs explode with beats and keyboard melodies and just as quick desolve into phenomenal ambience. The strongest of Dirty Elegance's explorations come in the form of his full-length debut,
Finding Beauty In The Wretched. At 20 tracks long, the album seems overwhelming at first glance and it should;
Finding Beauty... is ambitious and consistent enough to be considered one of the better electronica albums of the past decade.
Now make no mistake about it: Dirty Elegance is founded upon clear-cut trip-hop and IDM influences; what makes
Finding Beauty... so marvelous is his use of ambience throughout ethereal parts of the album. The effect that is gained is like moving slowly through a tunnel filled with multicolored explosions that reflect off of everything. The sound is so full, so filled with life it is hard to escape
Finding Beauty... at nearly any point during its long run.
The album also carries along a futuristic undertone as some of the trip-hop beats are glitchy and edgy, yet only underline the vast universe of sound that encompasses
Finding Beauty.... The first half of the album moves along at a steady pace, showing off Dirty's fabulous instrumentation with electronica, until it rises to album highlight "Leaves Of Autumn". The ambience that kicks off the song creeps along in waves of sound, keeping in tact the futuristic vibe. The song then erupts into what can only be described as a power ballad from the 31st century. Glitchy drums glide the song underneath a beautiful piano loop and angelic female vocals that startle and stay in your head for days. This is
Finding Beauty... in a nutshell; a powerful epic that demands curious thought about the future, and ultimately life itself.
Hopefully the guy gets recognized, as many of you out there are missing out on what is sure one of the best electronica albums of the past decade. Even if IDM isn't your thing, give Dirty Elegance's
Finding Beauty In The Wretched a try; you just might transport into the future.
