This genre-defying record is brimming with sincerity and a luscious sonic pallet, rich with uncompromising beats and texture for days. Paired with some simply delectable synth work by the Japanese keyboard wiz BIGYUKI, this album is a full feast for the ears.

What started as a bedroom project making sample-based beats, was later elaborated on in the studio with his bombastic drumming abilities. Still, that feeling of being alone in your room missing a part of your life that is no longer accessible rings clear through all 10 tracks.

Sometimes, Late at Night is a deeply contemplative record. The blatant honesty with how Yokley traverses the treacherous waves of separation allows this record to feel uncompromised. You are taken on this journey through its twists and turns on the path to self-understanding not as an outsider but as a participant, unlearning and relearning yourself alongside the captain.

With an earnest vocal delivery, the simplistic to-the-point lyricism packs a punch against the luxurious production and resonates in a way that makes you want to jump up and shake someone’s shoulders and say “You see? Someone knows!” Yokley lets us into his solitude and allows us to share and revel in its intricacies. Through the virtue of Yokley’s internal musings, the listener comes to know that they are not alone.

The genre diversity of this record came naturally through the fine-tuning of Yokley’s personal taste. This album refuses to be put in a box. This expressive and experimental ride is at once bombastic and soft, sometimes daunting and foreboding, sometimes comforting, but always with unrelenting musicality. The precision displayed in executing this record easily explains why Jharis Yokley is such a sought-after drummer. This is a strong debut, and with such an impressive resume under his belt, there is no question that we can expect great things in the future from Jharis Yokley.

Cover image by Janette Beckman

The post Jharis Yokley goes solo with “Sometimes, Late at Night” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Dennis, which came to him as a result of a manic episode, beautifully captures that chaotic and dissociative unrest. It effortlessly transports the listener through the rapturous highs and solemn lows of mania. Opening with “Coma Dennis”, an intro that is simultaneously symphonic and discordant, the listener is primed from the get-go with an anticipatory unease, before being promptly thrust into a tasty 2000’s ringtone-esque sample on “Adulter8”, positioned against echoing ambient vocals. You are at once excited and unsettled as you are welcomed into this church of techno.

There is a balance that Navarrette has wound throughout this record. He continuously walks that paradoxical line between everything and nothing. It is euphoric but cold, mechanical but emotional, unrelenting but gentle. Many of these ideas are more suggested rather than discussed, allowing them room to breathe. These suggestions feel provocative. He is inquiring you to feel, rather than intellectualize those feelings. He is searching for a bodily reaction. Each of these tracks are delectably textured but at no point is it in excess. Its simplicity is what facilitates its emotional complexity. There is a sense of intentionality, everything being where it should be.

This record is constantly moving, impulsively flitting about as you pass through the upbeat tempos before being offered a momentary respite, only to throw you back into the deep end. You are taken through this cycle a few times, building you up higher and higher and then letting you fall. As someone diagnosed with manic depression, this cycle is hauntingly familiar and impeccably captured.

In an odd way, there is almost an indie sensibility to this record. As much as it is danceable and club-ready, it would not feel out of place as the soundtrack to an A24 film. There is an intrinsic humanistic quality to this record, something that I think many electronic producers have a hard time (or no intent on) capturing. This record, and Sega Bodegas work as a whole, possesses a humbled confidence. It is presented in a way that feels almost matter-of-fact- an interesting take on something as subjective as feeling. It is a tender and accurate expression of an unquestioningly turbulent experience. There is no doubt about the niche Sega Bodega has carved for himself as a techno innovator, and I believe he is deservedly on his way to being cemented as a pop icon.

Upcoming tour dates:

5/10 – New York, NY @ Under The K Bridge (w/ Björk)
05/31 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Festival
07/11 – Gräfenhainichen, GER @ Melt Festival
07/18 – Dour, BELG @ Dour Festival
08/24 – London, ENG @ Field Day Festival
11/01 – Torino, IT @ C2C Festival

The post Sega Bodega continues to innovate on his new record “Dennis” appeared first on Quip Magazine.