M83 - DSVII (Digital Shades Vol. II)
derdiedas
08.08.2019 - 10:41
Arriving more than 12 years after the first installment, DSVII will be released on September 20th and is available to pre-order here now.
At first there was this vivid memory of Dungeons and Dragons, this childhood sensation of living in an imaginary world set in a faraway past or a lost future. I wanted to create some music that could be part of this adventure and journey with all of its solitary knights, dreamy landscapes, strange animals, forgotten myths and old spells.
Originally, the Digital Shades project was supposed to be much more intimate – a collection of B-sides and unused tracks destined for the hardcore fan base. Digital Shades was the name chosen to dissociate it from a proper studio album, although it would be fully part of M83’s discography. I liked the idea of lost pieces of music being available to the public. When I work on a record, I have difficulty saying goodbye to some pieces of music that I think have potential but don’t necessarily fit the style of the album.
This is how Digital Shades became an excuse to give a second life to some tracks instead of letting them disappear into the void.
Digital Shades was also supposed to be a bedroom project – just me and my machines. I wanted to create an album that would only be comprised of simple, mainly instrumental, ambient music; a record that I could produce on my own without the help of musicians or a producer.
I love the idea of a collection. I’ve always been fascinated by Brian Eno’s ambient works. These records all had a lot of things in common, starting with similar artworks and titles that made you think they were all connected to each other while providing a different experience each time.
I wanted to create a similar production of ambient music that could evolve throughout the years.
After my album Junk, I had a weird sensation that people didn’t fully understand the direction of the record. Despite a very successful tour all over the world, I couldn’t stop thinking that the fans were disappointed with Junk. And a feeling of failure stayed with me for a very long time…
I then started to work for the Cirque du Soleil, creating the music for their show Volta. It took a year of hard work in Montreal and was a truly amazing experience with the feeling of being part of a family. I loved it and will always be thankful for the opportunity. But I was just part of a team, I made music for this creation to help build a show which was not mine. I wasn’t always in the same spirit as the creators or the production, but my job was not to decide. I was there to provide.
After this, I felt empty; mentally and physically exhausted. I went back home to the south of France to rest and reflect on what would come next with one idea in mind: this time, I wanted to create for myself.
Digital Shades Vol. 2 is, in my opinion, far more advanced than Digital Shades Vol. 1. The first volume was way less ambitious and didn’t require as much energy and work. I was also 26 years old at that time. I had different goals, taste in music and knowledge. With Digital Shades Vol. 2, I wanted to come back with something stronger that featured the depth of a proper studio album without the pressure of providing pop music – faraway from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and Junk.
During the summer of 2017, I spent five months in Cap d’Antibes, France. I mainly spent my time swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, reading, watching films and playing 80s video games. The inspiration behind this record is mainly video game music. It felt so refreshing to play all of these old school games again. There is something so naive and touching about them. It’s simple and imperfect. And this is exactly what I tried to achieve with Digital Shades Vol. 2.
I wanted to be surrounded by nature and the past. I would only feed myself with older art. It’s almost as if I couldn’t stand living in the present and didn’t find much interest in modern things anymore. This is probably why it was important for me to only use analog equipment for this record. We recorded everything with vintage equipment in my studio and at Justin Meldal-Johnsen’s studio in Glendale, California during final production which took place from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2018.
Vielleicht zeigen sich hier nach dem halbgaren Junk ja wieder die Stärken von M83. Der Text macht mich jedenfalls neugierig
Fake
08.08.2019 - 10:44
Als ob du Englisch verstehen könntest... *lach*
derdiedas
08.08.2019 - 10:56
Was besseres fällt dir nich ein? Zu wenig Kaffee zum Trollen?
Fake
08.08.2019 - 10:57
Danke, dass du auf mich eingehst! :p
derdiedas
06.09.2019 - 19:26
Der erste Track ist da :)
M83 - Temple Of Sorrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF_MZ5ytykg
Schräges Video, aber so mag ich M83, episch, verträumt, ein bisschen kitschig...
Kai
20.09.2019 - 17:49
Album ist da...
Ich war zunächst recht gespannt und kann auch mit den frühen Sachen was anfangen aber das hier ist mir dann leider Teilweise arg Kitschig und erinnert in Phasen fast schon an 80er Jahre SoftPorn Soundtrack... Ganz schlimm ist "Meet up with Friends"
Gibt auch ein paar Lichtblicke ("Taifun Glory") aber insgesammt nach der schwachen Junk eine weitere Enttäuschung.
Ein weiteres "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts" wird es wohl nicht mehr geben.
XTRMNTR
20.09.2019 - 18:34
Das Cover erinnert stark an die Moebius-Zeichentrickfilme der 80er. Sehr toll! Gibt den ersten Pluspunkt. Gleich mal reinhören.
„Junk“ mochte ich eigentlich sehr gerne. Vor allem aufgrund des fantastischen „Go!“.
hubschrauberpilot
30.10.2019 - 20:31
Ich mochte die früher mal. Aber das hier ist Fahrstuhlmusik.
XTRMNTR
30.10.2019 - 21:17
Stimme zu. Leider sehr schwache Platte.
hubschrauberpilot
30.10.2019 - 22:50
Gibt auch ein paar Lichtblicke ("Taifun Glory") aber insgesammt nach der schwachen Junk eine weitere Enttäuschung.
Ja, der Song ist noch ok. Aber sonst zu seicht, zu spannungsarm.
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