We’ve been keeping an ear out for Pyramid for a while now and everything he has sent over has been getting steadily better, but, his latest EP ‘Rising Day’ has taken a massive step forward in both quality and listenability. When we first came across his music it took a lot cues from films scores, with plenty of textures and soundscapes, but ‘Rising Day’ is firmly anchored his sound in the dance floor.
His latest offering takes inspiration from the greats of French electronics music, you’ve got the futuristic synths of Daft Punk, the textured, glitchy production of Justice, the orchestral narrative of Danger and the uncompromising energy of Vitalic – he’s managed to bring all of these influences together in a way that doesn’t rip them off, but builds upon them with his own unique sound.
It starts with ‘Citizen’ a retro/futuristic cacophony of bleeping synths, vibrating basslines and a thick smattering of Justice glitch rock. Next up is ‘Cosmos’ which has the grandeur of a Danger track, but with a swashbuckling orchestral vibe. It’s brimming with exciting synths that tingle your senses. It shows just how much Etienne has improved in such short space of time. When you eventually hear the break down, which marries intensifying synths, violins with grand piano riff, you know that this EP is something quite special.
‘Run’ is served on a bed of menacing breakbeat drums, and even more menacing basslines – it’s probably our favourite from the EP and ends up sound like a piece of big room electro a la DeadMau5 – but with plenty of French flamboyancy. ‘Sleeping Fox’ is a more downbeat, but still managed to pack a real punch, it’s full of deep melancholic synths, precise percussion and incorporates darker, more emotive tones than the previous tracks. ‘Synthesis’ does exactly what you think it will, laying grimey synths, big drums and pulsating kicks to make for an exciting and fitting crescendo.
HBF Rating 9/10
Release: via Technofavrik November 7.
