Every so often a new artist emerges and immediately sets the electronic world alight with a fresh and unique take on music, and this time it is Deniz Kurtel burning down the house with her debut album on Crosstown Rebels.
Deniz Kurtel’s debut artist album, ‘Music Watching Over Me’ moves her firmly to the front of the consciousness of the electronic music movement, masterminding a mystical and distinctive style of house music, with body-moving highlights from this stunning sonic ride such as ‘The L Word’ and ‘Best Of’ effortlessly creating swirling rhythmic fusions of dancefloor magic.
Deniz Kurtel identifies herself foremost as an audio-visual artist, developing a deep love and connection to the sentiments of electronic music during her studies in the USA. An accomplished interactive sculptor, she quickly made a name for herself in the experimental art scene combining the use of sophisticated computerized LED arrays and mirrors.
Her work has appeared in various art festivals and exhibitions such as Burning Man, Communikey, Horizons, Love's Secret Domain, and Rabbit Hole and has been the centerpiece of countless Wolf + Lamb parties in Brooklyn, where she used to reside. She took her LED light show on tour with her for the Rebel Rave tour of 2010, wowing the crowds of London’s Fabric and many US cities with the interactive show and documenting her sensory creativity and finite attention to detail.
Deniz has a concrete craft and understanding of rhythm throughout this sometimes obscure, and always dream-like concoction. She easily steps from ghostly dubstep, ‘Trust’, to rock-infused electro, ‘Vagabond’, but escapes categorization through an original and fluid approach. The sonic pulsations of the title track slowly envelop the senses as ‘Music Watching Over Me’ gets underway, warm breaths of vocal sung over its hypnotizing bassline. Digging into her roots, ‘Makyaj’ tackles rattling percussive beats and the slow sensations of ‘My Ass’ form an electric current layered over the robotic cries that “heaven is music”.
It’s impossible not to be swept away by the enchanting dancefloor weapons of ‘Best Of’ and ‘The L Word’, thrilling for their simplicity as much as their fairy-tale vocals. At times Deniz showers us in sounds overpowering the senses, ‘Equlibrium’, and others she strips back to bear the soul of the music, ‘One Chance At Happiness’, consistently crafting a strong emotional current leaving you powerless but to surrender to its aural pleasures.
“I'm always trying out different outlets for my creativity and music has certainly been one of the most exciting ones so far,” said Deniz of her decision to make music, “I was inspired by my friends Wolf + Lamb to start producing about two years ago and have been completely sucked into it ever since.” One of the core members of the Wolf + Lamb family, she has helped steer their journey to conquer the electronic music horizon over the past two years, and remains a driving female force in their vision. Also strongly supported by luminaries such as Seth Troxler, Nicolas Jaar and Jamie Jones, her future seems destined to be entwined with music.
In a time where female electronic producers are still a rarity, Deniz Kurtel and a handful of women such as Cassy, Shinedoe, Maya Jane Coles, Maayan Nidam, Magda, Anja Schneider and Dinky are illustrating how to breathe new energy into a tired sound. Constructing beauty through simple techniques, their role as nurturers is cultivating a magnetic vision.
Crosstown Rebels have come into a renaissance period in 2010, championing some of the most exciting new music in the underground scene. Artists such as Art Department, Maceo Plex and Deniz are set to follow in the footsteps of Jamie Jones and Glimpse, given the freedom to let loose their creative sounds within artist albums in 2011. “I was lucky to connect with a label that really appreciated my style and my creative journey at such an early stage,” said Deniz of her partnership with the label.
A tale of diversity and culture, ‘Music Watching Over Me’ unveils Deniz’s roots and inspirations, “My motivation as an artist is to constantly grow and evolve, and make music that excites me, hoping it excites others too.” We hope to share her personal journey, of which this is only the start.
Tracklisting
1. Music Watching Over Me
2. Makyaj
3. My Ass
4. Best Of
5. The L Word
6. Vagabond
7. Trust
8. Equilibrium
9. One Chance At Happiness
10. My Heart
11. Make Me Feel
12. Yeah (Version)
www.denizkurtel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment