Welcome to the first official release of Dumpster Dives, this is a weekly article where we review one album or EP that caught our attention. We included songs so that you can listen along.
This one is a very special one; this album came out right before the big lockdown happened and became the catalyst to my exploration of house music, the foundation of this project, and a starter to many important relationships.
This to say, I AM VERY BIASED. There is nothing negative to say about this album except it’s’ NOT LONG ENOUGH.
Seriously, it came out at a time where electro house was dead (not like it's alive right now, lol) and this brought upon many good memories.
This is a collection of said memories, some past some present. Normally, I’d build a narrative around the album. But this one is more special than that.
Anyway, let's begin.
Secret Level
I’ll start by saying the production level on this one is absolutely LOCKED IN. The fact they used literal video game sounds to decorate the complete song is AMAZING. It sounds exactly like the start of an adventure would, Filling you with awe and joy in a really nice way.
This song took me back to the endless school nights playing video games in pitch darkness.
Those nights where the world of Pokemon, Golden Sun, Fossil Fighters, Animal Crossing, and Spectrobes blew me (and my sleep schedule) away.
It was one night in particular that I spent 3 hours chasing Entei (a Pokemon) around until eventually burning a master ball to capture him. The bragging rights to my friend were enough to offset the severe sleep deprivation.
To this day, Nintendo Nights are among the most exhilarating things I’ve experienced. Nothing beats the rush of closing a Nintendo, hiding it under a pillow, and faking sleep in 2.5 seconds before parents open the door.
Strangers
This will forever be one of the top 10 of beautiful songs I have ever heard.
The simple and yet clean chords make this for a gorgeous audible experience. The lyrics are a phenomenal trigger for memories of relationships past. The buildup is addictive and the drop, oh my LORD the drop, it’s one of the most addicting drops to ever be produced.
The minor details in the background make this song addictive. Even after 4 years, I’m still discovering new drums and effects that enhance the song. The way it speeds up on the second half adds to the awe of listening to audible gold for the first time.
This song took me back to a dirty classroom in middle school. I was talking to a friend about music and he asked if I wanted to listen to something cool.
I obviously said yes as he had a reputation for knowing the most out of electronic music out of everyone I had talked to at that point.
He played Savant - ISM on some cheap and broken down Sony’s. It was as if he injected the purest and most addictive type of heroin into my ears. That song was everything I was looking for in music. Sound design unbound by instruments, melodies limited by the imagination of the artist, and the speed to match that of my thoughts.
If it wasn’t for that day, I would still be listening to edgy music that never filled the itch.
This song triggered the same emotions. It reigniting the deep love I have for this genre and also removed years of hatred towards house music. This song was the bedrock to this project and I’ll forever be thankful to No Mana for making it.
This song has also done more than evolve my music taste. It’s started a couple of friendships and deep conversations that I’ll forever hold dear, even if many have ended.
If I was to recommend a song to listen, it will be this one. It’s one of the few that I’ll have on repeat for days on end without tiring of it.
Strangers gets the Audible Gold title, and will forever keep it.
Only Noise
This one is a song that edges on the “fun” side of things. The sound design is immaculate, as the kicks to the bass are meticulously crafted. Don’t even get me started on the background sounds because we’ll be here all day.
This song MAKES you want to move - despite the lyrics - it’s just like audible freedom.
This reminds me of the trips to school I took. We took those trips to school in a van because the school was in a backwoods area and had a total of 200 students.
Pickup time used to be 5:00am and well, let’s just say the Pokemon nights didn’t end in middle school.
Those mornings and afternoons (when not knocked out asleep on the seat) were usually accompanied by music found the night before. Things like Savant, Tristam and whatever Monstercat put out (it was really good back then) brought joy to the 2-hour trip to school and back home.
Many fun things happened on those trips. Countless conversations, random events and things beyond human comprehension, and plenty of animes finished in those commutes.
This song encapsulates the same energy and reminds me of those songs played with a modern and deeply engineered sound.
Bed of Stars
The sound of peace and late night reflexion
It kept me company during lonely nights
The intro to this song, WOW. No Mana’s kicks are so addictive that they should be considered a drug. Start to finish the details are unparallel.
This one is legit made for “4am listening alone.” A dreamy tune that comes with a mellow and gorgeous tune that decorates the entire song.
It’s the longest in the album and one that doesn’t disappoint. The major chord stays constant while sounds come and go, like a starry night where the only constant is the moon.
This song captures the feeling of those summer nights when my only social interaction was through a computer. Complextro/Electro was the dominant sound so I always had that playing in the background.
I’ll never forget the sense of awe I felt when discovering Seven Lions and Tristam. To this day, one of the most unmatched emotions ever felt.
Those nights were full of conversations about endless topics. It melted the night hours away until the sun rose. It’s crazy how deep connections you make with people you haven’t and will never meet.
To this day, that internet era was the best one. The internet was in its infancy, with endless possibilities for exploration and making friends. Everything felt more real back then, but that’s just the boomer in me speaking.
Distance
Another song that I can imagine is a club heater.
I’ll spare you the technical praise, just know that this song is amazing. The constant vocals in the background adorn this tune. The bass and chords used are so clean that you can spend several listens analyzing a single one of them.
This one is nothing but a reminder of all my relationships. There’s this unfortunate thing where every person I meet lives a comical long distance. Even IRL friends.
Whenever we hung out, it took so long to get there that the time had to be enjoyed to its fullest. Since these events were rare, they stuck to my mind for days, as I had to wait months to do it again.
There are few that I remember, it was mostly going to someone’s house to well… Play Pokemon and talk about video games, lol
I will say the impact of this song has increased in recent years. Even as an adult, the friends I make either live far away or plan on moving far away. At this point, it’s a funny thing that happens.
Bottle Service
One of the hardest tracks I’ve heard being used in mixes. The vocal is addicting and the simple yet addictive beat makes for a great experience. The magic is in the buildups that hype up the song then bringing it back to the good old reliable beat.
This one grew on me through the years of listening to it. 4 Years ago it was usually skipped but now I see the joy in it.
It’s helped for inspiration when needing to take a tough decision. Crazy how hearing someone say “the world can be ours” in repeat makes you believe it.
This is one of the few that doesn’t have a memory attached to it. I was never a competitive or ambitious person. All I ever wanted -and still want- is a simple life where I’m left alone.
Phoenix Up
By this point of the album, I had become completely enthralled with house music. Is this really what I had been missing on in my years of edginess and stubbornness? I couldn’t believe it.
The simplicity on the front end and complexity on the back is a great way to explain this song. The beat is addicting, and the machine sounds in the background give it the feeling of breathing. The evolving melody throughout the song makes for an addicting experience.
This song brings me back to recent years. It perfectly matches the speed the years have been flying by. The jobs I’ve done, the projects I’ve started and failed on, the people I’ve met that are no longer there, and well, the lockout days.
It’s a weird connection but one that stays constant, like change.
Special Move
The intro somehow reminds me of old feed me, this could be an intro to one of his older music.
The song itself is amazing. No Mana makes these really simple songs that grow and evolve as they go on and this is no different. As the song goes on more gets added to it, melodies, new basslines, new chords, more of everything.
But when that main melody starts, it all gets so much better.
This is a song that triggers introspect from past years. What have I been up to? Where have the years gone? Did I live the way I wanted to? That small melodic bridge triggers those thoughts.
The following drop quickly brings me back to the present, it’s a weird experience.
Something About You
We bring it back to a vibe with this one. Everything about this sounds like something you play with a significant other in a late night drive or a day at the beach.
The sounds are amazing, the saw wave used in it gives it a hint of nostalgia. It’s like experiencing the entire relationship all over again. The simple melody that plays over the whole song is soothing and the vocals are a really nice touch.
This is a song gets dedicated to all the online friends I made, the song of discovery and evolution of friendship.
It also comes with a hint of bittersweet emotion. Not all relationships are made to last and there are some to this day that still live rent free.
This is overall a beautiful song for nostalgia addicts.
Fragile Human
This song is a masterpiece. No other word for it. Both No Mana and EDDIE overdid themselves with this one. Every sound is clean and designed under each others signature sound.
The melody and sounds underlying in the background are peak. It’s a hypnotizing rhythm that makes you want to drive to nowhere. I can’t really explain the sense of awe this song brings.
The vocals are a beautiful addition and the rises found through the song make it addictive.
This is where it goes back to the to the High School portion of it. No negative memories or anything like that. In fact, it was arguably the highest point thus far. Not because I was popular, but because I was the freest I’ve ever been.
It was only me, a computer, a couple of lads, and an infinite amount of time.
This song is a testament to those times. To the endless nights of video games, the weekend nights out in a car, driving to wherever the road would take us, the dozens of conversations about nothing that ended in laughter after someone said something stupid.
It was a time of discovery and awe. I do my best to keep those 2 values. After all there isn’t enough time to explore everything life has to bring.
It’s those memories that make me look forward to a future where it can happen again. Maye in different circumstances.
Fragile Human gets an Audible Gold Award.
VVVR
Wow, what a way to end the album. The buildup on this one would have never prepared me for that phenomenal drop.
Everything is so well designed it feels like a robot being activated. I once read it took him a couple of years to get the song right.
The drop itself one of the most beautiful things to be produced, it feels like freedom.
This one reminds me of the past 4 years and how much progress was made.
If you showed me this song in 2019 I would have laughed you out of the room and told you to play “something good.”
Same thing if you told me to take life seriously and get a skill.
By opening my mind to house music it had a ripple effect into every other corner of my life. I took other’s advice more seriously and started looking for ways to improve.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn more about life, to learn about what truly matters.
This project was one of those changes. I want to inspire that change in many people (While sharing music on the way)
This song is a gorgeous way to end the song and one that recreates the emotion I've felt throughout these years of change.
Conclusion.
Music is the most gorgeous form of art. Nothing will ever get close to it. This album is high proof of it.
Hopefully I was able to communicate how special this album is. If I'm being honest this was a last-minute thing, so if something sounds or feels rushed that's why.
I'll probably keep coming back to this article and update it as the years pass. After all this album has had a profound impact that a simple 2.6k word article doesn't make it justice.
Regardless, this is the first in the series and I would not want to have it any other way.
As always, if you'd like to receive a daily Electronic Music song delivered to your inbox you can sign up for the TrashLetter below.
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