SURPRISE EP

DKJ009 | 22.07.2022

Certain sounds tend to evoke certain emotions within us. From our countless conversations with our favorite melodic producers we know that emotions are the center of their work, may it be by expressing their emotions in their music or facilitating emotional journeys through their DJ-sets. CHROMA is an artistic experiment to further explore the link between music and emotions.

We asked 10 of our favorite producers to create a track based on a certain emotion. Each EP of the five CHROMA EPs is dedicated to one emotion and contains two tracks by two different artists.
Do you feel what we feel?

The most fleeting of all emotions, surprise is a curious phenomenon. It’s a sudden shift, out of the expected and into the unknown. A shift that touches our beings and brings us into alert presence, out of routine and right into the new.

If you’re familiar with Maurice Kaar’s usual sound, the style of ‘Lost in Metaverse’ is a surprise in itself and could probably be best described as “Progressive House meets Indie Dance”. Its minimalistic sound-design opens up a space between the signature baseline and dreamy yet groovy synthwork. A surprising break in the atmosphere built up in the first minutes represents the subtle peak of the original motive.

Our friend TIMLER returns to our label with a real ‘Eye Opener’ of a track. Constantly playing with the listeners expectations, it first appears as a groovy, techy tune. It then makes a subtle shift into a more mysterious vibe, creating the perfect setup for a back-and-forth between cheeky impulses, relentless synths and the ever-present, enigmatic lead melody - every drop a surprise!

Interview

What is your personal association with the emotion of surprise that found its way into your track?

Maurice Kaar: "Surprise is an emotion I feel a lot in the studio. I can be for example surprised by an happy accident which then later forms the whole direction of a new track or even when all elements of a track come together for the first time in the right moment. I think surprise should be an emotion we all should feel more - in the studio, on the dance floor and also in our daily life. "

TIMLER: "When I create a track, I always try to surprise the listener with something not obvious or that breaks a certain scheme. In many of my songs I don't foreshadow what will happen after the break. That's why I found myself in 'Surprise' so well."

How did the approach of translating an emotion into a track influence your production process?

Maurice Kaar: "  My whole studio approach is based on surprise moments. Often I don’t really know where the day in the studio will take me, so I basically try different things and see where it takes me."

TIMLER: "I tried to surprise myself in the production process. I used completely new plugins sometimes against their application. I wanted the main theme to be simple but interspersed with some non-obvious things and the climax to be eye-opening."

If you could choose another emotion to interpret, which one would it be and why?

Maurice Kaar: "I think there are several emotions I would like to try in the future. Currently I think of 'Anger' as the first one to try. Maybe that’s because of the fact I liked the track “2022” from Third Person very much. In general I find the approach of sticking to a specific emotion in the production process very appealing."

TIMLER: "If I had to choose another emotion that I would translate into music it would be anxiety/fear. When you listen to pseudo electronic tracks from many years ago you can feel a lot of anxiety in them, they are very atmospheric."