Ascension is out now!
Image: Supplied.
Australian producer and songwriter, Donatachi has unveiled their new EP, Ascension. To celebrate the release, the musician is taking us through the collection of songs track-by-track.
“Coming off the back of a mini tour promoting my donatachi.com album I was inspired by the club scenes in the different cities I’d played. In contrast to the vibrant energy of the previous era I wanted to pivot a little and explore harder beats, with inspiration coming from hardstyle, techno and hard trance. I want this release to feel like those club nights, relentlessly hitting you banger after banger, but with a slightly darker tone. The new music has been inspired by the visuals and general vibe of Silent Hill 2 and Neon Genesis Evangelion, the imagery is visceral, ethereal and esoteric which is how the new music feels.”
ASCENSION
One of the original inspirations for the EP was the video game Silent Hill 2, it's like this emotionally cathartic and aesthetically visceral survival horror and I became obsessed with the idea of playing a set at ‘Heavens Night’ the strip club in the game. So much of the EP sonically stems from this especially the title track, which is a mix of hard dance, trance and hardstyle. I wanted to open with something a little jarring to signal a shift in my artistry and set the tone for the music ahead.
BAD DREAM (WITH MUKI)
During my first tour for ‘donatachi.com’ I developed a more intimate relationship with music, with the crowds and the relationship that we share. Every night was a different city with different punters but the collective bliss we felt was the same each time. The euphoric trance and breaks of Bad Dream were born in those clubs from the energy of those dance floors.
FMU
FMU is one of those tracks that really helped me solidify the thought that I'm sometimes not so much a creator but a conduit of creativity. This beat came so easily and stemmed from the same cathartic inspirations as Ascension. I definitely sat down with the intention of making something that hit harder than anything I’d ever made before, and the line “fuck me up” is the literal reaction I want people to have listening to it.
ALWAYS WONDERED (WITH HARVEST)
The first time I played Always Wondered was at my first festival over the summer in Melbourne. Harvest and I were hyping each other and track up that afternoon and when I hit play on the decks I knew that the crowd felt the same. This song sounds like that perfect summer day I spent loving my friends and the music we made together.
Always Wondered came about after Donatachi and I messaged each other on Instagram. The song started after I recreated the Korg organ bass patch in Serum. I made a little bass line and threw a rough take of a hook over it. Donatachi grabbed the stems and completely transformed it, placing it into their own sonic universe and re-creating the song around the vocals I recorded. I knew the song was a hit as soon as I heard Donatachi's evolution of the original organ bass patch, what a bloody melody! We did it all online, sending stems back and forth. - Harvest
FUTR (WITH AYESHA EROTICA, YVNCC)
Ayesha is a literal legend and underground icon and we both come from such a DIY background. It's a full circle moment. Making this chaotic beat in my room on a broken couch, going back and forth by email like we had years ago when I was first starting out. It feels right to finally be releasing something officially together. Ayesha has such a strong voice and confidence which really pushed me to stop questioning my instincts and embrace my impulses on this track, showing my love for both main room EDM and the underground electronic scene.”
DON’T WAIT (WITH D V D)
“D V D and I met on tour and his set was one of the best I had ever heard. It was like he was inside my head and played all my favourite trance but cranked the bpm way up, the vibe and references were perfect. The original demo had these emotionally charged synth swells and this surging lead synth which led to my vocal melody and overall direction into this hyper electro hard trance club belter. The song feels dangerous and I wanted to reference that in the lyrics and the relentlessly banging bass line.
I WILL BE THERE
I Will Be There is a cover of a Rachel Stevens song I always thought had such a beautiful lyric and melody. It’s about finding someone you feel such love for that you hope it lasts beyond this life. Sonically it kind of references a song of mine “forever + ever” which is also about eternal love, it's the feeling I want to leave with anyone who makes it to the last track.
Last tracks are always my favourite on a release because I feel like they say the most about the artist. A lot of this EP has a different tone to the music I’ve released before, but this song is a reminder that I’m still here, just exploring and learning and grateful for the experience and hope that people will be part of it with me.
Ascension is out now!
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