UPFRONTBEATS

Following the Stardancer EP and his remix for All I Need To Get High by Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons, Ae:ther unveils his most accomplished and daring work yet on the highly anticipated debut album Me released on Crosstown Rebels.

Blazing a trail with his natural aptitude for crafting emotive, captivating compositions that have landed him releases on Crosstown Rebels Afterlife and Fabric, Ae:ther presents his debut LP. The album is a painstakingly produced collection of haunting melodies and narcotic rhythms that display his love and inspiration for ambient electronica, deep underground music and introspective atmospheres, culminating in dreamlike soundscapes programmed with taut percussion.

‘When I produce music I immerse myself in a special state where my mind is empty of any thoughts. Kind of a meditation that connects me with my machines where we can become one. My music is an expression of my feelings and emotions and the need to let my mind travel into other dimensions, forgetting the reality and the problems of this mad world. Using Hard driven synths, dark harmonies and celestial sounds, is my way of bringing you into my world.
Welcome to ‘Me’. Ae:ther

The album begins on Stardancer, setting the tone with gentle keys and space influenced licks that portray a cosmonaut ascending into the stratosphere. This moves into the glistening, atmospheric Finferli, where synths depict aliens conversing in a distant, just-discovered world. Sub-aquatic ambient fills We’ll be Together, boosts of energy and intricate melodies weave in and out of the vocal, locked to the dubby groove.

Ice cold subtlety and the otherworldly electronics of Costes drip slowly like water down a pane of glass. A mood of relaxation and weightlessness continues on Tina, a tender beat combined with pattering echoed chimes. Clark is light and airy, funky melody constructing an interplanetary anthem. Stimulating a brooding mood, fuzzy clicks and glitches dance on the deep bass of Spektre II, conveying dust spraying off the surface of a moon landing. N.62, a special ethereal piece, features warm chords and reduced percussion, gradually developing like the morning sun rising.

Mysterious, playful charm unfurls on Elf, progressive harmony teases towards a crescendo before dropping back into the hypnotic beat. The shimmering ripples of electronica on title track Me fuse with delicate human vocals creating a heartwarming, personal account of Ae:ther’s relationship with his instruments. Trademark bleeps and blips wash over natural broken beats in one last final call to his utopia in the album outro.

Born and raised in Rome, with German DNA, Ae:ther is an artist who has quickly established his pedigree as a formidable producer and selector, through scintillating DJ sets and a batch of outstanding releases. Following six years in London maturing as an artist, producing at Fortress Studios in Old Street and befriending neighbours such as Bicep, he moved to Berlin. Joining like-minded collaborators Mind Against and Tale of Us, Ae:ther immersed himself in the City’s highly fertile scene, taking him to a whole new level of musical expression. After releasing several dazzling EPs on Afterlife, his inimitable sound of deep emotion and expert audio design came to the attention of the influential Crosstown Rebels boss Damian Lazarus, who signed the debut album Me unequivocally.

Alongside the productions, he debuted his fascinating live set over the summer, featuring an hour-long showcase of tracks from the album as well as unreleased productions at Get Lost Miami, Tomorrowland, Audioriver festival, Day Zero Masada and Circoloco Ibiza. At the birth of electronic music, its visionary pioneers wanted to soundtrack the future, now that future is here it’s artists like Ae:ther who take up the mantle and guide us into the unknown. As part of the new vanguard he is perfectly poised to do just that, so strap yourself in and prepare to be transported to the next century.

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