A funny thing happened when Greg (Deep Woods) and Eric were sharing creations back and forth recently, they realized they used the same vocal sample independently on a track. This sparked the idea that they’d do a split EP together and it was also chance for both of them to put music out that went into the deeper, darker side. Eric had a few tracks that were done but not released, as did Greg. And the end result is the ‘A Stranger To Ourselves’ EP.
Eric’s version of ‘A Stranger To Ourselves’ has a lot of elements of techno and grooves along with a bumping bass line, slick drums, and arpeggios filtering in and out poking melodic holes in the heady atmosphere. Later on, choirs bring out a haunting yet uplifting melody as the echoed main vocal repeats itself. To contrast, Deep Woods’ version hammers away with tribal house elements and organic jungle sounding synth workouts as the main elements. It’s a dark journey and one to really experience as a listener; it transports you to another dimension. It’s as if both versions are set in different locales – the reaches out of outer space, and the innards of a forest, fitting each artist respectively.
‘Into The Room’, by Eric takes a complete hairpin turn from his usual melodic delivery and the result is a spooky, booming tech house track, with thick bass lines, rugged percussion, and meaty lead synths. There’s an overall sense of devious fun to the track without being too brooding; it’s the aural equivalent of watching a campy horror movie that you can dance to.
‘Truly A Miracle’ comes next from Mr Woods, and it’s a perfect follow up to ‘Into The Room’. It has a distinct after hours vibe for those early mornings and late nights. Smacking drums and a healthy low-end are the main ingredients here coupled with some sinister riffs that stay in line with the main grooves.
The last 2 tracks lighten up the mood a bit. ‘Fire Breather’ is flooded with smooth pads that ebb and flow, while tinges of acid add some grit – it counterpoints some of the ominous sounds heard earlier on the EP. But it still keeps it a bit twisted with chopped vocals and warped 80s sounding synthesizer lines. And to end, ‘Then Again Who Does’ has a familiar sample from a famous sci-fi that you might recognize. Square low-end and nice pads and strings take us through the dialed down beats and echoed thuds that pass through the colorful spectrum.
Don’t be a stranger and pick up this EP from the 3Bridge Records captains.
