Antman Ant is, by his personal admission, nothing if not an OG raver so it’s not likely honest to name him a “new artist.” He has, nonetheless, been kind of hiding his large expertise from the broader EDM world, so he’s new to us. Producing since effectively earlier than the present technology of EDM followers had been even born, his work is much less about any kind of throwback model than a constant evolution that’s moved in time with that of dance music at giant. This implies he can, and infrequently does, draw on almost 30 years of dance, sound design and groove to make his music. His newest releases, April’s heady, ambient-laced deep home album Resonate and the just-released singles, the ethereal and ambient “Weightless” and the deep disco bop referred to as “Breathe It In” definitely show that time.
Completely happy to be within the underground for a few years, splicing collectively classic electro and fashionable bass home for the enjoyable of it appeared to be Antman Ant’s bag till the pandemic hit. As with many creatives, the Sussex, UK native discovered himself with extra time he ever dared dream and the necessity to create each for himself and for the entertainment-starved public. He started working releasing and has amassed an enormous discography since 2020: seven full albums and a string of interstitial and teaser tracks in between. It seems Antman had been sitting on a veritable treasure trove of tunes the like of which the home and ambient worlds have by no means seen in such a brief interval. He shortly grew to become a deep home playlist favourite on Spotify and is gaining traction on Beatport, with a few of his singles being picked up by Darkish Metropolis Music.
The size of music Ant’s been capable of launch in slightly below three years is spectacular, positive, nevertheless it’s the standard of the work that pushes him into gobstopping territory. Every observe is a wealthy, full composition drawing from each model and style possible and harnessing to the artist’s personal distinctive and emotive model, every album takes the listener on a journey by means of emotion greater than music. This isn’t your regular membership home, although it’s usually contemporary and really danceable.
It’s not possible to undergo Ant’s large catalog within the house of a brief article so we’ll be specializing in the newest releases, however suffice it to say if you need lovely seaside music that includes all the very best components of home, ambient, progressive and trance, look no additional than his Spotify web page. Now, to focus on a number of key factors from Resonate: this album opens with a beatless intro observe that actually units the tone for the remainder of the album. Ant’s not one to relaxation on his laurels with any explicit style, and “100 Years Asleep” is definitely a nod to that. With a haunting piano melody grounding this observe fairly than a discernable drum or bassline, Ant additionally showcases his experimental facet within the ambient sound design. What a facet it’s, as effectively, as a wonderfully pitched sine wave synth is pushed by means of the start of the observe, together with different sound samples that kind of make the observe really feel like we’re listening to the soundtrack of the world turning. It’s each stress-free and a promise of the work to come back.
From beatless to “Progressive Beats,” Resonate proceeds to take listeners on a temporal journey by means of ambient rave with every little thing from the afore-mentioned progressive beats to deep bass rumbles to celestial, Goa-style melodies. There’s all the time a mixture of old-fashioned and fashionable, and Ant employs the classic parts in various alternative ways: typically it’s a pattern, others it’s the gear he makes use of. It’s so assorted but well-constructed, “Resonate” it’s nearly like a wonderfully constructed DJ set paying homage to all of the eras of rave, nevertheless it’s all written and produced by one artist.
Whereas they’re definitely nearly as good because the album, upon listening to Ant’s latest tracks post-Resonate, “Weightless” and “Breathe It In,” it’s immediately clear why he didn’t embrace them. They each have a very totally different vibe to the album. With a particular celestial and 90s Enya-inspired instrumental observe, there’s a levity to “Weightless” (therefore the identify) that’s faraway from the deep vibes of the Resonate tracks. “Breathe It In,” simply launched in late July, nonetheless, is stuffed with electro and massive room sounds whereas additionally being rooted in Ant’s signature classic synth model. “Breathe It In” is well essentially the most ravey, dancefloor observe of the 2023 releases, and it’ll probably play effectively at festivals because the summer time season attracts to a detailed.
That’s probably Antman Ant’s final objective: reviving the dancefloor in his personal distinctive approach, bringing the historical past of rave up to now in its close to 40-year historical past in a approach that fashionable crowds can’t solely respect it however love the place we’ve come from and the place we’re going. Now with actual momentum and an unmistakable expertise, right here’s hoping Antman Ant’s work continues to Resonate with ravers for an additional 40 years and past.
Take a look at “Breathe It In,” “Weightless” and the remainder of Antman Ant’s mindblowing discography on Spotify and rave on.
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