Calling all electronic music lovers, synthpop duo The Safety Word and electronic record producer Valoramous just released an eclectic remix EP featuring six different remixes of their conceptual and punchy single "Amnesia."
The song touches on the unfortunate "Amnesia" Western societies represent when navigating through geopolitical events, regional wars, global supply chain issues, inflation, and the pandemic. The new remix project features producers like 3 Tribes, Valoramous, Robodop Snei, Increment, Eckul, and The Wav A.P.S.
The 'Amnesia (Remixes EP)' kicks into gear with the original "Amnesia" track, where a melodic and bright synth melody leaps through or speakers alongside distant and sultry synths to liven things up. Once The Safety Word's lead vocalist John Rousvanis makes his way in, he quickly moves the atmosphere into this reflective and thoughtful listening experience as he sheds light on the meaning of gratitude and its importance. There's a certain hip-hop edge to the song's groovy drum patterns, but the overall track is nothing short of an eclectic electronic experience full of emotion, meaning, and euphoria.
Moving on to the second remix, "Amnesia (3 Tribes Remix)," we get to hear the tech-house stylings of 3 Tribes as they open the song with the same distant synths but in a more syncopated rhythm to ramp up the complex tech-house feel. This track offers a much more intense and high-energy space, especially as 3 Tribes drops us into the hook with a pulsating bassline, club-like drums, and an overall ethereal feel. The driving drums in this track keep our toes tapping while John Rousvanis's classic, soft vocals continue propelling the song forward alongside the neat addition of a plucky electric guitar.
Pumping up the energy is the third remix, "Amnesia (Valoramous Festival Mix)," which takes off with more of a Big Room sound through an exciting 128 BPM kick that blasts through our speakers and takes us to the mainstage of our favorite electronic fests. This remix is packed with heavy brass elements, and Rousvanis's spirited performance takes us to the exciting beat drop packed with nostalgic Big Room vibes to keep the party alive. This uptempo remix is everything we needed and more, perfectly starting the weekend with a bang.
Jumping over the EP's halfway point with remix number four, "Amnesia (Robodop Snei Remix) [Radio Edit]," this remix offers a high-energy progressive house approach that kicks off with vibrant keyboard melodies and moves quickly into the punchy drums. Robodop Snei gets our heads bopping right off the bad and quickly adds this overall sleek and rhythmic edge through the exhilarating drum arrangements and Rousvanis's spacious, reverbed vocals. We're sure anyone will appreciate the fat kick drum and the driving synths that take the song to new heights.
Reaching remix number five, "Amnesia (Increment Remix)," this experience opens with the same synths but with choppy, hazy, and mysterious breaks. Once Increment spices the atmosphere with dazzling and dizzying synths, it's clear he's going for a more crunchy, glitch-like, electronica approach. The rich percussion in this track and the haunting, dark feel are reminiscent of acts like Rezz, with subtle nods to authentic electronica. We admire how Increment managed to twist Rousvanis' vocals to offer that well-rounded, modern electronic sound.
Taking a spin on remix number six, "Amnesia (Eckul Remix)," this track begins with a slower, more reflective tempo that amps up the dark and sensual energy. Eckul subtly pitched down Rousvanis' vocals to maintain that introspective and relaxed feel while adding his softly-rising pads and arpeggiated synth bass to offer a sense of sonic euphoria. This song brings all those driving deep house vibes we could ask for, and the overall moody tone of this remix brings this stimulating and refreshing feel that takes us straight to the club.
Landing on the EP's final remix, "Amnesia (The Wav A.P.S. Remix)," we totally step outside of the electronic realm and head into the sweating metal rock sounds of The Wav A.P.S. through blazing rhythm guitars and intense, punchy drums. This remix offers an incredible thrill all within three minutes, and the distorted feel alongside Rousvanis' soothing vocals makes for quite the interesting listening experience. The Wav A.P.S even offer their staple angsty screams and roars to make it all the more authentic. We completely understand why The Safety Word and Valoramous chose to close the EP with this sweltering tune.
Experience the broad and dynamic sounds of The Safety Word and Valoramous' new remix EP 'Amnesia (Remixes EP),' now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, The Safety Word. We adore the atmospheric and melodic listening experience you've provided with your recent single, "Amnesia," alongside Valoramous. What inspired this unique single and collaboration?
John: The collaboration was organized through Simon, and it was during the difficult times of the last half of 2021, it just sort of happened very quickly when we got around to doing it, so it was one of those meant to be songs where everything just lined up circumstantially in order for us to make it happen.
Simon: I run our social media accounts, and we are very active on there. I met Mike (Valoramous) through Instagram, and we both liked each other's productions. He suggested the idea of collaboration and sent us through three tracks to check out. I immediately connected with the one he was labeling a hip-hop track. I just really liked the darker, edgier sound of it, and I knew that we put a lot of ourselves into the track.
Does your synthpop duo usually collaborate with other electronic producers like Valoramous? What did you aim to achieve when working together?
John: We usually end up getting remixes from artists, which is a form of collaboration, but now we just feel more of a natural step in collaboration to create songs from scratch with other artists that resonate with us musically, artistically, or intellectually. We feel that collaboration brings out different aspects of how we approach and create art as it formats unions with outside artists and always gives us something different creatively.
Simon: We have done a number of collaborations in the past, and it's something that we find very artistically fulfilling. Most recently, we collaborated with Spectoral an alternative R & B producer out of Melbourne. We are also putting the finishing touches on a second collab with CITY OF STARS. It's a really interesting time as it has become more common for artists from anywhere in the world to connect with each other online and work on songs together from their own studios remotely. For this particular collaboration, we wanted to produce something that allowed our individual personalities to shine and ultimately have a lot of fun and just enjoy the process of creation.
Did you have any artistic influences or projects in mind when creating the single "Amnesia" with Valoramous?
John: No, we sort of just went in there with a blank canvas and just thought we would do something that just comes naturally and as a response to the current state of things internally within ourselves and externally with how we perceive the world.
Simon: The original song that Valoramous produced was intended for a collaboration with a hip-hop MC. I've been listening to a lot of current synthwave artists such as Timecop 1983, The Midnight, Gunship, FM-84, Waveshaper, and Carpenter Brut, as well as drawing inspiration from new wave artists of the past such as Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, Devo, and New Order. Whilst there isn't any artist we were directly attempting to copy, I take great pleasure in listening to music with headphones and escaping into other worlds for a bit, and you can't help but have some of it seep into your own productions.
What was it like hearing all the vastly different remixes of your single, "Amnesia?"
John: It was absolutely amazing and surprising at the same time. Remixes are a blessing in a way as they show you how your vision can be interpreted in many different ways that we would not think possible, so in a way, we just are so grateful to all the artists that played along with us with their remixes which are all so beautiful in their unique way.
Simon: We feel so honored to have had so many truly talented artists remix this collaboration. I always love the very first time that I hear a remix someone has done of one of our songs. It is incredible how much each producer can change the mood of the track and the weight of the lyrics through the artistic choices that they make. One of the remixes that really stood out the first time I heard it was The Wav's metal/rock remix as it was just so completely different from the original, yet he made it sound as though the song might have been a rock song, to begin with, and our version was the remix.
What sort of listening experience did you want to offer with the 'Amnesia (Remixes EP)?' What did you want to make your audience feel when listening?
John: Good question. Well, I guess we wanted to surprise our listeners and take them on a journey musically in a way creating a little microcosm to which they can be transported for a brief period of time. Lyrically I feel the listening can explore the words and come up with their own interpretation and meaning within each sentence. So in a way, they can personalize the song with how they perceive their own reality at the moment. If anything, they just enjoy the sounds and melody of the song.
Simon: I would like to think that people will listen to the full 27 mins and experience it as a sonic journey, but it's totally cool if people just connect with one of the remixes. The idea of having so many different styles is to show how a well-written song can transcend genre and bridge the gap between synthpop, EDM, synthwave, progressive house, electronic, metal, and everything in between. The general vibe that we evoke in our songs is one of dreamy, reflective nostalgia. This track definitely has that going on but with harder-hitting sounds that keep you grounded in the present.
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