Darko Esser - Balans (2009)

Music, work, friends and life in general is all about balance for Dutch DJ & producer Darko Esser. And more importantly finding and keeping that balance despite all the contradictions, rollercoasterrides and paradoxes life can put in front of you. It’s what binds us all like sleep, breathing and eating. No suprise that his debutalbum is dedicated to that neverending quest for balance, or as the Dutch call it: ‘Balans’. This project is his first full-length release and also the first artistalbum to come out on his imprint Wolfskuil Records, but certainly not the last.

Besides his signature dancefloor orientated music, ‘Balans’ also showcases a different side of Darko then people are used to from him. He experiments with different tempos (the downtempo electronica of ‘Broken’ and ‘The Goodbye Song’), structures (the freaked out beats versus emotionridden melodies in ‘Dobro Jutro’), melodies (the multilayered and detailed ambient in ‘Teardrops’) and of course rhythms, expressed beautifully in ‘Pechvogel’ were amenbreaks battle with 4/4 rhythms. Most tracks on the album have opposing titles and the atmosphere changes from dark, moody and emotional to uplifting, cheerfull and happy. Sometimes even within the same track, as can be heard in full effect in the titletrack. One could musically summarize the whole album as an in depth excursion into the world of melody he loves so much, resulting in catchy yet unusual arranged compositions.

The first feedback to the album has been overwhelming and ‘Teardrops’ has allready been licensed as the closingtrack of Dave Seaman’s new Renaissance ‘Master Series’ compilation. A series of remixsingles from albumtracks will be launched shortly after the ‘Balans’ release. Confirmed reinterpretations feature befriend musicians like Claro Intelecto, King Roc, Chymera, Benny Rodrigues, Andre Lodemann, Nicolas Masseyeff and Gennaro Le Fosse a.o.

We look forward to your feedback on this record and if you would be able to feature in your magazine or on you website we would be much obliged.