The Ridges

DREAM_122 Debuting with an album we have been hyped to release for some time now, a new artist for Dream Catalogue in 2016 is Diamondstein, whose work brings classical musicality, the macabre ideas of metal and next level electronic instrumentation to create a unique sound that pulls various ideas from synthwave, techno and film scores and moulds them into a unique holistic vision for an album unlike anything you will have ever heard. Still, this is pure dream music that fits right at home on Dream Catalogue – but these are dreams of darkness, pessimism and dread. If 2814’s ‘Birth Of A New Day’ provides a shimmery glimpse into a romantic and melancholic future, Diamondstein’s ‘The Ridges’ takes us on a 40 minute trip through the dark underbelly of that world, where the people who live for the night lurk, where lust and sin reigns over love and hope. The Ridges brings a subtle sense of danger and terror to Dream Catalogue that has not been present in our two year history of releasing dream music, but something that is very much a part of dreaming life. The artist, who veils his face with a mask for public performance, is a dark and pensive character and this attitude comes across in both his music and visual collaborations, such as the incredible music video for ‘Nat Sherman Arpeggiator’ which Thump premiered in late 2015. But with the depth of sound and cinematic qualities of the music found in ‘The Ridges’, you can piece together Diamondstein’s narrative purely from the music itself which is very visually suggestive in its own right – brought to life with its evolving minimalism and dark low octave sound manipulation. Diamondstein has created a score for a cyberpunk dystopia without the bright neon lights. It is at times savage and loud and at times sparse and moody. Overall, it is a trip into a dark future and one that takes the idea of “dream music” to the next level.