Andrew Bayer has always been, and will most likely continue to be one of my favorite producers. In fact, reviewing his track ‘Once Lydian' was the article I submitted to EDM Sauce with my resume in hopes of starting to write about dance music…the rest is history.
Now, nearly 6 years later, I find myself just as captivated by his otherworldly productions as I was when I was first just beginning to review music. His latest release, In My Next Life, a rework of his last album, In My Last Life, further demonstrates that Bayer has an almost inhuman ability to tap into the pulse that governors electronic music as a whole to find the very heart and soul of what is moving the industry at this moment.
If you couldn't tell by the subheading of this section. I feel that this album is absolutely gorgeous from beginning to end. I was worried that it would not carry enough difference from its predecessor to be discussed. I quickly found that my fears were baseless.
The opening moments, of ‘Tidal Wave' when the overwhelming onslaught of orchestral synths rings out before giving way to the classic, Bayer driving, euphoric, feel-good beat is nothing short of breathtaking.
The album weaves from high-intensity tracks such as ‘Love You More' with Genix and ‘Hold On To You' to more gentle, progressive tunes like ‘In My Last Life' and ‘End of All Things'.
The one constant factor throughout is that Bayer has injected new life into eight of his best works yet. While these songs are all familiar, they have been crafted with a caring hand to become something new, and awe-inspiring.
One of the most incredible aspects of EDM to me is the fact that artists can take any existing works and rework it into something new. The concept of remixing is not exclusive to dance music, but most heavily affiliated with the umbrella term for electronic production.
Bayer has taken the concept of remixing and created something new and original with it. Not only has he reworked his original productions…twice over now. But he has done so in a way which feels authentic and time intensive. There is truly nothing better than hearing Bayer's signature high-intensity intros melt into hauntingly gorgeous lyrics before giving way to a melodic break that brings the listener to a higher plane of musical existence. It is something that many artists attempt to do, but fail to capture the emotional weight Bayer seems to constantly capture with a deft hand.
Listen to this gorgeous exercise in production below. Stay on a lookout for all things Andrew Bayer, because he undoubtedly has more surprises planned as 2019 pushes on.
In My Next Life Is True Perfection
The True Nature Of Dance Music
