Soul Catalyst @ Desert Hearts Festival
I've hailed Soul Catalyst as one of the best treats you'll find on Soundcloud for quite some time. His refreshing take on deep, tropical electronica has stuck out in what is normally a very one dimensional genre and he has delivered us songs that are full of psychedelic introspection, positivity, and extrasolar moodiness . The best examples of this include his hit singles “Scenic Route” or “Midnight”, which put a fading sunset backdrop to the catchy, thumping garage house beats, creating a perfect blend of dancy rhythm and equatorial atmosphere.
It's all lead to the release of Soul Catalyst's self titled debut, but how does his sound adapt onto an full length album format? Well luckily, much of his previous favorites are incorporated in the tracklist, including “In The End” and the aforementioned “Scenic Route” and “Midnight“. Among the rest are a handful of complimentary island electronica tracks with plenty of soft piano licks, graceful, ambient swells, and most notably, some very catchy saxophone that really shines in tracks “Midnight” and “Alive”. It is also decorated with a fair amount of variety found in the happy go lucky trip hop-ish opener, Solstice, or the downtempo “Surfing In The Sun” that features some fantastic alt rock tinged vocals. Another standout piece is the remix of Daft Punk‘s “Lose Yourself To Dance”, and while it doesn't necessarily outdo the original, it remains one of the more interesting remixes of that track and is certainly the most club friendly song in the collection, characterized by its substituted female vocals and its future house drop.
Soul Catalyst is colorful album that does a great Job at pacing, giving you proper dosages of groovy and mellow beats, vocal and instrumental tracks that tell a story and nail his dreamy, deep style. There's a maturity that's not just present in the very slick, clean production value but also in the emotions each track presents. There's alot more meaning and depth to them than the standard fluffy, overly calypso influenced material we've seen from industry leaders like Kygo or Thomas Jack. Soul Catalyst an easy recommendation to anyone, and not just because it's free, but because it's best moments will keep you coming back again and again.
Favorite Songs
- Scenic Route
- Midnight
- Surfing In The Sun
Overall – 3.5/5
