Obsidian Vortex – Lost In The Void (Album Review)

This is the recently released Debut Album from Independent UK EDM Artist: Obsidian Vortex. For fans of EDM magical combo Rezz x Subtronics: Here, you are listening to a lot of similar potential in Obsidian Vortex. My advice: collaborate with him quickly, at this early stage in his career!

Obsidian Vortex features 8 synth-based mid-tempo tracks with a darker, edgy, cinematic yet still meditative listening experience. It asks the listener to drop into a calmer, more focused state, as tracks slide over and wash the ear with often drone-backed, subby bass lines, low-pass filtered percussion, and a bit of top-end textures and sounds.

Disclaimer: I am less familiar with EDM as a genre, and the mainstay DAW’s used in its production (even Ableton is a foreign language to me!) so I am not going to second-guess types of synth (year, make, model) as I know some people can. Let’s focus on the average public listening experience.

We are lured into the first track slowly, as its name, ‘Lure of the forest’ might suggest. This track really finds its feet at 2 minutes in. I think it might take a little too long to get there. Nice, dark tones presented here, and the drone bass creates a nice meditative state. The gentle percussion is back in the mix and quickly feels like it’s inside your body: subtle but absorbs you into a full body listening experience. The track is peppered with slightly higher frequency textures and tones. At 5 minutes it turns to a nice tempo’ed shuffle beat!! It’s low-fi sounding, and I think it works. Eventually, the track settles into a distinctive, simple hook, which keeps your ear engaged. A nice long fade out suits the feel of the track and the calmness created. The scene is nicely created in this opening track.

Track 2 is called ‘The Smoke Filled the Darkness’, this is a great evocative track name! It opens with a nice synth pad, using octaves this time, which is a nice contrast to the smooth, long drone-style bass notes of the previous track. Surprisingly up-tempo four to the floor deep kick pedal (again, soft, back in the mix). Nice gradual introduction of some really distant, darker sounds. I wonder if its just a little too slow in getting to the main hook, but then again, this is music to relax into and let flow at its own pace; it doesn’t demand constant attention like other genres. Instead, it creates an atmosphere: dark, focused energy, intense and atmospheric with that wet reverb.  

A simple hook is established in the song, but it’s a little similar to the previous track and doesn’t develop much further. Again, it fades out slowly in the same manner as the first track, which is really growing on me. A different feel to the song, but the same formula in compsition.

‘Forever Pursuing The Elusive’has a very low synth pad opening. This is lovely and subby through good headphones (!) Theres an interesting percussive layer in this one. Its still in straight 4/4 time signature but with good push between the bass and low pass filter percussion. There’s a nice drop out and in of the percussion, but it could be a bit punchier. This is another solid track.

‘Chaos Of A Fractured Mind‘ starts with a veryupfront percussion here, it has a slight 1990’s feel to it, and takes more center stage. I appreciate the diversity for song introductions. There’s some very low bass which some ears will hardly find audible if you’re not listening out for it. Good job, the drums again have that low-pass filter on it to offer that contrast and lift. I think Obsidian Vortex always gives good thought to the type of percussion and gets it right.

Sonically, by track 4, there is a noticeable lack of mid-range tones to my ear, but the EQ spectrum might be balanced enough. It feels a little too sparce or thin tonally. Still, all that mid-range space certainly lends itself to specific listening experiences: exercise, focus, mediation etc. I think there is not enough sonic interest in the first half of the track: I wait until the 4th minute to get some. When it arrives, there is more of that symphony again of that dark, cinematic, edgy feel. Not enough chaos for me in this track.

The fifth track, ‘Falling Through The Sky’, again presents a very low subby bass introduction, with lots of empty space, punctuated by higher tones cutting through. Another low pass filter percussion is used to good effect. I like the gentle overlaying synths in this one, more string based which I enjoy. They swell more, too and give a touch more of the human in it. Sadly, the track ends too soon!

Track 6 (‘Memories Frozen in Time’) opens with some heavy bass! It offers just a percussive opening, but my attention has been sought and captured here. Again, its a bit slow before that drone bassline is introduced. Everything feels like its worked against the 16 or 24 bar, and Im ready for more sonic addition by the 8 bar. This record doesn’t demand attention; it invites the listener to adjust to its own rhythm. The simple hook is again established on a rather low tonal synth, meaning it’s a bit lost against the other instrumentation. Having said that, I do appreciate the more restricted palette of tones and sound forms that Obsidian Vortex has chosen: it gives his music a clear identity. Again, a nice long fade out once the full motif is established. These songs are meant to drift and flow.

Track 7- ‘Everything has Turned to Stone’ is really up my street. This feels like a slightly more composed introduction to a track: something feels more connected with the human behind it. That bassline is so low, I would have put an octave on it for accessibility. This is another shuffle track on the 6/8, which will always make people happy. The slight wobble in the high octave synth is nice, and I like the chordal dissonance used halfway in: this should be explored more in other tracks. Nice smooth string based synth transitions into that sharpened note, and some nice volume swells here at the bass drop out. Overall, this gives a nice song build-up, and the bass comes back in with some extra development, and a recognizable bassline of more pop genres. Some ears will be refreshed with this. Its more accessible to a wider range of audiences. This track does moreof what I naturally want the others to do: it develops a little more, a little faster. I think this actually asks for attention. It’s a favorite track, hands down.

The final track, ‘Cavernous Depths of An Empty Heart’ opens with a nice build of suspense. When the bass gently starts to slide, it feels really satisfying. The chord progression on this track is really satisfying: it’s a gentle, a little more tender in how the sounds swell and cycle around. The bass and drums come in together at 02:13, with a nice pad of lower synth layers. This is again more multi-tonal and interesting. With potentially some tremolo use to create a nice electronic beating effect.

I actually really love the track names (as a side point). The album length is right. Interestingly, I also really enjoy the long smooth track fade outs. Both tracks 7 and 8 have more sonic texture, with overlapping strings, better use of volume change, dissonance and composition progression. This feels like a development that Obsidian Vortex can lean into further. They are the most satisfying tracks and connect more with me on a more visceral and emotional level.

I would point out that the whole record uses such subby bass lines and dark synth sounds, you have to have great speakers to appreciate the detail. If this isn’t the case for some listeners, they will be missing out on some craftsmanship. Sonically, there is a bit of a hole in the mid-range. This is often where vocals sit, offering warmth in that zone. Again, listen to Subtronics x Rezz ‘Black Ice’ and hear how the vocal takes up the space which is left between the subby bass and low-pass filters. It could be worth playing with vocals. Some of the track hooks are a little too simple for me, and some of the drops (pulling percussion in and out) are a little flat. Loop length and song build-up could be faster and more progressive.  Panning could be less static and automate some movement for the listener to really get that ‘wash’ of sound.

Talking of movement, more ‘air’ could be explored with side-chain compression pumps, or allowing more push and pull in instrumentation (Think D’Angelo’s off-quantised drum patterns). He could start to play with different sonic textures: sine waves, tape delayed organ, and theremin would all work well. An acoustic hand pan could sound lovely with more punch and air than midi ones. And of course, the human voice (not necessarily sung) could be explored.

This is an accomplished first record with an intentional, well-executed sound. Obsidian Vortex has so much room for growth, so the question is: What does he want to do more of, next? This album showcases work which is enviable in its sync-potential, particularly for the video game industry and commercial use. The album format and visual identity are less important if this is the target market.

If Obsidian Vortex intends to perform or tour this work as more of an Artist, his tracks will benefit from a live rework: work the mid-tempo niche harder with more drama in the drops, or being playful with doubling/halving the beat. Live performances might benefit from some live instrument additions (electronic violin, e-bow on guitar, Handpan, for example). Story, narrative, and visual art will help push this into a fully immersive experience for a live audience. Collaboration and networking sideways into other artforms (dance, theatre, cinema, visual)  might be highly fruitful for his music.

Rating/Good: Overall for the album. This is a really solid start. Tracks 7 and 8 were Excellent, but there is plenty of room for growth, focusing on composition elements such as tension and release, movement, texture and swell. I think Obsidian Vortex can afford to be more playful and bold, and lean harder into his musical intention with playful collaborations for his second album.

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