Original Artwork by Esseks
If you made it out to Lespeshtivus or run in the underground bass music scene on the east coast you’ve probably heard of Sam Eckstein, aka Esseks. If you haven’t, now is the perfect time to get familiar with the playfully dark sound that is flowing from his brain in the form of his latest EP Drops.
Drops builds upon the sound established in previous albums like The Profound Whatever by maintaining the murky vibe while integrating new samples and sounds.
The first recognizable sample is on “Still” a groovy track with a chopped up Alicia Keyes vocal that I recognize from his Lespeshtivus set. The next selection “Up Late” is absent of noticeable vocals but more than compensates with lush glitch sounds and wobbly synth lines. “Concrete” is the “oldest” (about a year old) and darkest song with weaving bass and synth lines and snappy snares throughout. Last up is our favorite “Tom n’ Jerry” which takes an old swing sample that Sam was put on by his brother who heard it in an episode of Tom and Jerry. The distortion on the vocal and the original guitar along with the deep synths and pops breathe life into the aged sample while still meshing perfectly.
It’s interesting to note that the album artwork is also an original Esseks. It captures the symbolism of a drop visually and couples with the EP and “drops” in the songs. Seeing the artist control everything from the music to the artwork gives a feeling of “completeness” to his artistic vision which I personally enjoy.
Check out Drops below and be sure to stay posted to WRR as we cover tour announcements for Esseks and everything that goes on with the Planet Cognac crew.
https://www.facebook.com/Esseks
http://www.esseks.com/
https://twitter.com/esseksmusic
https://soundcloud.com/esseks
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