Gramatik ushers in new age of electronic music

By Kyle Sutton

Before Denis Jasarevic, aka Gramatik, comes to Carbondale in April, fans have a chance to hear his latest work.

The artist begins his U.S. and European spring tour on March 28, with a stop April 10 at Copper Dragon to hype his new album, “The Age of Reason.” Gramatik combines his older instrumental style with modern bass-laced electronic production on the album, his eighth studio release since 2008.

The album heads off on a rhythmic exploration, traveling through space and time, hitting all of the elements of the Slovenian-born producer’s musical background. The old school blues, jazz and funk beats keep the songs soulful while modern-day electronic samples take the audience on a turbulent ride to a dark dub and bass-infused destination.

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The artist’s darker side emerges immediately on “Brave Men,” combining a deep bass line with a slow hip-hop drumbeat. Two guitars fill in the rest of the open space to produce an ominous instrumental tune. Around the middle of the song, the beat takes a turn and electronic synths take over, dubbing the song out while including voice samples from featured artist Eskobar.

Next up, “Tortune” livens the mood with a funky upbeat collaboration of synths and a rocking guitar rift by Soulive and Lettuce guitarist Eric Krasno. The song holds together the essence of the album, providing a perfect mixture of soulful instrumentals with modern electronic ideals.

The third song, “Bluestep,” focuses more on the dirtier side of the producer’s repertoire, providing the deep bass present in his more recent musical endeavors. Collaborating with Lowtemp record label artist ILLUMNTR, “Control Room Before You” continues this type of heavy bass driven production later in the album.

Moving forward, we come to “Pardon my French.” This song captures the true musical production talents of Gramatik. It brings an up-beat tempo using synthesizers. But as fast as the vibrations brighten, the next song, “We Used to Dream,” brings the lights down, beginning with a piano sample and a subtle drumbeat.

The album continues along this roller coaster ride of tempos until we reach “Prime Time.” This marks a change in the album; Gramatik goes back to his roots of producing straight funk, soul and blues instrumentals laced with electronic modifications. The back end of this album shows characteristics similar to his first full-length record, “Beatz and Pieces Vol. 1.” which has deep roots in jazzy soulful music meant to provoke furious dancing.

On the song “Just Jammin’ NYC,” Gramatik, with the help with his own side project Exmag, produces a futuristic guitar rhythm overlaying a simple hip-hop drumbeat. A blend of his own unique electronic style with instrumental samples keeps the listener tuned into a modernized formula of old school musicianship.

Listeners get a little taste of R&B on “Faraway.” The song combines a steady bass line with a rhythmic drumbeat, featuring the voice samples of soul singer-songwriter Orlando Napier. In classic Gramatik fashion, subtle guitar fills echo throughout the song, bringing it full-circle.

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He finishes the album solo with two tracks in which he demonstrates that old school Gramatik sound. “No Turning Back” is a slow head-bobbing song with subtle guitar melodies in the background and strong hip-hop roots from the artist’s early career. In “It’s Just a Ride,” the producer moves from the more drum-based beats into a song relying heavily on electric guitar riffs. To show his modern style one more time, he wraps up the song with the deep bass heard in the earlier songs.

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