Holly North - Off-Piste [Stil vor Talent]

Up-and-coming talent Holly North steps in with his debut four-track EP on SVT. Having transitioned from a classical training in music towards the hypermodern potentialities of the club sound, “Chosen Sides” exhibits the young Berlin producer’s constant search for instantly impactful melodies and trance-inducing climaxes.

Artist: Holly North
Title: Chosen Sides
Label: Stil vor Talent
Catalog No.: SVT304
Release Date: 2021-10-08

1. Longing
2. Bridges and Walls
3. Off-Piste
4. In My Head
5. Bridges and Walls (Short Edit)

A case of outer spatial melancholy, “Longing” starts off as a slo-hatching roller that aims for nothing but the vastness of greater summits. Reeling out in sustained glissandos and cascades of iridescent synth shades, the track guzzles us in a vortex of wistful grace. “Bridges & Walls” calls in further dynamic waves of keyboard jitter and multi-level machine talk, delayed arpeggios and dubbed-out bleeps blazing from the deeper end up to the sleek surface of its vivid synth tapestries with unrestrained ease.

“Off-Piste” moves the cursor back to a more inward-gazing kind of headspace with its dream pop-inherited buildup, unrelenting swing and laid-back pads oozing a most idyllic late summer vibe. Tracing further downbeat motifs onto a wide-screen electronica lay-out, “In My Head” melds the brittleness of piano with the thunderous power of a bassy storm to come, perfect for when the after needs a bit of a groove tightening without jeopardising its smooth, frictionless raison d’être.