After a year of hard work, the incredibly talented Canadian duo known as Eminence have finally released their new EP, Universe, on the legendary label known simply as Monstercat. These two artists are no strangers to the spotlight, with releases already out on Spinnin & High Contrast, they have have been cracking Beatport charts since 2010, and it seems they’re doing it yet again. Numbers aside, how does this new EP hold up to their previous work? Continue reading along below to find out, and take a listen for yourself while you’re at it.
The first track on this five-track journey is entitled “Lost in Time,” and features the hauntingly beautiful voice of the female vocalist, Memia, in the midst of a warm, smooth soundscape. This tune almost reminded me of something an earlier-career Deadmau5 and a current-career Porter Robinson would cook up in the studio on a rainy day. Monstercat has always been known to feature tracks like these, and it’s one of the reasons they’ve stayed one of my favorite labels over the years.
Next up, is their title track, “Universe,” featuring the voice of the lovely Meron Ryan. Her voice, coupled with this amazing piano and synth work, makes this a most worthy title track for their EP. It’s an incredibly emotional song, but also so much fun. It’s definitely something you can’t just play once to fully enjoy. I usually can’t stomach “generic” Pop EDM like this, but I will make exceptions when it’s this well done. They really knocked it out of the park with this one.
Now, it’s time for “Shapes & Shifts.” A considerably more upbeat tune, and a classic take on the house music craze that’s been making a comeback since 2014. The production value on this whole project is so excellent that even though this is my least favorite track on the whole EP, just for originality’s sake, I still give it a B+ for being so well done.
This next track “8889,” might just very well be my favorite. This track has a uniquely dark and deep groove to it from the very start, that slowly gives way to a beautiful mix of pianos, mallets and glitchy smooth sound effects before dropping you back into that groove that lead us in. Then it builds again; funkier and louder this time until you’re riding on a synth that makes the crystal clear piano so much more essential and dynamic to the final sequence. Then once again, they drop you back into that funky darkness that started it all. Out-f*cking-standing.
Their last track, “Where The Light Is,” definitely takes on a more trancey feel. This is a track for the end of a journey. Whether it’s a journey through this album, from a festival or a night out, this is the track that will tuck you in at night with a smile on your face. It’s elegant, simple, and just dreamy enough to put stars in your eyes on the way home. A most excellent way to end a spectacular album.
In my humble opinion, Eminence have truly outdone themselves with this masterful project. The production value, the cohesiveness, and diversity is something that every artist should always be striving for when they release projects such as these. It’s been a year in the making, and it really, really shows. This whole EP, when listened to all at once, or just through shuffle on your iTunes, will always, always put a smile on your face.
