Track of the Day: The Black Madonna - He Is The Voice I Hear
It's no secret that Marea Stamper b.k.a. The Black Madonna is one of my favorite DJs, but to top it off she really impressed me this week with her first original release in nearly 4 years. Being named Mixmag's DJ of the Year (as well as THUMP's Artist of the Year) must have been a rewarding moments for Stamper as she has been heavily devoted to her DJing craft, constantly touring around the globe.The timing of this release could not be better.For some in the industry, however, the pressure to constantly put out music has contributed to an over-saturation in the market. This mindset, as a result, can often be a sacrifice of quality for quantity for those artists. The Black Madonna demonstrates an unwavering patience as an antithesis to this notion stating in her press release that it's, "better to say nothing than to rush and put out a lot of music that didn’t say much at all".Initially, the track was put out last year on vinyl, quickly snatched up by fans and collectors alike. It set a precedent for things to come for the artist that culminated in a year with countless accolades and priming The Black Madonna for what I can only hope is one of her biggest years.
The Black Madonna - He Is The Voice I Hear
To say that this song is unique is an understatement. The opening minute and sixteen seconds is one of the most emotional introductions to a piece of dance music that I've heard in quite a while. A gorgeous piano solo coupled with the faint hit of a drum cymbal unravel the song's narrative with each passing chord. In this portion of the composition alone feelings of despair, sadness and doubt are counterbalanced with moments of elation, wonder and hope provide a guide to the true complexity of this song. As the piano subsides energetic strings fill the void with vigor as one layer after another of simple but vibrant chords build on top of each other with resounding effect. The track continues to manifest as more drum layers, piano and synthesized chords join the arrangement.The beauty of the track lies in its simplicity, with each instrument and its subsequent parts getting their moments to shine through. There's clearly a harmonious marriage between pure, unadulterated musicality and production prowess and finesse at work. This is made obvious in the artist's statement as she tapped her production partner, Rupert Murray, and Grammy Award winning violinist Davide Rossi and pianist Christoforo LaBarbera to join her in this journey. There are nods to so many elements of disco, house and early, minimal techno that all seem to work succinctly and effortlessly as a miniature concerto.I'm not the first and hopefully not the last to review and share my un-solicited opinion on this track. So if you made it this far I appreciate it and encourage you to educate yourself further on this amazing artist if you are not already familiar. A great place to start is her last original release 'Lady of Sorrow'.
Lady of Sorrows EP
Enjoy and Happy Friday,MR PUZL