Colourwaves is the name given to the chill-wave/shoegaze, synth drenched, 808 driven electronic project of Melbourne producer and drummer Ryan Dodson. With two EPs readily available and another almost ready for release, he has cemented his sound and it’s good. If it was a cocktail, it’d be 2 shots slowdive, 1 shot m83, a nip of early Asobi Seksu and to top it all off, a few dashes of My Bloody Valentine.
The difference between Colourwaves and the majority of shoegaze bands/producers is the uplifting nature of his music. In stark contrast to the intense minor key progressions that this genre was founded on, Dodson utilises uplifting and driving chord progressions almost as if guiding you through a dream… just like a synth shaman thats replaced your peyote with an 808 kick. On top of all this, the thick soundscapes that have become a Colourwaves staple are almost orchestral to the point where its easy to imagine tracks such as Holograms being utilised in the film world.
The Distractions (2012) and Thought Forms (2013) EPs are available for free download from Bandcamp, and the teaser single You Sold Your Life for Pixels from Colourwaves’ newest E.P (set to be released on vinyl in the next few months) is available for free download via Soundcloud.
If you havent checked out Colourwaves already, I suggest you get on that dream-pop love boat, and enter this producer’s ocean of sound.
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