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Favorite ThisArkasia: Epilogue EP Review

Published: December 20, 2012
By: Charlotte Horton



At the tender age of 5, Yoann Hebert was introduced to the joys of composing classical music. By age 10, he was playing with an orchestra; at 12, collaborating on chamber operas. In his teens, he taught himself how to play the drums and joined a metal band. By 2000, he started his career in electronic music, founding the ADAPTEK’s collective with two friends. The collaboration led to the formation of the band ANTROPOD and the live performance of Polakatek.

Around 2008, he decided to leave the collective to focus on his solo material. In 2011, Hebertbegan experimenting with dubstep, and Arkasia was born. Influenced by classical, speedcore, breakcore, drum and bass, trip-hop, and metal, he created something new with distorted basses and gabber synths, draped carefully over a strong foundation of melody.

Early this year, he worked with artists like DVBBS, Hayley Gene, Cat Martin, Adventure Club, Jay Jacob andperformed live in Paris with Silent Frequencies, Vibromaster, and DJ Traffx, among others.As a result, Arkasia has quickly made a name for himself.There is a high demand for more of Arkasia’s unique musical productions though.  With his drive, classical music background, and his formal education in musical engineering, Arkasia’s newest EP is certainly not something to pass over.

The EP opens with “Epilogue,” a melodic introduction with trance aspects mixed with grungier bass effects. The intro has a euphoric tone, and showcases the quality of work Arkasiaburned into this EP. There are no vocals, but with the drop, it isn’t hard to hear what he’s trying to say with every beat.

“Back as One” is one of the most unique dubstep compositions I have ever encountered. Instead of wanting to throw my body around, in attempts to match the chaotic beats, I feel as if I’m floating along with the synths. Within these five minutes, it’s obvious how much control he has—not only what he produces, but of what he wants his listeners to feel, as well.

“Into Nowhere” featuring CoMa is a track with the many of the same aspects of the previous songs on his EP, but is sped up quite noticeably. It’s juxtaposed with moments of only drums paired with light, airy vocals. Her voice takes the tone of the intense, underlying beats and synths, and projects it even further. It’s a song of epic proportions, with a mixture of very unusual features put together.

“Invisible Bridge,” closes out the album with a unique twist. The entire EP is slow, and melodic, but this song stands out with the question of what exactly he means by ‘invisible bridge,’ yet figuring it out as you listen to its rollercoaster of rhythmic highs and lows.

At only four tracks, the EP doesn’t take much of an investment for a front-to-back listen. But it’s important that the album is enjoyed precisely that way, because this isn’t a collection of singles. It’s a story.


Tags: Drum and BassDubstepTrance