The dance and electronic genres have been constantly morphing at the speed of light these past several years. As one of the most prominent artists in these genres, Joris Voorn has managed to come out ahead of the game yet again with his third studio album Nobody Knows. Released on November 17th, in collaboration with Voorn's very own Green label, Nobody Knows has come forth as a contender for being one of the more beautifully constructed electronic albums of the year, in my opinion. Designed for experiential listening, Voorn has delivered a well laid out journey for listeners to go on from start to finish.
Pushing beyond the constraints of being a dance/techno producer, Voorn ventures into an eclectic land of electronic-meets-downtempo-indie-house vibes while still holding onto elements of his techno-based roots. With the occasional collaboration with vocalists Kid A, Matthew Dear, and Bram Stadhouders, Nobody Knows is a fluidly majestic production that I would highly recommend. The incorporation of organic instruments fuels the ambient fire that burns brightly behind each track. The spirited guitar, melodic piano, and synths blend gently with Voorn's electronic productions, overwhelming the listener with the classically inspired tracks that deserve to be put on repeat.
Each of the twelve tracks offer up their own bits of aural gold. The movement in each song is carefully designed, and while they appear to move softly at first listen, upon closer examination, each song is ready to light your soul on fire by reaching in through your ears. With only four vocal tracks, Joris Voorn gets to truly showcase his musical prowess in the instrumental songs.
Kicking the album off with "The Monk", listeners are eased into a playground of sounds that get you warmed up for the exciting tracks that follow. "A House" and "So Long" feature vocals from Kid A and my jaw hit the ground when I first heard these tracks. They are very emotive, like much of the album, but the synthesis between KId A's vocals and Voorn's productions are more than perfect.
It has been over seven years since Voorn released From A Deep Place, his last full length album, and Nobody Knows is a great platform to unveil his transformation as an artist over the years. When we reach the third track "Homeland" with vocals from Matthew Dear, we hear an echoing of a house beat, but I'm still not sure that I would classify much of this album as music for the dance floor. The rich textures and structured layerings in tracks like "Ringo" and "MoMo" maintain the atmospheric energy, while the rich melodies throughout keep listeners completely engaged. Have a listen to a couple of the tracks that are included in this review, but make sure you snag the album soon, you won't want to miss this one.
Tracklist:
01. "The Monk"
02. "A House" (Feat. Kid A)
03. "Homeland" (Feat. Matthew Dear)
04. "The Wild"
05. "Sweets For PIano"
06. "So Long" (Feat. Kid A)
07. "Ringo"
08. "Mugged"
09. "MoMo"
10. "Fall"
11. "Left"
12. "Dust" (Feat. Bram Stadhouders)
