Album Review: Karma Art – Bloom

When EARMILK was first given the chance to premiere Karma Art's album single, titled "Bloom", we jumped right on board.  Instantly having high expectations for this 19 year old Austrian producer, he has continued the momentum with a forward thinking EP. The EP Bloom has been released on Duzz Down Dan Records, a label that is often bringing new and young talent to light. This is the first major EP that Karma Art has released through Duzz Down Dan yet he has much more in store to show.

The artist found inspiration for the work in several industrial and natural sources. Things like ordinary machines, synthetic elements, electronics, the woods, and other strange objects and places provide the building blocks for "Bloom". Karma Art took all of his influences and blended a new mixture of  experimental music with shattering snares and hypnotic vocals. He commented on the work saying, "ultimately, everybody should make up their own mind and actively listen to it as a form of auditive art." 

"Inland Empire" is the initial start of the EP and has a very summery feel. The bouncy melody is layered a little slower than the tempo as both come together simultaneously.

Stream: Karma Art – Inland Empire

The second track, "Intimate Blocks" features lovely vocals from Léyya. Using a heavier bass, Karma Art begins this track with the audio clip of a baby murmuring. The track sounds dreamy and faded until it greets a finish when blending with Léyya's singing.

Stream: Karma Art – Intimate Blocks ft. Léyya

As previously mentioned in past text, Karma Art keeps fairly active with his Youtube account. Mostly self-filmed, he manages to bring an interesting visual perspective to match his music. "My Head" steers away from the ambient start of the EP and sounds almost experimental. The overall tone of this track is much more dark and his video portrays that quite well.  

http://youtu.be/JlJWVn74oAU

Stream: Karma Art – My Head ft. TBS KTTL

"Sisyphos" is the last lightly structured track on the EP, as it features the beautiful singing of Konea Ra. The heavy clash of electronic synths coming into elegant vocals makes this track easily a highlight of the whole work.  

Stream: Karma Art – Sisyphos ft. Konea Ra

"Down Below" models how you would imagine a track that is slowed should sound, managing to satisfy that deeper urge for downtempo. The darker singing makes this track take a softer way out of the EP, as it has mellow vibe. 

Stream: Karma Art – Down Below

Finally, Karma Art closes the EP with the debut single, "Bloom". The track moves from a light intro into an aggressive beat pounding over audio clips of talking. What feels like an abrupt end to a styled chain of music is just a lengthy two minute pause. I always find the break in "Bloom" unique as it gives the listener a few moments to reflect on the past work. The song springs instantly back to life in a glitchy mix of synths and strings.    

Stream: Karma Art – Bloom

What made this work so special is the singularity of each track and how Karma Art created a range of tone between each song. The whole EP is worthy of listening to in its entirety, as the six songs are kept short keeping the right rhythm between each track.  You can download the full work off Karma Art's Bandcamp.