PΞTΞ
I literally had no idea what to expect when I heard this was getting a release but I'm glad to say I'm in love it with, it's so perfectly built and the detail (when listening on earphones) is amazing! It's up there with some favourites of 2017!
Favorite track: 01AF59.
Bryan Wilson
In most cases when 2 artists from different ends of the sound design spectrum come together, you get a sense of compromise in the end result. Such is not the case with 78SM95. VVV x Holly deliver the best of both worlds, and they deliver it with a fur covered sledge hammer. This is expertly crafted, otherworldly sound design.
Favorite track: 01AF59.
'78SM95' is the sound of two adventurous electronic producers from different parts of the world – and different ends of the club spectrum – coming together to challenge each other and explore an exciting new collaborative sound. Hailing from Austin, Texas, VVV is the alias of Iranian-born electronic producer Shawhin Izaddost. An early Hush Hush alum with additional releases on Holodeck and the short-lived Fortified Audio label, VVV's music often revolves within immersive underground styles that dip into 2-step, downtempo, ambient, and avant-garde sound design territories. Working on the other side of the globe is Holly, the alias of Miguel Oliviera, a skyrocketing trap producer from the coastal town of Caldas Da Rainha in Portugal. With monstrous releases on labels such as Dim Mak, Buygore, Trekkie Trax, Monstercat, Circus, and Main Course, amongst many others, the two artists come off as a somewhat odd match on paper.
But with an open ear and an open mind, Holly reached out to VVV to join forces and create the unexpected. Their distinctive approaches, prolific behind-the-scenes natures, and shared interest in cutting-edge bass music fused together smoothly, and the collaboration quickly blossomed. Working with hundreds of clips and snippets as foundations, the pair built ideas through a steady back-and-forth online correspondence, steering clear of rigid genre confines by shaving songs down into simple motifs or working towards sonic collages that embraced the duality of each other’s aesthetic in a meaningful and cohesive way.
The result is the expansive and harmonious mini-album '78SM95,' a bold and unabashedly open exploration through weighty nocturnal downtempo passages, deceptively complex trap beats, progressive drill’n’bass rhythms, and gorgeously textured ambient excursions, all held together by their boundary-pushing mentality and exceptional production skills. Moving swiftly through 7 songs in 21 minutes, their official collaborative debut is a celebration of disparate sonic styles and cultural experiences uniting together for a shared vision, while simultaneously offering up a thrilling showcase of each artist’s accomplished amorphous styles.
Listened to this on the plane and transformed my flight. Others looked at me and fell silent. Babies stopped crying. Flight attendants paused in the aisle. The pilot spoke over the intercom but said nothing.
Pasta rating: CAPELLINI boostopasta
This is one of the best albums i've ever heard. I swear, I will never hear anything like it again.
Don't tell anyone but I cried the first time I heard it. rewritephobia
As haunting and hypnotizing as going through the MGS series in release order and growing more and more captivated by the fandom's fabled Venom Snake without knowing a single thing about him. No, but seriously, this album is a work of art to transport you far, far away, an idea that draws you into the abstract. quietis
Utah field recordist Alex Green makes a call for global unity on this uplifting, deeply textured ambient sound collage. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 15, 2021
Sprawling and cinematic, the 12 songs on the new one from f5point6 head for the outer reaches of electronic music & ambient. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 10, 2022
Timeless classic, I've discovered this album in 2019 and I still think it's one of the best albums ever. Great for long train rides and smoking weed at 3am akizona