In just three years, Dauwd has emerged as one of the most promising artists to hit the electronic music scene, delivering two beautifully crafted EPs on Pictures Music with remixes from Tim Goldsworthy and Nick Höppner. From an initial bass and ambient mixture, his sound strengthened and got a little more steely. Adding techno depth to the whole but not abandoning his gentle army of synths, Dauwd quietly carried on building his own aesthetic before eventually signing to Kompakt. Springtime is Dauwd’s time.
Clinging to his ethereal sonic layers but getting the electronic shofars heated, Dauwd opens the EP with a melancholic reminiscence named Lydia. Dauwd invites you to his magical forest of sound and invokes every spirit of his studio, from the dancing pads and chimes singing like little creatures to those lascivious synth lines he tries to keep secret. The result is a groovy yet ruminative track which feels like plunging in a Douanier Rousseau painting, stretching out your mind to unknown heights.
Rain Raker follows the movement initiated by Lydia, Dauwd constructing an endless ascension, synth lines waving and calming down before the pads come skimming across the surface.
With title track Kindlinn, Dauwd makes an interesting change. He brings the piano in, cutting the track before letting his infectious groove bubble and roll through you like a bouncing ball. Vocals are chopped down to fragments of breath and the synth lines get twisted to the extreme, calling everyone to the dancefloor. Ready to start again? The beat drops. Winner track, any hour of the day.
Dauwd has seriously stepped up his game with this release, moving with ease from more broken rhythms to an ambient-housey combination without abandoning what made him popular : those catchy, swarming pads and synth lines and that perfect touch of production. Everything is in its right place, emotional and sophisticated. Dauwd has confirmed the hopes of many.