Review Summary: The soothing trance induced echo of a sweet alternative to the sounds of modern Hip-Hop
You are now listening to AraabMuzik. Behind those dope beats and quasi-anthemic-trance spirit is Abraham Orellana; a modern hip-hop producer let loose in the studio, left to his own devices. The pressure driven music found on his debut works like a playlist for a sweaty club, but instead of mindless beat harping bangers, the crowd below cries for smoothly enveloped electronics around those easily digestible beats. AraabMuzik translates that modern-euphoric approach to producing hip-hop into a series of abbreviated clusters of free flowing, cascading textures; ultimately adding to an extremely consistent set of contemporary instrumental hip-hop.
The music on Electronic Dream is not completely instrumental, in sense. Most of it's tracks feature backing female vocals, strung out in a familiar repetition of club-ready lyrics like, "Fall in love with music, fall in love with dance, fall in love with anything that makes you want romance." These vocals complement the trance ambience oozing from the album, because of course it's not about what these ladies are saying, it's about how their saying it. Take "Lost In A Maze", where voice is utilized as progression of its beat; being the subtle breathe in between each 808, to give the track a nice tension in the album's closing moments.
Electronic Dream carries a few consistent vibes throughout it's short run-time, relating to how each song is introduced. A track either begins with a simple line of lyrics, or a microphone call reminding us, "You are now listening to AraabMuzik", or vise versa, before a heavy beat drops to establish the rest of the track. The microphone call will most likely sound contrived and self-indulgent to most listeners, because it bears the question, 'why do we need to be reminded of whom we are listening too?' The answer is, this reminder gives the album a radio station vibe; as if you're tuned to 103.3 AraabMuzik. This little effect is pretty unique, and while it may end up aggravating more people than its intent is worth; it manages to glue the tracks into a tighter, more cohesive mix.
Overall Electronic Dream doesn't go without it's flaws; it neither shines in ambition nor originality. Although this isn't an album expecting to live up to any kind of hype, or break any ground; it simply works as a set of consistent instrumental hip-hop tracks that echo a dreamy trance-like demeanor. It succeeds as an easy-going alternative to the sounds of modern hip-hop; minus the foolish braggadocio of ineffective lyrics. The modern sheen on contemporary beats, soothing club ecstasy, the pathos of late century Detroit, all exemplified, in a crash course known as the Electronic Dream.
