Karma Loop : first single from Distance from Reality

album review:

Saying I’ve heard this album a bunch of times, way before its initial release, would be an understatement. Dott and I see each other quite regularly when our bands play shows together at Boho Sarapsody, where we hang out until the wee hours of the morning and listen to these songs’ freshly mastered tracks, most of the time on infinite loop while I’m inebriated out of my head. Then Dott and I would listen to it again while just drinking beers at friend’s houses. Then a friend of ours and I would listen to it again when we’re brainstorming music video ideas for Dott and Red. I’ve listened to this album so much that it has become ingrained in me, my psyche and my playlist. So call it a conflict of interest or throwing subjectivity out of the window, whatever, it wouldn’t stop this record at being awesome.

Distance From Reality at its core is a dark pop record closely akin to witch house, but at the same time more forward thinking than what that genre has to offer. It reminds me of Purity Ring’s amazing debut record with Red-I’s impeccable production and Dott’s surrealistic songwriting. The album’s first half houses the darker side of the record with songs like album opener “Unreal”with lyrics“The zombies are coming, the zombies are coming…” sang full of dread; “Karma Loop,” “Favorite Line,” and “Days of Confusion,” a personal favorite of mine. Meanwhile, the latter half of the record hints on hopefulness, shafts of light streak down amidst the bleak darkness that clouds Red’s largely experimental production on songs like “Dream of a Love Child,” “Far Away” and the lone tagalog song “Brown Rabbit.”

People who haven’t missed an Irie Sunday in B-Side since its inception would be surprised that Red-I isn’t doing his patent dub magic, instead switching it up to a more darker, beat-heavy nod and synth explorations that would have any beathead excited, which in turn perfectly complements and highlights Dott’s warped, surrealist goth leanings (to those who don’t know, Dott Seki is the long time frontman of goth scene stalwarts Skies of Ember). I’ve heard Dott sing numerous times, sometimes even unprovoked, catching him with his acoustic guitar just sitting outside his previous place in Makati while completely unaware that anyone is listening, and you’ll be surprised how powerful his voice could be. This record captures that powerful voice, while his lyrics speak what he feels at that moment, no matter how abstract it would get.

It’s not just mere magic, but magick with a k.

I was talking to Dott last night while hanging out at WSK’s pirate radio setup at Boho Sarapsody in QC, and when talks about a second record came up, there was an apparent giddiness to him. There are big plans, more explorations to be made, and if Distance From Reality is any hint of things to come, I advice everyone to hold on tight and be stoked to death. A storms brewing, ready your rain boots. A-

http://vandalsonthewall.com/album-review-dott-seki-distance-from-reality-2014/

DOTT SEKI - KARMA LOOP (Prod By. Red - I)

Dott Seki- Favorite Line "Pinoy Tuner Live"

Album Review

Aesthetic-wise, Red-i and Dott Seki gravitates towards completely varying directions, with the former slithering in and out of dub’s layered soundscapes and the latter sculpting the stiff, glacial foundation of shoegaze music at a stoned pace. Imagine how weird, and at a certain degree, confrontational the end product would be, when these two artists collaborate and challenge each other’s competencies. 

On “Unreal,” the two mines a murky, avant-garde space dub anthem out of swarming textures and synthetic sounds, providing the timely soundtrack to moments of loneliness and ethereal insanity. Dott sings, dazed and lost, hopeless of the future that will unfold. “The zombies are coming, run for your life,” he repeats in omen-like fashion, haunted even more by Red-I’s flurry of pulsing industrial brood and dub beats. Whether they’re watching too much George Romero or The Walking Dead is none of our business. At their most imaginative, Red-I and Dott Sekki teaches us a thing or two about the impending apocalypse. Better be prepared. 


http://vandalsonthewall.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-track-red-i-feat-dott-seki-unreal.html#.V1KiJ_l97Dc

Dott Seki - Unreal (Prod. By Red - I)

Saying I’ve heard this album a bunch of times, way before its initial release, would be an understatement. Dott and I see each other quite regularly when our bands play shows together at Boho Sarapsody, where we hang out until the wee hours of the morning and listen to these songs’ freshly mastered tracks, most of the time on infinite loop while I’m inebriated out of my head. Then Dott and I would listen to it again while just drinking beers at friend’s houses. Then a friend of ours and I would listen to it again when we’re brainstorming music video ideas for Dott and Red. I’ve listened to this album so much that it has become ingrained in me, my psyche and my playlist. So call it a conflict of interest or throwing subjectivity out of the window, whatever, it wouldn’t stop this record at being awesome.

Distance From Reality at its core is a dark pop record closely akin to witch house, but at the same time more forward thinking than what that genre has to offer. It reminds me of Purity Ring’s amazing debut record with Red-I’s impeccable production and Dott’s surrealistic songwriting. The album’s first half houses the darker side of the record with songs like album opener “Unreal”with lyrics“The zombies are coming, the zombies are coming…” sang full of dread; “Karma Loop,” “Favorite Line,” and “Days of Confusion,” a personal favorite of mine. Meanwhile, the latter half of the record hints on hopefulness, shafts of light streak down amidst the bleak darkness that clouds Red’s largely experimental production on songs like “Dream of a Love Child,” “Far Away” and the lone tagalog song “Brown Rabbit.”

People who haven’t missed an Irie Sunday in B-Side since its inception would be surprised that Red-I isn’t doing his patent dub magic, instead switching it up to a more darker, beat-heavy nod and synth explorations that would have any beathead excited, which in turn perfectly complements and highlights Dott’s warped, surrealist goth leanings (to those who don’t know, Dott Seki is the long time frontman of goth scene stalwarts Skies of Ember). I’ve heard Dott sing numerous times, sometimes even unprovoked, catching him with his acoustic guitar just sitting outside his previous place in Makati while completely unaware that anyone is listening, and you’ll be surprised how powerful his voice could be. This record captures that powerful voice, while his lyrics speak what he feels at that moment, no matter how abstract it would get.

It’s not just mere magic, but magick with a k.

I was talking to Dott last night while hanging out at WSK’s pirate radio setup at Boho Sarapsody in QC, and when talks about a second record came up, there was an apparent giddiness to him. There are big plans, more explorations to be made, and if Distance From Reality is any hint of things to come, I advice everyone to hold on tight and be stoked to death. A storms brewing, ready your rain boots.