Setting the tone with soft bell tones and an almost AI style narration of the introspective words, “Have you ever thought about time as a concept, it’s all around us and nowhere at the same time…”, Xcellence opens his EP, afterHOURS with intrigue, dimensionality and the track, Time.
Some of the thought provoking words are down-pitched whilst the narrator changes voices, delivering a dynamic and speed shifting effect as the introduction track climaxes with percussive elements taking us into the next composition, HOURS.
In a cinematic style, HOURS feels like the introduction to a movie, setting up the protagonist, documenting their reality as we are immersed in an intricate soundscape with synthetic tones, intricate percussion and a sense of oneness.
We appreciate the appearance of and industrial bass-line whilst the synths take on a more psychedelic nature, building with emotion. HOURS begins to fade out with cerebral textures and high keys before the industrial and whirring futuristic synthscape overtakes us once more. We hear the detail of a ticking clock just before the song draws to a close.
Next up is the sequel to hours and the title track of the EP, afterHOURS. Opening with warped vocal textures and a dubstep meets drum’n’bass hybrid drum pattern, afterHOURS opens with bold, synth minimalism before the opus expands into a more maximalist adventure.
Mid way, the vocals re-emerge as the sonic landscape dimensionalizes further taking us on an impactful ride. Ringing out with bells that have been synonymous with the EP thus far, we are in awe.
Finally, we experience FALLING which opens with astral bell tones and industrial textures before we are immersed in a luscious bass-line with echoing vocal textures that crescendo. Fans of FKA Twigs will be able to connect with these elements. The drum’n’bass soundscape is exquisite and we are left wanting more after the fade out.
Speaking on his artistry, Xcellence who is also known as classical percussionist, composer and electronic music producer, Nikolas Papadopoulos confesses, “The idea for this project was born out of my daily reality which instantaneously switched this last year after preparing for my Classical Percussion diplomatic exams while also teaching on the same subject.”
He says, “I want to let the EP live and breathe inside the space each listener will create for it. afterHOURS for me lives inside those hours after your daily life takes place. When you are riding the bus back home after work, or when the andrelanine from your hyperactive day (and in my case too many coffees) is still keeping your tired body awake. If you ever catch yourself counting the seemingly never-ending hours in your day, I want you to think about how this record makes you feel. Or rather what this record made you think. For me, afterHOURS is more of a thought experiment.”
We love the depth and authenticity that Xcellence creates with and appreciate the exploration of the concept of time inside a modern, hyperactive reality. We have added the track, HOURS, to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream the EP on loop.