We previously featured Radical Man as he took us on a mind-bending and neuroplasticity-enhancing trip with his composition, Power Systems, so when we heard that the rising artist was back with River, we were curious to say the least and couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in his universe once more, and share our experience.
River opens with metallic synth arpeggios, once again tapping into that dimensional, otherworldly energy, akin to stepping into the DMT realm. Accompanied by trippy percussion, the composition expands into a bass-driven mood with industrial adjacency. We appreciate the cinematic allure of the piece, and could imagine it as the score of a film like Enter The Void, or Lucy.
Daft Punk-esque vocals draw us in further with a psychedelic 80s nuance. We appreciate the zen and hypnotic vibes that converge, leading us through to a water-like middle segment of the composition which feels like metal liquid. The reprise of the track generates a full circle energy, self-reflective and sublime yet awe-inspiring at the same time.
The intro arpeggios return for a moment with cosmic shooting textures, like a scene from Avatar before the cohesive tapestry of sound builds into a bold and dramatic expression with celestial bassy bell tones evoking intrigue for the final moments of the track like a scene from a vampire movie such as Queen of the Damned.
For some background, River is the second release from Grand Junction-based experimental electronic project Radical Man, also known as Colin Keefe. We learn that the track began as an improvised electronic jam in a Portland hotel room before being transformed into a fully realised single.
Radical Man intentionally explores the tension between structure and chaos, treating rhythm as architecture rather than genre through repetition, mutation and shifting patterns. Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added River to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TRIPPY playlist, whilst we continue to stream Power Systems, and await future releases from Radical Man.