Diskette Park – Radiant Covenant
Radiant Covenant
Diskette Park
November 20, 2024
Deep, expansive concepts aren’t mandatory in music, especially when the music is naturally fun, like future funk. One can search the reams of music based on their visual appeal, as well, especially on a platform like Bandcamp that presents the album covers front and centre. It’s like looking through records based on their visual cues. You find a colour palette that is appealing to you, a design that can be understated or flashy, or any visual elements that lean on a certain aesthetic or genre that you have a soft spot for.
The saturated blue hues, illuminating background, and eye-catching font of CyanBlue’s sophomore record compose a pretty clear image of what it’s all about: a dance-ready set of sparkling future funk songs. Under 32 minutes, Cyanotype focuses on this aesthetic, a midnight blue sparkle reflecting CyanBlue’s groovy and energetic production. There are enough shifts that the artist gets through that allow for a real sonic identity to be built. On Back 2 Me and Let Me Be Your Everything, there is an easygoing tone in repetitive melodies, leading to bubbly cuts, from the former track’s chilled bass and vocal chops to the latter’s aqueous instrumentation.
The soundscapes of Come Closer and Neptune jump around in their sampling, imbuing these electrifying melodies with a fun, pumping rhythm. And then there are the modulations of Unapologetic, where CyanBlue dazzles with flashy vocal cuts, and Enlightened, where the artist pulls the listener along with a beautiful groove, switching it up every now and again.
CyanBlue’s invites other producers to his shimmering world, synergising to add more vibrancy to this dance floor. His collaboration with ex.exi on You Set Me Free blasts through where the sharp sampling provide punch. THAT’S MATT! helps on Alarming Temperatures, adding a lot of motion to the track, allowing the groove to swoop in and out with a forceful sidechain attached. And there is the Pop Up! Collaboration on closer Delish, where airy samples add to a pattering beat. This conclusion helps the listener to envision, once again, this choppy club night, where everything moves with a fluid, glimmery motion.
Just at the first glance of the record’s cover, one can tell what experience CyanBlue they are being invited to. A dancefloor awash with deep blue hues and starry backgrounds. CyanBlue’s production lights up the entire room through these electrifying and relaxing future funk and plunderphonic tunes. Tunes that, by their excitable nature, have their own unique sound, but still keep an overall aesthetic. CyanBlue has one objective, to keep the party jumping. Mission accomplished.