What occurs when you get the eclectic paring, of English DJ/producer and Italian keyboardist of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini, respectively? An experimentally ambient collaborative album titled Illusion of Time between the two aforementioned artists, that is slated for release March 27, via Phantasy. Their latest single off the project “Enter Exit” mirrors both the look and sound of the duo’s first single, the title track “Illusion of Time.”
As previously reported here on mxdwn, “‘Illusion of Time’ is a soft electronic ambient track with steady synth progressions and interesting sonic textures that build up throughout its run time. The visuals accompanying the song are glitchy and filled with a purple color scheme showing silhouettes of different figures.” For the second single “Enter Exit” the vibrant synth chord progressions sonically pulsate with an abundance of reverb that permeates the entire duration of the track. The ethereal soundscapes echo and are immediately entrancing from the outset of the track. The track almost has a science-fiction cinematic feel to it, that blends well with the images featured in the music video. Just as the visuals from the first single feature the same glitchy purple color scheme that includes silhouettes of mysterious figures, there seems to be a pattern running in the “Enter Exit” music video that remains throughout.
As previously noted in the aforementioned mxdwn article, “The band have also debuted the first visual and title from the upcoming project, which is directed by Sam Davis and Tom Andrew, who have collaborated with Avery in the past.” Andrew explained the process of directing their initial single “Illusion of Time” saying “‘We were keen to capture a visual representation of the tempo and atmospheric emotion of the track and make a video exploring the notion of collaboration,’ Andrew explained regarding their direction. ‘A super-motion approach allowed us to explore details of motion shared between two people, in tactile actions of aiding and supporting.’”
Electronic ambient music seems to be the duo’s forte and with their latest forthcoming project their strong suit remains intact. Back in 2017, when the two artists collaborated on the tracks “Water” and “Sun“, Avery had this to say about the recording process behind “Water” saying:
“The music that always hits hardest is what I’d consider to be unreal, something that sounds like it comes from another place entirely and moves at its own pace. I want to create those moments where opening your eyes on a dance floor becomes difficult. When the outside world is nothing more than a distant thought.”
To listen to Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini’s “Enter Exit” stream below via YouTube.
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