UPDATE (20/10/2014): Madeon has now released the official version of 'Imperium' as a free download. The official audio is embedded below, and a review score has been posted after the jump.
There's been radio silence from Madeon for a long time now. He's even been relatively quiet on Twitter for the past few weeks. But out of the blue, we now have a new track from the French whizz-kid, courtesy of a leak from the upcoming soundtrack for FIFA 15 (which also features Avicii).
The new track, Imperium, is quite a departure to what we're used to from the young producer, and seems to reflect the shift in material that he's been playing in his sets of late (I'll get around to reviewing his one from GlobalGathering sooner or later...). Read on to see if it works.
What's the one word that springs to mind when you think of Madeon? For me, it's got to be melody. His sense of that, as well as his sense of the chords that go with it, are second to none. Another word is vibrant. In Imperium, for the first time, the melody seems to be slightly absent - though the vibrancy is absolutely still present.
Whilst you might think that's a bad thing, all you've got to do is listen to it to know that this particular experiment from Hugo is certainly a step in the right direction in his continuing quest to explore new avenues of sound. Several commenters have been quick to compare Imperium to work from artists on Ed Banger, or Gesaffelstein. I'm not inclined to disagree with them. Certainly, the beginning has that vibe. But crucially, Hugo hasn't forgotten that aforementioned vibrancy that saw him rise to prominence in the first place, as he deftly weaves that minimal, techno style into his own unique brand of dance music.
The pulsating synths really drive Imperium forward and make this an absolutely stonking track. Thankfully, still present are the exquisite French-sounding chord progressions that we've come to expect from Hugo. As you'd expect, his sound design and spacial awareness are as superb as ever. I still find it astounding that someone slightly younger than myself (I'm actually about a year older than Hugo) can be this technically gifted. It just seems to come so naturally, and it's great to see him use what he's learned to continue to do new things - one thing you could never accuse Madeon of is becoming stale.
With no further news on his massively-anticipated, forthcoming debut album (which Porter Robinson has declared to be "fucking magnificent"), Imperium should tide us over nicely whilst giving us a brief taste of what Madeon has in store for that release. Hugo just keeps getting better and better, and whilst Imperium may not be one of his best ever releases, it's certainly nice to see he isn't standing still.
The Octopus' Rating: 7/8
Release Details:
Name: Imperium
Artist: Madeon
Label: Pop Cultur
Release Date: 17 October [OUT NOW]
Purchase: Free Download
Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.
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