Canadian Dj/ Producer Edmond Huszar—aka “Overwerk”—has been producing Electro House since the early 2010s. Ever since I discovered Overwerk, I have been a huge fan. Most of his music contains a good balance of orchestral instruments and elements. The first thing that stands out to me when I listen to his music is the sound design. The way he creates space in his build ups is second to none. Not only is his music captivating but it is meticulously crafted. When I first saw that he was releasing new music, I was beyond excited.
Pretty quickly after the announcement, Overwerk released his 8 track LP, Vessel. The album begins with “Parallel,” which like so many of his tracks greets us with layers of lush strings. Abruptly a whirling bass almost like a siren breaks the tension. Throughout most of the track the bass stays the same note and pattern. In doing this, he creates a really slick build up at the song’s climax when all the elements get more intricate and build up at once. The strings throughout are always deteriorated to some extent, creating a haunting feeling. This song would fit nicely in a horror movie soundtrack.
The chord progression on “Geist” is hypnotic. The build-ups in this song are brilliantly crafted. I love the use of silence right before an intense bass note. The first thing I noticed at the beginning of “Presence” is the textures used to add to the beats. There is also some really interesting use of reverb and echo. The chorus has a great use of pads and arpeggiated horns. I always picture floating out in space when I listen to this song. Overwerk loves using similar sounds or recurring melodies in his music.
“Pictures” has some old sounds fans will recognize at the intro. The beats in the first chorus are so fun. They almost sound like falling blocks that are bit crushed when they hit the floor. The vocals on this song are great. I have always enjoyed his vocal tracks because they have a lot of substance.
A more industrial sounding track, “Bridge” starts out with an array of machine sounds that don’t seem to make sense until they are all layered on top of each other. I love the buzzing bass in this song. It slowly becomes more aggressive over time and eventually delights us with a killer breakbeat.
“Sense”, featuring iKell, a Nigerian-based artist, is sung in an African English dialect. Throughout the track there is a snare that sounds like a vocal is layered on top that creates a really strange but fun effect. I’m not sure why, but I tend to enjoy vocal tracks in other languages. The bassline and pads are infectious and compliment the vocals wonderfully.
My favorite song on the album has to be “Resonate.” I love the progression of the arpeggiated bass. The way Overwerk creates his build-ups just always gets me so energized. He creates so much tension with musical arrangement that, when the beat finally kicks in, it’s hard not to dance.
The melody in “Beyond” is brilliant. The vocoded vocals are done right, using the clean vocal to add to the buildup and drop. Again this is another vocal where the lyrics have substance. Talking about going beyond fear and looking at the world with love.
I have listened to this album at least once if not a few times a day since its release, and I have to say that I am obsessed. If you like beautifully crafted dance music, I highly recommend listening to this album on a set of good speakers. I can’t wait to see what Overwerk has in store for a live set, once things normalize a bit more with the world!
Killa Chris has been DJing in Nashville since 2010. Finding good music has always been a passion of Killa Chris’s. So every week he is going to share some of the newest tracks from popular producers and unknown artists from all over the world.
You can find DJ Kill Chris' original productions on SoundCloud or Audius - and listen to his live and prerecorded mix sets on MixCloud. And of course visit OUTvoices Nashville for more of DJ Killa Chris’ weekly playlists!