I find what’s most interesting about Dorian’s brand of hosue music to be the sheer scale at which he looks to experiment and offer distinct genres a seat at the table on his arrangement. The simple three song project that also contains four acapella versions, ’33’ is a scintillatingly lively and unrelenting piece of electronic pop music that really can’t be pinned down. Dorian is completely unrestrained on ’33’, just delivering a slew of sounds that drastically jump from style to style, genre tog genre, and space to space.
Opening with the lush and pulsating extended trance inducing piece that is ‘Do Ya’, he hooks you in with a sound that’s almost hypnotic in its stimulation. ‘Do Ya’ just refuses to slow down or give break in its push. The song seemingly continually progresses and builds with layer after layer being piled on over and over again. It keeps hurling more and more at you until it eventually subsides to give way to a much more sensual and down tempo follow up. ‘Blast Off’, is nothing like what the name might have you expecting after the relentlessness of its predecessor. The melodic r&b driven piece just has you intoxicated by its sensual and mesmerising arrangement. Far less loaded and complex an arrangement, this unique mixture of soulfulness with a bit of drill sprinkled in between is the perfect melody to sink yourself into.
But it’s on ‘Notice Me’ that Dorian really finds himself at his most universally appealing pop best. The immensely romantic and moody pop piece is immensely addictive, equipped with this anthemic and rising chorus that grows on you with each play through.
Back to front, 33 is an absolutely invigorating and luscious piece of music production. Any electronic enthusiast is bound to hit replay on most of these songs. The acapella versions also add such a new element to the experience of listening, completely flipping how you think about each arrangement.