D;E;M. or Deus Ex Machiavelli, is an an album about dreaming and a lost soul searching for its place. Recorded in entirety over a single weekend where Nico Prince locked himself in a home office, the album is soulful piece of spacey and atmospheric r&b that has moments of funk to give it an edge of excitement upon the transcendent and relaxing dreamscapes it otherwise delivers on. Nico sees the album as an introspection, a way to recover a disconnected soul. The album becomes a dreamscape rediscovery to heal the same.
From the first minute of Newport News, you’re elevated into a floating atmosphere that’s sensuous and supple in its production. The introspective soul searching track covers you in its seductive vocal melodies that are blanketed in a warmth that is the luscious and dreamy beat surrounding them. Even adding an element of hip-hop, it manages to gain a bit more spunk to it.
And that spunk is carried over to Hailstorm, a short two minute track that tells you to keep the party going. Hailstorm is loaded with funk and grooves, serving as the high point in the EP in terms of the energy it brings. It’s a downright dance anthem at times, almost urging you to move alongside each vocal intonation and beat switch. The final piece, ‘Reston, Virginia’, goes back to the slow and sensuous vibe that Nico sets on the first track. Discussing lovers reuniting in their dreams, it’s a whole lot more progressive and laidback than its predecessor. It’s the kind of tune you want to lie down and spark a fat one too.
If you’re looking for music to relax to, to absolutely let yourself go and just enjoy the pure atmospheric vibe that a sensuous r&b record can create, D;E;M is the perfect choice. It’s an ethereal piece of soulful r&b that’s bound to transport you with each piece.
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