Of all the great musicians in electronic music’s history, Eric Prydz is a distinguished legend. His catalog of unreleased original productions and remixes is so deep that even he sometimes forgets about the work he’s done, as he claimed on a recent episode of his Beats 1 radio show. Luckily, he offered up some of those unreleased tunes leading up to the announcement of his first Eric Prydz artist album, expected February of 2016.
Once on the back burner to his Eric Prydz and Pryda aliases, his Cirez D project received a breath of new life over the last few years. Cirez D performances are equally as rare, but the release of his Vol. D EP via Mouseville will hopefully result in an upsurge of shows and tour dates. While it is a Cirez D production, semblances of Prydz and Pryda are readily apparent within each track.
“Voided” starts things off. Characteristically Prydz, a long, drawn-out synth note extends itself across the intro paired with an acid-style lead. The drum arrangement veers delightfully off the beaten path with the signature Pryda snare shining through. A warped vocal sample is interspersed through the funky bass groove, and hard-pulsing kicks come and go taking you in and out of the zone with rattlesnake-synth work keeping you engaged to the outro.
“On Top Baby” starts slowly as echoing plucks reverberate through the track’s atmosphere. A scratchy vocal sample is brought in, followed immediately by thundering kicks that crash in after the second repetition. The vibe of “On Top Baby” is minimal, letting each carefully crafted sound work in harmony with the others devoid of any fluff. The energy rises and falls, leading to a frantic mid-section as the sample is re-introduced followed again by the mighty kicks that shape the song.
“Chaos” is the grooviest of the EP, and is one that he’s teased before on his radio show. A low rumbling lead shapes the song’s intro with the percussive elements making themselves more apparent as the intro progresses. The synth work takes the focus around the midpoint, leading to a long and anticipatory build that breaks back into the percussion before subtly switching focus back to the synths.
“Deep Inside 04 Remix” isn’t quite as dark as the rest, yet somehow fits perfectly. Latin influenced drums set things off with a vocal that proclaims, “take a look deep inside.” The influence from his other aliases comes through here, with progressive yet industrial sounding synths adding a gripping layer of depth. A driving energy keeps the song flowing fluidly, and high-pitched notes just after the halfway mark add an unexpected twist.
“Rise” rounds out Vol. D with a style different from most of Prydz’s previous offerings. A horn sample launches off the song and leads into a low-fi distorted bassline. The bass is undoubtedly heavy, making it the hardest hitting song of the EP, and harder than most music we’ve heard from him. The whole song sounds reminiscent of deadmau5’s early work, capturing the paradoxical feeling of a dance music track that wasn’t necessarily made for the club.
Overall, the EP lives up to expectations set for the resurgence of his Cirez D project. Each track is different from what he would release under his other aliases while still maintaining that distinct Eric Prydz vibe. Two-thousand fifteen was the year he decided to delve into deeper and darker sounds, and I’m excited to see which direction he goes in 2016.
Pick up the Cirez D Vol. D EP out on Beatport and follow Eric Prydz on SoundCloud and Twitter.
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