Esquille, a Swedish EDM songwriter/producer, is like a cicada. He has recently re-surfaced, from a decade hiatus, into the dance music industry with his new EP Rock This Club Down. Early in the millennium, Esquille's hectic life in the music world led him to close his studio to take a break and live in a more secluded environment, in Scandinavia. But Esquille missed music and returned to the big city with plans to immerse once again into the creative life of synthetic sounds. The five tracks are aiming to be a piece of the global groove. Although the tracks sound redundant -- they are danceable. The title track and "Música Electrónica" are crammed with hard-hitting synthesizers and a gritty bass line. "Don't Stop the Rhythm" picks up the pace with keyboard while "Moven Up" and "House Thing" delivers a hypnotic groove.
Nevertheless, in the ten years he has been gone, there has been an evolution in the EDM scene owing to technological advances. But this can be said for the entire music world -- music is never idle, and musicians have always strived for newness. For Esquille, the challenge is not only musical innovation, but a dance floor that has been changed. Now, the 21st century DJ takes his laptop with him to get the party started.
Then again, progressing in one's musical expression has been experienced over and over again in history. For instance, the harpsichord was sometimes played by Baroque composers and performers using two keyboards. Clearly, the freedom to maneuver sounds was not exclusive to the Baroque. Let's not forget that scratching the turntable in the 80s was innovative for Esquille and other EDM musicians.
In this modern age, the interest in manipulation has been helped by the power of technological advances, allowing organic instruments to morph into synthetic sounds. But as far back as the 60s, the Theremin, an early musical electronic device, was first used by psychedelic rock bands. And the bass guitar and synthesizer was enough to manipulate the sound of Funk and Soul and get the groove going. There is no doubt that dance music has profited the most from the big sounds sonically created by electronic devices.
In the '80s, electro, house, and techno -- the roots of Esquille -- played a role in modeling electronic music, especially in the disco world. As the disco crave cooled off in the United States by the end of the 90s, it continued in Europe. The European electronic music boom led to the super-clubs and outdoor raves. In Europe, Esquille found his niche at this time. Ibiza, Spain becoming a hotspot for partygoers and the techno and trance craze became widespread. By the end of the millennium, the party continued but found another venue -- the Internet.
As the commercial success of electronic dance music rallied around cyberspace, it cycled back to the United States. Consequently, the music industry has seen an abundance of digital artists, like Esquille, bypassing the costly recording studios and doing it on their own. Innovation and creativity are now without limitations and, on the dance floor, sonic power delivers the biggest sounds.
In the ten years that Esquille has been absent from the music world, the most obvious difference is the mobilization afforded by technology. The internet is the facilitator. Currently, his new EP Rock This Club Down intends to do just that. But, unlike the audiences during the Baroque period -- real audiences -- the audiences for Esquille are in cyberspace. Who knows -- perhaps Esquille's new EDM project, with all its repetitions, will make it onto the dance floor and, indeed, rock the club down.
"I Take U Higher" -- A promotional single not appearing on Rock This Club Down
Esquille's new EP Rock This Club Down will be released on September 15, 2013 via BandCamp.