Ethereal by ANTI, Elemental: A Deep Dive into Sonic Dreams
You know that feeling when you stumble upon something so raw and hypnotic it kinda feels like your brain’s been rewired? That’s what happened to me with Ethereal by ANTI, Elemental. Released back in 2018 on Dihanie Records, this album isn’t just music—it’s an experience. It’s electronica meets deep techno, but not in the way you’d expect. This ain’t your run-of-the-mill playlist filler; it’s more like a late-night drive through foggy woods where every sound hits different.
Let me break it down for ya—two tracks stuck out to me big time: “Temple” and, obviously, “Ethereal.”
“Temple” is… wild. Like, I pressed play, and suddenly I was somewhere else. The beat builds slow at first, almost teasing you, then BAM—it drops, and it’s like standing under a waterfall of synths. There’s this pulsing rhythm that makes you wanna close your eyes and let go, like gravity doesn’t exist anymore. And honestly? I couldn’t stop looping it. Every layer feels intentional, like they knew exactly how to make you feel untethered from reality without saying a word.
Then there’s the title track, “Ethereal.” Man, if “Temple” is a waterfall, this one’s floating in space. It starts off soft, almost fragile, like those moments right before dawn when everything feels still. But then it grows, adding these haunting textures that mess with your head in the best way possible. By the end, I wasn’t sure if I was awake or dreaming. Does that even matter though? Feels like the whole point of the track is to blur those lines.
What gets me about this album is how personal it feels. You can tell ANTI, Elemental poured their soul into these sounds. It’s not polished to perfection—it’s messy, gritty, human. Like someone left a piece of themselves behind in each track. And yeah, maybe that’s cheesy as hell to say, but screw it, it’s true.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, listening to Ethereal made me realize something kinda weird: we don’t listen to music because it sounds good—we listen because it feels real. This album? Real AF. So next time you’re stuck in your head, hit play. Let it take you somewhere else. Or nowhere at all. Either way, you’ll remember why music matters.
Oh, and hey—don’t blame me if you start zoning out during meetings after hearing this. Your boss might hate it, but trust me, your soul won’t.
