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Dark Heart, previously a Hollywood talent agent but now DJ/producer with 160+mil streams to his name, debuts on Adam Beyer’s more melodic imprint Truesoul with dark yet upbeat three-track EP ‘XYZ’, out April 18th. All three tracks have hooks aplenty to spice up summer DJ sets far and wide.
The Indiana-raised producer has won support from not only Adam Beyer but Solomun, Kevin de Vries, Diplo (inc. a recent guest mix on Diplo’s Revolution show on SiriusXM), Claptone, Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, Gorgon City, while releasing on the likes of Nervous Records and REALM. Collaborations include Jem Cooke, Roland Clark, Be No Rain, plus producing with artists inc. Martin Garrix, Gashi, Dizzee Rascal.
For EP ‘XYZ’, two tracks feature LA based singer/songwriter Amarha, a frequent feature on Dark Heart’s tracks who specialises in emotive vocals. Third track ‘Cigarette’ is a collaboration with John Cala, a Columbian, Barcelona-based musician/producer with Latin influences and support from Tale of Us, CamelPhat, BLOND:ISH, who tracks have been played at Tomorrowland, Afterlife, Ultra, Burning Man, and featured on BBC.
Dark Heart, ‘XYZ (feat. Amarha)’: the title track has breaksy beats and layered percussion underlying Amarha’s cool, husky chanted rap occasionally echoed by a fuzzy robotic voice. The main theme of pizzicato synth notes in a lively melody has a Kraftwerk vibe, the whole track jumping with contained energy.
Dark Heart, ‘Damn Good’: a steady beat/backbeat supports a throbbing deep synth theme, and a funky, soulful female vocal singing then scattering into vocal stabs. Hauntingly dark, yet the vocal is warm and upbeat – an intriguing, memorable track.
Dark Heart & John Cala, ‘Cigarette (feat. Amarha)’: More fast rapping in that cool, slightly husky Britpop-esque accent as the layers of sound lope along equally coolly, as a high, melodic synth tune delivers a hooky repeated riff. Summery, relaxed yet gripping.
“This EP has been the culmination of a lot of hard work and we couldn’t be prouder to be releasing with Truesoul. Amarha and I have been working together meticulously on developing a fresh sound and what we want to evoke with this EP is contrast – allowing the synths and the vocals to go back and forth in a way where they are almost talking to each other. If you listen closely you will notice how much we used Amarha’s voice, not just in what she is saying but also in background noises, atmospheres etc. I’ve also been a huge fan of John Cala for a long time, working with him on ‘Cigarette’ was seamless. Everything he does sounds so expensive and we wanted to push the boundaries with this record. I believe we did that and with the EP as a whole, but I will let the music speak for itself.” – Dark Heart
Tracklist:
1. Dark Heart – XYZ (feat. Amarha)
2. Dark Heart – Damn Good
3. Dark Heart & John Cala – Cigarette (feat. Amarha)
