&ME‘s path has gone up ever since he moved to Berlin back in 2004, which marked the beginning of his musical career in the spotlight of the electronic music scene. With his very first Keinemusik release, ‘F.I.R.‘, Andre Boadu, how &ME is called by close friends, set quite high standards for following releases, but disappointed neither his audience nor DJs. With releases such as ‘After Dark‘ and the ‘Trilogy EP‘, his tracks made it right into the record bags of renowed artists. Dropping only one EP per year on his Keinmusik-label, which he runs alongside Reznik, Adam Port and Rampa, this year sees Andre releasing another percussive two tracker that goes by the name of ‘Avalon‘.
On the A-side it‘s the EP‘s title track Avalon, an Afro-Brazilian samba percussive influenced tune that is turned – due to the aforementioned elements – to a proper dance floor ‘Batucada‘, with almost euphoric clattering drum sounds that are put together in a repetitive way and take on pace in the course of the track, as if it were played by a Batucada ensemble itself. Starting with smooth and nearly teasing drums it is followed by bubbling tropical background sounds and a funky rhythm. The track takes on pace and power with the resonating drums, to meet a soft and deep pause filled with a canticle sounding vocal that adapts and entangles the track‘s melody and is preperaring the crescendo of the ‘Batucada‘ itself or to put it in other words, it raises the intensity to cause rumbling palpitations on the dance floor. The percussive and easily recognizable musical masterpiece has left its footprints in whichever electronic music event it has been played at, as the pure and raw rhythmic energy that comes along with it connects with the audience‘s DNA and deeply reacts to &ME‘s rhythmical salvation.
An intense feeling of calmness caused by a smooth and flat baseline pulls the listener into the inside of Avalon‘s B-Side, ‘The Rapture‘. As the trackname already reveals, ‘The Rapture’ speaks to the body and mind and takes its audience on a joyride focusing on a gentle trance approach that widely opens the door to parallel dimensions, before it returns to the simplicity of an organic piano melody. While the chords softly surround the kick of the song, the soundscape arises and enfolds its magical madness in the most rapt way. (Pao Vizcaino & Holger Breuer)
&ME‘s ‘Avalon EP‘ was released July 3rd on Keinemusik.
Torture the Artist 