Darklife represents something of a shift for DDS, who’ve been releasing material (sometimes as individuals, often in pairs, only once before as a trio) since 2014.
Whilst never self-identifying with as Vaporwave per se, their rise to prominence came with the patronage of the scene and their recent show-stopping set at Electronicon 3 proved that they retain healthy roots there.
That said, Darklife lays down a new marker in their evolution, retaining the chaotic glitch for which they’ve become know but adding a neon sheen that might serve them well as they approach the fringes of what might be called the ‘mainstream’ of electronic music.
None of this matters though; the album is as exciting as we’ve ever heard them and my pick ‘Neon Memories’ is simply stunning.
Written by Enzo Van Baelen