Today comes ‘Atmosphere’, a slamming standalone track from the ingenious mind of the one and only Dro Carey.
‘Atmosphere’ had its birth into public awareness overnight via a world premiere with the good folks at triple j Good Nights. ‘Atmosphere’ sees Dro Carey continue his stylistic journey with an abrupt shift from previous track ‘Glow Now’. The song presents Dro in a new light, where he switches gears from the warm dance pop of the previous record to revisit a far grimier mood. Paging a searing trio of rap talents from Australia, the US and the UK, Dro is joined by rising hip-hop star Kwame, London MC Renz (of Mob Set), and Boston via Sydney’s Raj Mahal.
Kwame, who dropped his debut EP earlier this year featuring the distinctive cut ‘WOW’,delivers the track’s hypnotic hook, an addictive chant that plays over monstrous brass lines and warped vocal samples. MC Renz journeys across frenetic instrumental switches, from chopped horn Grime to anchored, quantized trap. Once the beat stabilizes into its main groove a deft series of lines from Raj Mahal emerge.
Like ‘Glow Now’ before it, ‘Atmosphere’ sees unique international collaborations play out across a Dro Carey production. The track is a strikingly different offering genre-wise and one that indicates the foreboding, lo-fi beat-making roots of the project are alive and well.
The primary project and production alias of Sydney musician Eugene Ward, Dro Carey cut his teeth crafting a heavy and varied series of 12” singles and EPs for labels such as Greco-Roman, TTT and Templar Sound, following which, he signed to Melbourne tastemaker label Soothsayer. Releasing his EP Dark Zoo in 2016, Dro Carey quickly followed by a stylistic jump with the grime-influenced rap single ‘Elevate’ the same year. Cementing his place as one of Australia’s most fascinating producers, Dro Carey continues to push the boundaries of genre. Somewhere between electronica, house, hip-hop and grime, the Sydney-based producer creates soundscapes that are not only intelligent but uniquely nomadic.
