The road to success comes through hard work and Montreal-based DJ VDNL knows about it. This young artist and friend of mine has been extensively playing his music in bars around town for years before working on numerous collaborations with fellow electro-maniacs before he was recruited  recruited by newly established Abstrakt Reflections record label to released a debut EP, the elegantly titled Something for Someone. 

For someone who usually dislike most electronic beats at first listen, it is always pleasant to find out about music that my classic-rock trained hears will not feel threatened by. Luckily enough for me, VNDL is a mad-scientist of his art and a skillful musician who likes to pushes the basics further. His sound borrows from traditional music with the use electric bass, guitar and keyboard. Another component that adds to his sound the use of a digital recorder to record around, rendering a very blend, organic sound.  

Something For Someone is experimental, ethereal and contemplative, by times eerie or illuminated. VDNL managed to produce imaginative yet accessible, his strange aesthetics drifting smootlhy enough for the most mainstream listeners. For the rock-culture reference, some bits vaguely reminded me of Broken Social Scene's early instrumental music (Feel Good Lost, 2001). I was also stoked by the variety influences that skim though the album. My favorite part remains «Don’t forget the machine Part 1», a  track has a good dose of ambiance and and features a clever use instruements in the arrangements, a dramatic build-up and beautiful melodic line. 

It has been said that dubstep was a movement to fade, I assume that the survival of the fittest rule will apply - only those who know how to adapt the trend to make something different out of it will remain. Therefore, we should be hearing more from VNDL in the next months months since he has another record in the works, signed under Hymen Records this time. Rendez-vous later this year to see how that one goes.

Something for Someone

Available for free download on Bandcamp