“Experimental” is a tag that gets attached to many styles and musicians nowadays, but few realize the full potential of truly living up to that title. In general, we like our experimental artists to express themselves freely within the confines of the sounds they have created and are known for. Sure, it’s fun to go nuts with different types of digital sounds, instruments, and even collaborators. But it’s also common for a musician to get flack for going off the deep end; few have departed from the music that made them and garnered them unanimous praise for daring to do something different.
Madrid’s Antonio Campos de Orellana is an experimental artist. He’s mainly known for his project Hykuu, a bedroom electronica outlet that samples common sounds with electronics, messing with what a digitally emotional project like his can do. In turn, he has produced quality work like the Keep Dreaming EP, which makes full use of his unpredictable nature.
Now, Antonio has crossed a line of experimentation that many would have never guessed. Namely, he has made a straightforward pop rock song with his new stage name. As L’enfant Terrible, he has shared “Together,” a mid-tempo melodic number with hushed vocals, a relaxed pace, and pretty guitars. In theory, this is completely new territory for the producer, considering it doesn’t feature the sound of soda pop cans getting opened with buzzing synths in the background. I bet there are some fans dismissing the whole thing as I’m typing this, and that’s to be expected. However, dismissing it outright would be a mistake. Orellana proves there’s an essence to what he does. Listening to “Together,” you can hear an intimate and vulnerable vibe that is shared between the two projects.