Experimental electronic producer Leon Vynehall has revealed plans to follow up his 2018 album Nothing Is Still with a new record called Rare, Forever, which arrives on April 30 via Ninja Tune. While the last album took inspiration from his grandparents, his new one is an exploration of himself, both as a producer and person. We get our introduction to this new project with a pair of exciting new tracks, “Mothra” and “Ecce! Ego!”.
Of “Mothra”, Vynehall reveals that it “is the euphoric unfurling of ‘something’. Muted notes fluttering free before returning to the cascade we arrived from, only now with purpose.” Indeed, like the monster with which it shares its name, “Mothra” makes a slow but imposing emergence out of a seemingly placid surface of soothing textures. Expanding gradually across five minutes, from pulse-quickening techno and barely-there samples into late-night hypnosis and beautifully jarring surprises, it is something truly grandiose and powerful.
The second new track is “Ecce! Ego!”, which is set to be the opener of Rare, Forever. Vynehall says:
“The track’s title literally translates from Latin to ‘Behold! Me!’ A fitting introduction to an album about my own psyche, I thought. It starts off where Nothing Is Still left off, but rapidly switches to something more fluid, perhaps even sinister. I kind of think of this song as ‘Envelopes (Chater VI)”s fucked up cousin.”
Appropriately for an album opener, “Ecce! Ego!” begins with a beautifully drawling string melody that is like awakening on a beautiful new day, stretching your aching limbs. Soon incorporating a deep and heavy beat, he then constructs arabesques of expansive synths all over it in a gorgeously cinematic piece.
Overall, the two tracks show different sides of the producer’s broad talent, while still remaining of a piece – and it makes us very excited to hear the record.
Leon Vynehall’s new album Rare, Forever arrives on April 30 via Ninja Tune (pre-order/save). You can find him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
