Innocent Darkness is the brainchild of someone who hails from the silent and legendary grounds of Ekeren, Belgium, and he has fast gained notoriety as an absolutely stunning force of nature in the underground electronic music genre. Being able to watch the development of Innocent Darkness from being a talented DJ to being a great producer has been truly inspiring, to say the least. Through taking a no-holds-barred approach and stripping everything down to its basic elements, Innocent Darkness works his magic using the tangible Yamaha Seqtrak, Novation Circuit Tracks, and Roland MC-707 alongside the raw digital power of Bitwig Studio and Vital VST. What we have here is a visceral form of alchemy that deftly traverses the thin line separating exploration of sound from cinematic storytelling. Every frequency and pulse seems to have been created by design, reminding us once again that we are in the company of a man who exists in a league of his own. Today, we enter straight into the magnificent universe of his phenomenal nine-track EP, “Dominion of the Stars”.
Walking side by side with titans of the dark and atmospheric underground, Innocent Darkness receives deep, dark inspiration from the sonic world of such legends as monomorte, White Ring, and Witchz—artists who are not just influences, but also good friends and companions on this artistic journey. However, far from following in their footsteps, Innocent Darkness employs their connections to forge a world that is uniquely, distinctly his own, personal, cinematic, and utterly engrossing. Untainted by empty ambitions of commercial success and trends in the music industry, this musical venture is a labor of love and an inspiring course in taking risks and experimenting artistically. This is music made by an authentic visionary, a man whose heart he shows through music without any fear or hesitation, providing a haven for everyone looking for music that has soul and heart.
The song “one” is used to start off the EP, which kicks off the project with a stark and isolated sine wave drone along with atmospheric vinyl crackle underneath. Soft, syncopated electric guitar chimes in 6/8 time emerge out of the silence before a dry bass note is dropped. Musically speaking, it seems like the song goes down into the depths of the loneliness of a single life, the hard realization of one’s consciousness as a solitary flame in a pitch-black abyss. Innocent Darkness gives expression to this loneliness through a chilling vocal performance that starts off with a soft, raspy whisper before rising up to a high falsetto. There are contrasting layers of heavy sub-bass synths and airy acoustic sounds in terms of instrumentation, resulting in the listener feeling like they are floating in space.
Smoothly segueing from the previous track, “You Now, The Circle Is Round” starts with a fast polyrhythmic hi-hat pattern with a reverse reverb synth sound that gets suddenly interrupted by a sharp dry snare hit and a walking bassline. The way the sounds are built and arranged makes it feel like dramatic and cyclic karma, the inevitability of resolution. In terms of vocal performance, there is very little variation, and the singer alternates between the spoken-word delivery in the verses and the rawly powerful belting out of the chorus. Full-figured piano chords, acoustic guitar, and the lead electric guitar line add to the musical composition and turn it into an exhilarating and cathartic anthem.
“The demon in the musicbox” takes on a dark, theatrical mood as it begins with the squeak of a slightly off-tune and high-pitched music box ending its cycle while being accompanied by the faint sound of wood creaking, after which a violent sub-bass drop disrupts the delicate melody. The first part of this song would be the perfect score for a horror movie, played during the intense scenes. The melody has an astounding range as it moves from eerie, double-tracked whispers to angry, gritty belts. Musically, there is a dark cabaret-style piano that contrasts with glitchy industrial beats and bass synths loaded with fuzzy tones.
The spatial sounds mark the beginning of “The Ghost City”, consisting of a soft piano melody and sounds of distant echoes of footsteps, wind flowing between buildings of the city, and an eerie melody sample that pans on both sides. The melody is smooth, breathing, dripping with long delay tails and slight vibrato, as if it is a distant memory. On top of a laid-back beat that reminds of trip hop, the piece envelops the listener in suspense and curiosity
Breaking the calm ambience, “Noize” opens with an intense burst of bit-crushed static and white noise pulses that sound very avant-garde before cutting out completely to make way for a powerful acoustic kick drum and a rhythmic bass synth. Musically, the track has an intense pace with a rhythmic chanting style, while the vocals are distorted in a choppy manner in the background. Industrial stabs, distorted guitars, and syncopated electronic beats create an overwhelming sonic engine that works like an adrenaline rush for the listener to unleash their own
The track “Black Star In The Sky” begins with an ethereal, building-up cosmic synth pad in a minor key with a low and throbbing sub-bass beat and panned atmospheric effects. The song maintains one beat but changes the way the other sounds sound. The background is provided by the orchestral synth and sweeping synth arpeggios along with heavy rolling tom-drum beats.
With a subtle build-up, “Ambient Down Sound” begins with the rumbling sound of pitch-shifted ocean waves along with synth harmonics that recorded through a tape-delay effect, all of which combine to form a relaxing ambient drone. It makes use of the singing technique of non-verbal vocals that serve more as an instrumental part than the vocal lead. The delicate synth pop and ambient sounds, along with sub-bass frequencies, form a serene and weightless atmosphere.
The song “1 is eenzaam, het wil meer” opens with an intimate fingerpicked acoustic guitar motif followed by the soft ticking sound of a metronome, which slowly becomes part of the rhythmic sound of an electronic shaker. The song’s translation from the Dutch lyrics “1 is lonely, it wants more” shows the song explores the idea of insatiable human longing, loneliness, and the danger of wanting connection even when there is a risk of being hurt. The musicality is particularly expressive, with an ability to go from soft synth bordering on whispering in the verses to open-throated melodies in the crescendos. The synth sounds remain the same throughout the song and are infused with the modern sound of the snare drum.
The EP reaches its climax with “Party Gods,” which immediately opens up with an energized sidechained synth riff accompanied by a heavy four-to-the-floor kick, ambient noises from the crowd, and a sub-bass line. Musically, the song carries an abundance of charm, charisma, and gang-style multi-layered synths throughout the song. Full of synths and energy, brassy synth pads, and an explosive drop, the song will leave you with an exhilarating feeling and provocative aftertaste.
There is magic in seeing an artist eschew the clinical sterility of commercial studios in favor of crafting something that feels achingly human, and in the case of Innocent Darkness, there is nothing less than a masterpiece of sincere emotion. Produced by the act of walking alone through the whispered woods and crafted in the hallowed confines of the home of their childhood, this EP is a study in pure, unadulterated emotion. Every note is an intense personal confession, the inner vibration caught straight from the heart without giving the outside world time to purify it. As Innocent Darkness pleads to its “dear mom,” saying, “O dear mom, hear me, make this sound’s hope u hear them!!!”, it is not just the lyrics but an intensely spiritual expression of raw emotion that immediately makes us understand why music captures our hearts so intensely. By opting for authentic emotion over polished artificiality, Innocent Darkness has once again demonstrated that authenticity always overpowers perfection, creating, in the process, one of the most amazing masterpieces that can be produced only by a generation-defining artist.
Listen to the “Dominion of the Stars” EP on Spotify
Follow Innocent Darkness here
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