Earlier this year Floret Loret released his groundbreaking debut EP Tangled Roots. The project is an inventive and impressive work that balances experimentation with emotion; a feat few artists manage to truly realize. Since then, the Florida-based artist has been hard at work honing his skills further and working on his next body of work Secluded Garden, which arrives today via Deadbeats. With the release, Floret Loret invites us into his world: a spectacularly crafted garden mirage that’s drenched in mystique, draped in darkness and filled with an underlying beauty. Walk with us as we explore the Secluded Garden.
After wandering for what feels like days through a darkened forest, a thick layer of brush opens up to an exotic, otherworldly garden. The hypnotic undercurrent that pulled you toward your destination become clearer. Pulsing basslines and ominous undertones fill your brain as you are engulfed in ‘Red Smoke.’ Bird chirps through the haze as flowers bloom and die in an infinite loop. Death and decay are balanced with new life and hope, making your mind swirl.
As the smoke clears you continue to drift along, following the sounds of spacey synths and driving drums. Memories of childhood lullabies flutter through your mind as you’re captivated by a massive plant glowing with ‘Indigo Leaves.’ It resembles something familiar, yet it’s magnitude and glow make it feel unsettling, almost alien. A strange concoction of nostalgia and science fiction dance together, wrapped in a shadowy allure. It commands your movement with a near spiritual pull.
Wondering without much thought as to how far you’ve gone or how much time has passed, you stumble upon a massive blacked out greenhouse that you can’t help but explore. Entering Floret Loret’s ‘Botanical Labyrinth’ is mesmerizing with thousands of unknown and mind-blowing species growing under black lights. Slime green leaves wrap around purple stalks, black vines dance like a dress in the breeze. A small pond hosts a multitude of species you’ve never even imagined. Distant chants convince you to dip your head in slowly. As it hits the water you enter another dimension, sliding through space and time at an enthralling rate. Snapping your head from out of the water, you’re back into garden and the haunting sounds pull you into a new direction.
‘Magenta Petals’ line the path ahead, illuminating your course. Dark beasts roam the frays with their energy creeping into you. The pathway ends at a heap of magenta leaves that burst into flames. The fire unlocks an array of spirits and stories communicated through vivid flashes; epic battles, animal evolution, and a lost society all flicker before burning out. A millennium of knowledge seems to be imparted within you in mere minutes. Dizzy from the intensity you close your eyes…
As your eyelids open, the scene changes completely. The dark and eerie forest is replaced by fields of ‘Sage.’ The sun is rising, the birds are chirping. The bad spirits and anxiety feel like they are worlds away. A smile graces your face as you outstretch your hands to feel the spring flowers. Your skin begins to warm as a hopefulness washes over your body. As the music that has been leading on your journey begins to fade away, you know it’s not truly the end, but a new beginning.
In order to further understand Secluded Garden we connected with Floret Loret to get an inside look into his writing process and how he brings nature to life through music.
“I have plants and flowers surrounding most of my house and inside as well so that might have influence to it, but truly, I have no idea. I don’t have a strategy when it comes to writing music, I normally just start with a blank canvas and figure it out from there. In some instances, I like to create a bunch of synths that sound warm and full, but I add a bunch of nature sounds that I’ve recorded through my iPhone like birds, leaves, wood, etc. I mostly use those for percussion, fills, and ambience then add the synths that will either compliment it or add some sort of contrast. What I also do is focus on what I want to project to be about like an object or event, then try to get the sound right by developing an atmosphere that will put you in that world. The rest will come eventually. I like to think that music is like a puzzle, but only you are able to figure out the pieces.” – Floret Loret
