Ampzer‘s journey has been nothing short of incredible, arduous and rewarding. After gaining loads of traction over two years ago with the spectacular ‘Lotus‘ and ‘Phere,’ the insanely skilled artist seemingly disappeared into oblivion.
“I took the time I had offline to really understand what I wanted to achieve artistically and what I could contribute to the industry. My friends have been asking for my debut EP for years. I personally wanted to take the proper time for me to do it right. I didn’t want to release something that I didn’t feel proud of,” Ampzer tells us about his hiatus. Today marks his official return to releasing original content, as the Vocabulary EP is out finally out in full.
When asked about the inspiration behind his productions and latest project, Ampzer says “I got into music production because I was in awe of Skrillex and Justice were doing. They came into the scene with music that was so impactful and different that they revolutionized the music industry. They gave me an impulse to make something that I could proudly call my own.
The idea for Vocabulary didn’t happen until all of the tracks were finished. I wrote these 6 tracks over the course of 2 years and when they were done, it made sense to release them together as an EP. The concept itself came from a conversation with my friend Raphael Grumser, who is a phenomenal guitarist and composer. He always spoke to me about the importance of language and choosing which words we choose to express ourselves. All of the elements in my EP is a culmination of the musical vocabulary that I’ve built up to this point.“
The Vocabulary EP is undoubtedly one of the most intricate, beautiful and captivating projects of the year. The opening track titled ‘MC’ is a quintessential embodiment of Ampzer’s style, with radio static sounds and a heavenly piano melody driving the introduction. A quick change of pace brings about a melodic, bass-infused glitch hop section that is truly unlike anything we’ve ever heard before. The sheer number of layers, sounds and effects present throughout ‘MC’ (and the rest of the project) are but a few examples of Ampzer’s creative genius. ‘Glass’ follows, as a more drawn out, relaxed introduction gradually leads to an amazingly clever take on future bass. The two aforementioned tracks, namely ‘Lotus’ and ‘Phere,’ drive the project forward, as Ampzer proves that his older tracks and newer works are not so different, and that he was just as ahead of the curve back then as he is today. With touches of drum and bass sprinkled within ‘Lotus’ and unparalleled musicality paired with pristine sound design omnipresent in ‘Phere,’ there really isn’t anything to dislike about both tracks. Finally, in another monstrous, genre-defying piece, Ampzer melds bass and chaos with beauty and order in the breathtaking ‘Han,’ before capping the project off with the paradisiacal ‘Postlude.’
Every track is filled with twists and turns in energy, complex intricacies and a contrast between melody and bass. How does Ampzer do this so cohesively? “A lot of trial and error. I sit down at my desk with a cup of coffee and just try different things until something special happens. Recently though I’ve been able to get into a flow more frequently and vividly than ever before. Flume once said that the biggest challenge for him is to be able to get into a flow state of creativity. What I’m realizing now is that once you know how and where to look for new inspiration, it becomes a much more fun and organic process. One philosophy that I find myself using consistently in my creative process is giving myself the allowance to change anything and everything in the project at any point in time. I would have a project that’s nearly done with most of the elements in place, but if I came up with a melody in a separate project that I think would be better, I would try it out. I feel most liberated creatively when I don’t tie myself down to an idea and allow the music to flow and develop where it wants to go in the moment. The music ends up writing itself.”
Each piece on the Vocabulary EP is so great that it is impossible to choose a single favourite. Do yourself a favour, dive in below and stream it here. Oh, and stop sleeping on Ampzer, because he’s back for good.
