Akuratyde – Face Down [Modern Conveniences]

The highly anticipated release of the companion piece to ‘Head First’, Akuratyde’s fourth studio album, is almost here. Out August 2nd, ‘Face Down’ is the closing act of the story that Dan Eshleman (Akuratyde) has portrayed with these LPs: they are a chronicle  of a massive set of changes in his life – becoming a father, a big move for his family, all amidst managing and owning his label, Modern Conveniences. This collection was written during the ‘Head First’ sessions and actually all composed at the same time, however releasing a 19 track album felt like it might be too much material to digest, and potentially took away from the listening experience. This decision also allowed the artist to further develop the narrative and sound of each of these individual parts. To fully understand the story here, it behooves the savvy listener to consume both parts individually and from start to finish, as the two pieces represent distinctly different things. More on that later.

Here are previews of all the tracks, and you can purchase the opening track ‘Resonate’ right now on the Modern Conveniences Bandcamp as a standalone.

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Dan and I were able to catch up and have a conversation about this deeply meaningful release, as well as some of the history and continuing motivation behind his label. For me, understanding how and why he crafted such an emotive, diverse, and yet consistent roster totally gave me a new perspective and appreciation for atmospheric and autonomic drum and bass. Here is some of our chat (edited for content and clarity):

Tonto: I have to say, your label has been a guiding light for me. I love the approach you’ve taken this year, and the expression inherent in “Head First” of your journey in life is just so good. The emotive quality of ModCon (Modern Conveniences) releases has provided important catharsis for me during tough days and some of the changes I have been going through as well.

Akuratyde: I really appreciate that. Knowing that there are people out there who get what I’m doing with the label really makes all of the time and effort worth it, so sincerely, thank you!

T: I absolutely want to get in depth about the process with this collection, and think that is really special – a seminal entry into atmospheric/autonomic drum and bass at 170. One of my favorite qualities of the label roster is that the music reveals itself in new ways with every listen, attaching and reciprocating with the context in the listener’s life. The first listen through of “Face Down” was really enjoyable for me – big, warm basses, more fidgety groovy-ness a la “Magic”, some classic Akuratyde sound, and a few darker pieces along the journey!

A: Yeah, there are definitely some darker ones! Some background info – all of the songs on “Face Down” and “Head First” were written during the first 18 months of my son’s life, so from July 2021-December 2022. He was born early, and we had a lot of struggles at the time; it was difficult to get him to eat and he wouldn’t sleep unless we were holding him. So, there were A LOT of sleepless night, stress, confusion and chaos. On top of that, 10 days after he was born, we moved to a different city. We had planned the move for many months in advance and we thought we had plenty of time to settle in and get unpacked, but then he was born prematurely, so that threw a giant wrench in our plans!

T: Oh man, what a crazy time. 

A: Yeah, it was brutal, so i think (what was going on during that time) is reflected in the music. ‘Closer’ is actually the first song that i wrote during that period, and it contains a sample of his heartbeat over the ultrasound. 

T: It’s beautiful that you were able to include such a personal piece of sound into your music. Obviously having children affects you deeply – could you comment on how that process has changed your music?

A: Absolutely! I find it incredibly inspiring. I’ve spoken about this in past interviews but i really struggled to write my debut album ‘Past Lives’. It took two years from start to finish. Working with Monika really helped me get over some of the hurdles I had placed in my path and I learned how to arrange tracks more quickly. I had a real turning point around late 2019 and started finishing tracks at a much faster pace than previously. having kids sparked even more creativity. I finished 20 tracks during the sessions for ‘Head First’, which is by far the largest material I have ever written for one project. That hasn’t slowed down with two kids either. I have less time to devote to music, but I’ve also found ways to be more efficient in the studio, which speeds up the process considerably. I’ve already finished my next ambient album and I’m starting production on my next drum & bass album. 

T: Yes! I totally understand the need for time efficiency, especially when music helps maintain life balance so well. I’m thrilled to hear you’re making so much material. You said 20 tracks though? Is one still unreleased? Also who is Monika?

A: There’s a hidden track on ‘Face Down’ after ‘Serenity Complex’, called ‘Floating’.

T: I was wondering what that was! I remember when albums would do that, like a little Easter egg for album owners.

A: Yes! That was my inspiration. A lot of my favorite albums from the 90s had hidden tracks and I remember it was so much fun to find them.

A: Monika is a New Zealand producer and one of my closest friends. We write liquid drum and bass under the name Monika & Akuratyde. We had all of our stuff on a separate profile for streaming but just recently we moved everything under our solo profiles so there might be quite a few releases that you haven’t heard. We have two EP’s on Fokuz Recordings, and a two-track single on Soulvent. A good place to start understanding the Monika & Akuratyde project is the ‘An Ocean Apart LP’.

T: Wow! Those are some legendary labels! What’s it like operating in these different scenes? Do you find there is stylistic crossover between them?

A: In some ways there is. I feel like autonomic is making a bit of a comeback so there are definitely some liquid producers who’ve dabbled in autonomic and some autonomic producers who have done liquid. I think more than anything what ties us together is the focus on melody. I’m always looking for strong melodic elements in the music i release on Modern Conveniences, and I think that liquid drum and bass tends to focus on melody more than most other sub-genres of drum and bass.

T: Could you talk a little bit about the formation of ModCon and the motivation behind starting a label? What made this important enough to continue pushing through the difficulties?

A: I started the label almost a year before (my son) was born. The first Modern Conveniences release was in August of 2020, and my son was born in July of 2021. What a great time to start a label right? 5 months into the pandemic haha! I had actually been planning the label since 2019. I did some website work for Kid Drama and he offered to remix a track from Past Lives in return. A few months later I found myself in the exact same arrangement with Random Movement. So, I had these two remixes from Past Lives, and while Chris from Blu Mar Ten Music liked them, he didn’t love them, so he suggested I start my own label as a place to release things that didn’t quite fit with his vision for BMTM. He helped me get distribution through AWAL and gave me a lot of great advice too. I really cannot thank him enough – his help and expertise was invaluable. Right from the start I knew I didn’t want Modern Conveniences to be another vanity label; I was intent on releasing music from other producers as well. I reached out to people I had worked with that had become friends of mine, and that’s how I ended up with Tellus, Eusebeia, and RQ for the first few EP’s. All of those releases were lined up and ready to go before I even launched the label.

A: I also noticed a shift in the 170 scene around 2017-2018. The music moved away from the melodic, synth-focused music I fell in love with. When I decided to start my own label I wanted to fill what I perceived as a void in the style of the music I love: music with an emotional core and heartfelt melodies. Over the years, a lot of people have reached out to me and thanked me for keeping the autonomic torch burning this whole time. I’ve noticed a bit of a resurgence in the melodic autonomic lately and I’d like to believe it’s possible, in part, to the work I’ve put in with Modern Conveniences.

T: I think that’s absolutely true! I found your music on BMTM and then forgot about it for a few years until I saw some promo for a nice and tidy label that’s pushing ’emotive music at 170 BPM’. I was hooked. It seems like the experience with BMTM was really important for you, even though I’m sure it was intense amidst becoming a father. The guest mix you did for BMTM is legendary.

A: Well, the two didn’t overlap all that much. I was signed to BMTM from 2015-2022 so I only had 1 release on BMTM after my son was born (the Tim Reaper/Wardown remix single). Fun fact! I was the only American to be signed to BMTM. Chris is really good at fostering talent and his insight and guidance were pivotal in my development as an artist. He stressed keeping the quality very high. Before I start working with him, I wanted to release every track I finished, even though many of them weren’t very good in retrospect. Through Chris I was able to become even more discerning and recognize when a track wasn’t among my best material – I’ve learned to hold back, which honestly is one of the most valuable lessons a producer can learn, especially in this time of instant gratification. So many artists are self-releasing these days and the urge to release every single that is finished is high. It takes patience and experience to be able to judge one’s own body of work and decide which trakcs are good enough for release, and which ones stay on the cutting room floor. That’s something I stress with the artists on Modern Conveniences as well. Not everything needs to be released, you know?

T: I have talked a lot about restraint in reviews, and I think it can be very difficult to achieve in the studio given the exciting environment. I love the consistency in the ModCon sound. What are some of the ways you found this with the label?

A: It wasn’t too difficult to find a sound; in a lot of ways I’ve continued on with what I was doing on BMTM and tried to evolve my sounds in a way that feels logical. I’ve started bringing in more influences from glitch and IDM, which I think you can clearly hear on tracks like ‘Magic’, ‘Those Eyes’, ‘Head First’, ‘Resonate’, ‘Frayed’, and ‘Take Care’. Beyond my own material I release music which I feel fits the sound I’ve curated for the label. As I mentioned, there’s a big focus on melody. A lot of post-autonomic 170 music took influences from techno and evolved into this abrasive, cold, machine-like style of drum and bass. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of that music, but I wanted Modern Conveniences to stand out from the crowd; the music that always resonates with the the most is music that is heartfelt and emotional. 

T: With the body of work between these two albums being composed at the same time, how did you go about choosing which tracks went where?

A: In some ways they all have a similar feel to them, but I did intentionally to make this release feel a bit different from ‘Head First’. ‘Head First’ is about the chaos and emotional highs of being a new parent. Dave from 1 More Thing joked that it’s my ‘happy album’ and ‘Face Down’ is a bit darker. (Face Down) is about the uncertainty, anxiety, and intensity of fatherhood. Most of the tracks were sketched out fairly quickly before they were finalized, so I knew early on that I would have more material than I could fit on one album. It took a while to decide which tracks would go on which release but I never wanted ‘Face Down’ to feel like leftovers from ‘Head First’. To me, it definitely stands on it’s own.

T: I totally agree that these tracks have a standalone feel – I love seeing the different parts of parenthood, including the challenges, expressed as very real and important parts of the parenting experience. I do agree that there is a sort of, euphoric and excited quality to ‘Head First’, while ‘Face Down’ seems more introspective, and unsure.

A: The first five tracks that were written during these sessions were ‘Closer’, ‘Resonate’, ‘In Love’, ‘Magic’, and ‘Those Eyes’. It’s kind of funny that two of those ended up on ‘Face Down’ considering they were the very first two that I wrote. I originally wrote ‘Resonate’ as the album opener, and ‘Closer’ as the album closer.

T: Very interesting. Could you talk about how the original sketches for ‘Face Down’ evolved, and how they fit into the overall narrative of your story? The sequence really works for me, and seems like it was done with such care.

A: I finished all 20 tracks as a single body of work, and then started making playlists with different track configurations. It took me months to come up with the final track sequence for both ‘Head First’ and ‘Face Down’ – I think at one point I had five different playlists for ‘Head First’ and another three for ‘Face Down’! I’m really happy with how these two releases turned out, with ‘Head First’ as the main body of work, and ‘Face Down’ as the companion piece to close out the story. I’ve been sitting on this material for so long, I am ready to close the chapter and move on to the next thing.

T: Well, I really enjoyed this seven track collection. Truly, a great follow up.

The music of Akuratyde spans many sounds and styles but as mentioned in our talk, there is a distinct focus on melody even in the darker pieces. In ‘Face Down’ there are still signature warm basses, crisp, tonal percussion, and a depth that can only be discovered with repeated listening.

That being said, lets get into the track-by-track:

Resonate: The LP begins with a percussive reverie that quickly becomes part of the point/counterpoint trading that echoes throughout this piece. I love how the first ‘counterpoint’ comes in with the deep, undulating bass to provide even more drama to the opening salvo. Taken through the remaining sections, led by piano, the listener can enjoy a joyous and hopeful start to this masterful LP. Remember, you can get this one right now!

Impressions (ft. Kharm): Impressions is another piece in a ‘Major’ tonality, and the sweet melody riding over top pairs beautifully with a big rumble-y reese bass and minimal percussion. I always think this song foreshadows the album to come, but you have to get the album to fully appreciate the transition from the opener into this one – it’s really beautiful. I cannot hear these two songs separated anymore, and it’s a testament to the effort put into the order.

Small Victories: Driven by a vocal sample that echoes in pivotal moments, the third piece creates a vista of a new mindset, ushered in with dreamy synth lines. I absolutely love the laid-back feel of this tune, it digs so well into the small changes throughout the melodic structure and manages to progress without taking away from that calming feeling.

Frayed: Returning with some of the more anxious energy of other glitch-y offerings, Frayed quickly introduces a bass line and lead that is questioning and not fully resolved. This meandering and almost flipped-backwards groove then takes over with a guitar that sings a ponderous tune, reminding the listener to reflect. This is a very introspective tune, that always makes me think.

Take Care: An absolute standout on the LP, this genre-bending, fine tuned and understated jam is another perfect companion to the previous track. I love listening to this one on repeat for a while and losing where it starts and ends – the warm blanket bass, bold kick rolls, and occasional hit of top end sizzle, ‘Take Care’ is something really special. Headphones on, lights off, and drift into the subconscious.

Closer: Nearing the end of the journey, this track utilizes classic autonomic composition, huge plate reverb, and mechanical sounds in the stereo lanes to create that feeling of expansiveness. The progression of sounds in this, especially considering it is completely driven by the kick line, is layered and orchestrated perfectly in the mix. As it grows and builds, the insistence of the melody and the kick line fuse and groove together.

Serenity Complex: This is such a great closer to the LP and the journey altogether – it seems to combine a little bit of every previous piece. The lush reverb, laid-back but consistent grooves, and guitar-piano trading that dance around each other to create their own conversation – all signatures of this collection. I definitely imagine a band playing (these) pieces for some reason, I think just because all of the elements in the song play off of one another so well.

What a ride, and it absolutely gets more and more cohesive with each listen.

I was totally honored to feature this LP, and enjoyed getting to know Dan and the amazing music of Akuratyde has been an absolute pleasure. Do yourselves a favor and get lost in the world of 170 autonomic/halftime drum and bass – this label is a perfect place to start getting to know some of the new school sound. Thanks again to him and the Modern Conveniences artists for the wonderful art.