nCamargo – Sonnet [NCounter]

This week I am back with nCamargo showcasing a release on his very own label, NCounter. Nicholas always brings an explorative vision through his deep and open compositions, with tonality extending throughout a rich orchestration of sounds. There is a strong narrative throughout his Drum and Bass that encourages the listener to join along in the path laid before them – the meandering twists and turns through melody and flowing jazzy architectures are as enjoyable as they are well presented! I think that this collection of four tunes is no exception, and from start to finish represents a different, overarching narrative or story.

This is an artist who has been producing drum and bass for over ten years and through various styles and tempo explorations he has developed the style you hear here in ‘Sonnet’. If you look back at this year, just on his soundcloud you’ll see at least 6 releases. It’s staggering the amount of output this artist maintains, and his catalog is widely varied. I was able to speak with Nicholas regarding his art and artistic approach in the studio.

Tonto: Thank you for taking time to chat! I’m curious, especially given the prolific nature of your catalog, how do you manage to keep the compelling and interesting material so consistent?

Nicholas: Thanks for the support mate. Most of the time, my music is me just vibing in the studio and wanting to share the vibes with the crew. Sometimes, I might be happy but have a track that sounds like it’s a bit more ‘introspective’ or on a more ‘sad but beautiful’ vibe, and I just go in and try to amplify that feeling and get it released. 

T: I totally feel that natural openness in your music, and love the stories you tell. Great production is about capturing a feeling, which is fleeting.

N: It’s always about the vibe for me, and then I focus on bringing them to the fullest. Just like in moviews and other narratives, sometimes its sad, sometimes it goes from a happy to sad place, I just like to play around with it. I absolutely LOVE that my music can be interpreted in so many different ways.

T: Absolutely one of the most wonderful things about art. That interpretation sparks conversation, pushing creativity into new spaces. What do you love about DnB?

N: It’s always been about working around a bunch of different vibes, like I’m trying to tell the story for me, and sometimes I don’t know exactly how people might receive it or if they feel the same way I did, but that’s what makes it even more cool. What sounds ‘kinda sad’ to me might actually sound like something really happy to others. It’s just a fantastic aspect of this music. DnB is a style that gives you so much space to explore vibes and narratives in such a beautiful way, and in that way, everyone will get something different out of the listening experience. 90% of my tunes are just ‘happy accidents’ – me just vibing with some sounds and then it turns into a tune using those different moments.

With that, lets get into the track-by-track:

Finder’s Keepers: Opening with a luscious pad bank and detuned piano sample, we’re presented with an open field when the bass drops, enrobed in a step rhythm. The way that the percussion ebb and flow in this one really gets me dancing. There is a huge amount of musical information, many of those vibey moments that this artist mentioned earlier, that are being pieced together to create this celestial and deep sonic world. This first composition seems like it is really defined by this luscious introduction but nCamargo is able to offer a second theme with a vocal sample that really flips the groove to something funky. And were off!

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You Could Be: Continuing the vocal led groove, the second offering rolls along like nothing ever changed. These first two play into each other so well, almost seamlessly blending liquid and funk styles. Weaving a vibey atmosphere with an insistent and confident groove, the artist also tickles the listeners ear with various melodic fragments in the stereo layer. ‘You Could Be’ adds bit of wobble and melody to the bassline to complete another part of our story.

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Sonnet: The title track continues the progressive trend, feeling firmly planted in the groove, tonality, and sonic pallette of this EP. I think the programming of this track order was brilliant. Anyway – the percussion drives this forward in a similar way to the opening track by utilizing subtle changes in sample choice or in rhythmic presentation, which then give way to changes in orchestration. One of my favorite things about this composition is the deepening of the pads. As he filters them down out of the high range, the artist is able to replace those lower frequencies with more of the deep melodic content and utilizes an electric piano and vocal sample to fill that void before playing around with more variations. Pay close attention to this one.

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We Still Here: Finishing up the story with a beautiful quarter note triplet, broken beat fantasy, absolute shimmering coalesence of a tune, nCamargo truly shines here. I’m just stunned by how smoothly and naturally the melodic content in this closer is supported. The jazz influence in these changes keep the listener engaged throughout, the bass being a bit more sustained and deep than previously and the firmly planted ‘Major’ tonality gives this one a sense of ‘home’. Truly beautiful. Nothing else to say other than enjoy. 

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What a pleasure it was for me to listen and analyze this heartfelt and natural approach to DnB. NCamargo is someone who you really need to dive into to understand as an artist, and as someone who has been making this music for so long, the catalog is far and wide. Whether or not an artist is prolific or not doesn’t matter as much as the quality; Nicholas manages to maintain both. The releases from this year alone span a wide variety of sounds and feelings. Take a look at his ‘Fangz EP’ also on NCounter if you want a taste of his darker material. Nuts.

I really would encourage anyone to explore nCamargos artist catalog and enjoy the sheer joy this artist has in sharing and creating DnB. With any luck we will be getting more nCamargo material for years to come. Purchase below on bandcamp!

Purchase here!