When I worked as a radio DJ in Austin I had a Program Director by the name of Dusty Hayes. We had a conversation once about talking on-air, knowing what to say and he used an analogy I’ll never forget.
“It’s like driving a bus,” he said. “You’ve got to know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. If you don’t, you’re going to freak your passengers out.”
There are artists who captivate us by being on the cutting edge. You have no clue what they’re going to do next (neither do they) and that makes for an exciting ride. I’m always seeking to be surprised in music but, consider how powerful it is, knowing that some of the greatest journeys we’ll ever take were the direct result of a sharp, qualified mind that took great care in planning it all along. That’s how I feel about this debut EP from Pacifica on Drumpoet Community.
Domenico Ferrari and Balint Dobozi are working professionals from Zurich. Ferrari is a studied jazz musician and together they work on film scores, commercials, documentaries and more. They know exactly what they’re doing. They’ve had their own artistic explorations individually, collaborated with other seasoned creatives along the way and now they’ve come together to create something very special.
“Blaze” feels like a living breathing organism. There’s no rush, just a dirty synth that lingers for 3 minutes until a bubbly little bassline emerges. The pulse of the bassline on “Desert Sky” immediately grabs my attention and the gorgeous ethereal vocals that ooze after it are pure icing. I’d consider this to be a true candidate for the label “trance,” if we lived in a world where it didn’t come with a negative connotation. This is truly hypnotic, “feels” music. “6:34am” is equally captivating and given the title it should come as no surprise that Pacifica dials it back here. It’s soft, almost somber and it never gets ahead of itself.
Last week as I was leaving for a family beach vacation I was confronted with the news of a friend’s death. I didn’t have time to process it. We had to get moving. That night at sunset, walking on the beach, while the kids played with water guns and threw sand, I was watching quietly and listening to “6:34am.” It brought me to tears. Where my friend Eric’s journey led him I may never know. But if this EP wasn’t already memorable enough to me, the coincidental timing of connecting with these two artists at this time in my life was something no one could have planned.
