Emerging music producer XIANNE-XI debuts her new instrumental project IMAGINARY FRIENDS. The 5 track piece embodies more than a handful of music genres, ranging from dark trap, bedroom pop, contemporary world music and much more. Inspired by her son, the project’s overarching theme is on motherhood, maternal love, inner peace and growth.

The first track “Imaginary Friends” is an epic piece comprising haunting vocal hums, adrenaline-pumping strings, and pads underpinned by crunchy downtempo drums. Soft keys come into play alongside plucky synth-basslines in the middle part. Overall, it evokes feelings of urgency and rising tension. The other aspect is how she includes more instruments toward the tail end to create a progressive and ever-changing sound. “Public Image” is bolstered by snapping drum grooves and an undeniable rhythm that keeps the dancefloor filled up. The horns play second fiddle and add a cryptic and somewhat solemn vibe to the track alongside the subtle vocal hums. The trap drum switch-up in the middle section is dope and helps change the direction in many ways. Infusion of various rap vocals is also an added touch. There is so much going on at times that it feels like listening to 3 different songs in one. “XIAO” is a genre-bending track that blends contemporary music with bedroom pop and experimental elements. The production is dynamic and soars into a plateau as it progresses. From the mellow, moody tones to the thick, distorted synth arrangement and plucky leads, listeners are thrown into a cesspool of sounds that play off each other to evoke suspenseful feelings.

 

The last track, “EXOSKELETON” is hard to define, in terms of genre classification. The groove and electronic synth at the beginning is reminiscent of electro-rock tracks of the 80s and the switch up into the Afrobeats/dancehall-inspired portion gives it a completely different feel. The fun continues as XIANNE-XI digs deep into her production bag and flips the script with elements of Traditional Indian sitars, epic pop strings and edgy syncopated rhythms that push the musical envelope further. Other notable additions include “Public Image (Instrumental)”  which comes without the vocals and is perfect for rappers/singers to play with if XIANNE allows it.

 

Overall, IMAGINARY FRIENDS is a potpourri of original sounds inspired by different and I must add, unexpected influences. XIANNE-XI has a knack for layering and mixing sounds you won’t expect and getting great results.

 

 

 

 

Keep up with XIANNE-XI | SoundCloud: Instagram

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