There is definitely something back in the water around here lately. Having sired its own signature sound of global influence in the 1990s, Orlando owns a pretty big chapter in the book of breakbeat. And like the vintage house and rave sounds currently making a revival, breaks are also showing signs of a comeback. Besides the big downtown dance parties that've recently been bringing back a hall-of-fame procession of that era's star DJs, young artists like local techno acolyte Astro Pup, who wasn't even around during the 1990s heyday, are bringing back the bass.
Now even Moondragon — the solo vessel for local EA audio artist Troy Simpson and one of the city's leading synthwave forces — is officially in on that classic action.
In his first release in nearly two years, the just-dropped single "Skid Pad" shows a new, sleeker profile that gives his 1980s action-movie aesthetic a 1990s turbo charge of big, block-rocking beats. All quicksilver and neon, the track glides like the Crystal Method in a Countach.
But Simpson's latest breakbeat muse isn't sated with this one single. Expect the new full-length Moondragon album, planned for this year, to keep on the funk. "Skid Pad" is up on Spotify and the like but is also available as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp.
Orlando's CVSTODIA is fresh on the scene but has decided to emerge with a rather comprehensive introduction. Although they were written six months apart, this heavy new act just last week unveiled the simultaneous release of both an EP (When Gods Lose Their Cults, They Become Demons) and an LP (Anti-Hero).
CVSTODIA is the solo vehicle of Andre Jaz Fillou, a metalcore veteran whose work is equally footed in metal (YXVNG) and electronic (Jazze Joestar). This new project is the synthesis of that duality, smelting its sound from a blackened, industrial-grade cauldron of death, doom and harsh noise.
It's a dark and downtempo crush whose heft comes down with a pulverizing rhythmic emphasis. You can get immersed in it on Bandcamp, where both extensive releases are now available as name-your-price downloads.