Dropbox Talent: EchoFloat

Kicking off 2015’s round of dropbox talents is (currently) Gujrat based graphic designer and part time producer Jeff Nelson, musical alias EchoFloat. We heard his unnerving, post apocalyptic tunes back in September when Delhi production house Lights On Films released a trailer for their short film ‘Alfiya’ and recently on a short hyperlapse video created by Sourya Sen and Naman Saraiya for the Magnetic Fields festival (where he also met the duo). Intrigued by his unusual sounds, smooth production and intelligent composition, we decided to get in touch with Jeff and find out more.

In his description on SoundCloud, EchoFloat aptly describes his music as a ‘playground full of fractured beats’. Those broken beats are structured along with chiming percussion, deep bass and imaginative synth to produce some very interesting sounds, most of which have a distinctly other worldly, almost ominous streak to them. This comes as less of a surprise after we find out that the musician draws inspiration from thinkers and authors known for all things “other worldly” such as Terrence McKenna, Buckminster Fuller and Jacque Fresco.

The stripped down, atmospheric tracks do require a bit of patience – this is music that appeals to the enduring listeners who are willing to immerse themselves in their headphones entirely. This is not the right article to read if you’re looking for raw dancefloor gratification, unfortunately.

We’ve included two of our favourite EchoFloat tracks below. The eerie, distant bells and menacing pauses in ‘Aftermath’ can most cheerfully be described as the sonic equivalent of complete and utter dread / impending doom. Nelson’s latest snippet is the complex, intricately produced ‘Sketch38’, also embedded below.

“I feel frequencies have the ability to move people beyond the capability of language. As for when I started, it would be difficult to say, as it's been a growing process. For all I know, the music would sound completely different next year” - EchoFloat

Listen to ‘Sketch38’ and 'Aftermath' below and keep a lookout Echofloat on Facebook for updates about his upcoming release and on SoundCloud to hear more.

Words: Diya Gupta
Image Credit: Jeff Nelson