Dr. GO is known for his ethereal out-of-this-world soundscapes that capture the feeling of outer space exploration. These soundscapes have taken him far enough that they’ve been featured in the Zeiss Planetarium Bochum. Anyone who has read prior Popfad round-ups may already be familiar with his work, and these three tracks are here to prove that he can do diverse things with a signature sound.
Uranus
‘Uranus’ is introduced with an ethereal synth that floats around the stereo with reverb to build atmosphere, and a piano that also moves around and seems to echo itself. It then introduces some glitchy percussion and builds melody into things, building with more synths, before introducing its full sound that feels like a trek into the otherworldly. It’s dynamic and cinematic in its flow, and the percussion and piano add a unique dash to Dr. GO’s discography.
Charon´s Song
‘Charon’s Song’ starts with some bright chimes and a synth riff that gives a bit of a vaporwave atmosphere to things. The instrumentation quickly builds in volume before introducing a melodic synth that has a bit of a flute sound to it. The more chimey synths give this track the vibe of being in a winter wonderland. On this track, Dr. GO states, “From the depths of space grows a warm melodic landscape, uniting glaciers, forests, and deserts in a single phrase.” There is definitely something that feels natural but explorative in this track, but it also feels a bit like an earthy adventure with some spacey vibes.
Piano walks
‘Piano Walks’ plays well with Dr. GO’s sound while giving it a more classical feel. The piano that takes the stage is absolutely gorgeous, and it gives a raw acoustic feel to things. Dr. GO did well at making this choice, as it’s unlike any of his other releases. There’s that, and his electronic sound backing it plays well with the overall instrumentation. Later on, an acoustic guitar is introduced with other synths that take the foreground. The mix of the natural warm buzz of the guitar and the electronic warm buzz of the synths has a cohesiveness to it that pops out well. Before the piano outro, the synths get a chance to take the foreground, which adds more to the dynamic flow of things.
Written by Sage Plapp
Cover image by Philippe Donn
