• Y2K and retrofuturistic aesthetics
• Polished and creative production
• A nostalgic trip with modern finesse
It isn’t every day to come across niche underground subgenres getting exposure on huge labels— especially Monstercat— within the EDM community, but here we are! The eminent label saw the potential in promoting nuphory and Luna Lenta‘s latest ‘Hypertrance’ synergy “Leave The World Behind”; this is a duo who have produced some of my all-time favorites to date, so without much ado, let’s dive into this modern revival of a remnant style of not so distant past!
The track starts with a breakbeat-like intro sequence complete with shuffling drums, and a classic and euphoric melodic progression to excite the audience right off the bat.
The melody sounds exceptionally nostalgic, transporting me back to childhood. If there’s something out there meant to invoke nostalgia, it’s this tune right here!
Then it moves on to ‘building’ the build-up (as bizarre as that might sound), quieting down for a few seconds and another linear chord progression grows louder to anticipate the drop. This quickly leads to the magnificent drop itself, a beauty with ethereal influences, backed up by skillful production artistry. The four-on-the-floor drums are punchy and sway the beat, as the melodic riff ascends to the peak during this act. The drop is incredibly buzzing and yet manages to pull on the heartstrings (or ‘nostalgiastrings’ more like it).
Taking a breather for longer with the midsection, the chords are stripped back for the final act, finally unleashing the heavenly second drop: packed with more emotions, energy, and character compared to the first one. During the outro, the song takes things back and slows down elegantly, reducing the chord progressions that have been present simultaneously, as if they are one with the track. A feeling of satisfaction is all that is left after the encore: it’s a magical experience if I had to describe it in a few words.
“Leave The World Behind” is an exceptional trip back to the digital era of the past, bringing the eccentricity of the Y2K era to full glory (or the Frutiger Aero aesthetic in a musical form). It successfully brings back that 2000s trance in this new emerging microgenre called “Hypertrance”. Perhaps it’s not too late to revisit this past era with fantastic tunes like this!