The third chapter in Ruben de Ronde’s sonic story has arrived. Following 2017’s 12-track album, My Story, Different evidences de Ronde’s penchant for crafting an aural, full-bodied listening experience. Sitting at 14-songs, Different sees de Ronde delve deeper into the trance subgenre. The progressive and electro trappings that have long lent an unmistakable vivacity to de Ronde’s catalogue are audible on Different, and command an unsurprisingly potent presence.

The Armada Music signee begins the long-form outing with an ethereal opening number that calls on the vocal talents of HAILENE, “The Hardest Part.” The airy, soprano character of HAILENE’s vocal tonally contrasts with the deeper, undulating foundation of the introductory number. “The Hardest Part” is a precursor to the textural play that will follow as Different unfolds.

With each successive album inclusion, de Ronde juxtaposes lighter, atmospheric sonic elements with comparatively more grounded components. Take “Lucky Penny” as an example: synths stab with near palpable intensity at the track’s opening, but attenuate at the midway point. A more melodic structure subsumes the synth work to mellow out the tune.

I am mega proud to show my new album to the readers of Dancing Astronaut; thanking all for the amazing support of ‘Different’! I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I loved making it!

-R

Different sees de Ronde collaborate with a variety of artists, including FUTURECODE, Matt Fax, Roxanna Emery, and Estiva, among others. Estiva is the sole producer to have a hand in more than one album inclusion, and assists on “Horosho” and “Donnie.” Different is proof of de Ronde’s infallible ability to strike sonic gold with each production.

Tags: Armada Music, Different, first listen, Ruben de Ronde

Categories: Music