TRACK REVIEW: Gareth Emery’s Firebird by Adam Micallef

Gareth Emery’s new album “Drive”, came to my attention after hearing Lights & Thunder; an absolute banger that got a ton of play from several of the top DJs at all the major festivals this summer. So it comes as a pleasant surprise that my first assignment for EDMTOR is to review another of the album’s standout tracks, Firebird.

Emery is not new on the scene. The 34-year-old from England was named the #7 DJ in the world by DJ Mag back in 2010.  It should come as no surprise that this latest offering is best experienced by simply pressing play and kicking back for 51 minutes & 57 seconds of melodic musical excellence. There’s no need to fast forward anything, which is refreshing in an era when album fillers have become commonplace.  Then again, Mr. Emery doesn’t exactly have label executives breathing down his neck demanding crossover material or rushing him to finish the product. That’s because he owns and operates his own label, Garuda Music. This allowed him to take his time (four years between artist albums) in crafting this masterpiece.

Unlike many of the tracks on Drive, there is no vocal assistance on Firebird. That’s a good thing because with a beat this intricate, even the sweetest sounding vocals like the ones supplied by Asia Whiteacre on Million Years (another of the album’s gems), would detract from this unadulterated Trance sound. Firebird is an instrumental track that plays up-tempo at 171 BPM. At just over five minutes, it’s just long enough to draw you into an inescapable dream state, leaving the listener wanting more. That is if you weren’t already in a daze dancing on the subway or bouncing around in your car from the first six tracks of the album, an experience that I totally recommend, as does Emery, implied by his inclusion of the ‘Drive Continuous Mix’ with the purchase of the album on iTunes.

The baseline thumps along in perfect symmetry with melodic synth chords that dominate the tracks overall sound. Gareth is a talented pianist and that skill shines through even when transitioned over to his synthesizer. I wouldn’t call it my favorite track on the album but that’s only because “Drive” is chock full of high quality music that incorporates multiple styles and genres.  As Emery describes, “each and every track is absolutely Gareth Emery”.

While Firebird is geared toward the Trance crowd, “Drive” has excellent Progressive & Electro tracks as well. If you’re a fan of these genres it will be the best 51 minutes & 57 seconds of your day. You can purchase Firebird on iTunes or Beatport or listen on SoundCloud.

On August 29th, Gareth Emery will begin his North American tour in Montreal. He will touch down in Toronto, October 25^th at Guvernment Nightclub.

LINKS:

Gareth Emery
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Garuda
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Adam Micallef – EDM TOR