Current Value is always a little trippy and esoteric in his work, but with his new Far Layer EP, released recently on Othercide, he definitely takes his sound to an even higher echelon. The title track is an eight-minute ambient dreamscape that could be mistaken for an experimental cross between M83 and Tangerine Dream.
Don’t misunderstand: this is still a Current Value release and thus contains lots of hard-hitting, head-banging nuggets of bass but even those seem to not quite be in CV’s usual sphere of influence. Some fans might see this release as another step in the progression of the German D&B legend’s style but if one listens closely, it’s easy to see he’s always enjoyed playing with ambient sound design and synthy melodies. They just weren’t as forward as they have been recently.
Given that Far Layer seems to both be a departure for Current Value and a connection to a seemingly hidden part of his music that was always there, Bassrush asked him if he might like to take a look at his discography and find what songs best tap into that Far Layer for him. To switch up the usual playlist format we also asked him a few questions about what those tracks and this EP really mean to him. This is what he provided. If this is the far layer of Current Value’s mind, it’s pretty spectacular.
What was your thought in putting this EP together?
As some might know, the tracks being released on Far Layer were around for a bit, all of which were “must release” tunes. The opportunity came, I took it. My idea was to add something different this time. Yet another side of CV which is represented by the title track.
The title for the EP is an interesting concept, especially in light of how far-reaching some of the tracks are. What did you have in mind when coming up with the title?
The “far layer” is something that urges us to look further than what’s obvious, to go beyond and investigate further than what’s presented physically.
There’s some hard-hitting tracks on the EP and there’s also lots of melody but the title track is fully ambient and melodic. What was the impetus for doing a track like this?
The tune itself is intended to work emotionally, like all of my work, but this time less technical, with more emphasis on the spiritual level. As I said, I wanted to show yet another side of CV.
How did you come to work with Snow and Coresplittaz on “Dispelling Fear”?
I’ve known Kai for quite a long time. At some point he sent me some of his new material and instantly had some Snow vocals he had been working on, so it got a collab.
What’s coming up for you in terms of tours or future releases?
Well, there’s a very unique LP release announcement coming in the next months that sees unique cooperation between two labels on a project of mine. Added to that is that the first show of CVAV 2.0 is launching at Rampage Open Air this summer, a new festival from the huge Rampage live event organization. So you can count on a couple of really significant announcements coming in the future that I hope will be exciting for people.
Can you introduce this playlist for us? How do you feel these tracks represent Current Value’s “far layer?”
This selection of tracks are some of those that I feel could be considered as either communicating something that’s beyond our reach or with an ascended aesthetic. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey they take you on…
Far Layer is out now on Othercide Recordings. It can be purchased on Beatport or Bandcamp, where it can also be streamed. Be sure to check out Current Value’s new track on the Citrus Records Juice Blender Files compilation, another collab with Snow called “Shy Flame,” also out now on Beatport.