The second Divergence multi-artist LP is upon us from Eatbrain, finally releasing today after lots of almost unendurable teasing. It’s not surprising that this album is a compendium of fire from not some but pretty much all the current hottest neurofunk artists but what is surprising is how cohesive this album is as its own work.
There’s been something going on in the Eatbrain engineering or mastering labs with this album that really allows it to hearken back to epic albums of the past of any genre; it’s been done up to be listened to all at once, not just to chop up and pick tracks for the dancefloor. That’s rare in any form of electronic music, but especially in neurofunk. Think of it as the neurofunk soundtrack, 2019.
That is definitely not to say each track on Divergence II isn’t epic in its own right. With the “Man Eating Lizard Dragon” remix contest winning track from 2Whales as well as two massive VIPs from Tobax and Fourward—“Burning” and “Torn Place,” respectively—Divergence II is out to redefine classic dancefloor stinkers as it ushers in even more absolute slappers.
It’s hard to highlight tracks in an album that’s pretty much nothing but highlights but instant classics here will be the opening two tracks, “Rotor” by Hidden Forms and Kolt’s “Mountains of Madness” which, straight out of the gate, set an atmospheric and melodic tone while not shying away from aggressive, tight, OG-throwback beats.
There’s also plenty of just straight-up nasty, metal-grinding neuro on this album with tracks like “Face Dancer” by Joe Ford & Shrike, “Ravioli” by Cod3x and “Pop Up” by Agressor Bunx for the heads who just want a proper punching bag pattern on their prefrontal lobes but the name of the game with Divergence II is definitely about the synths, the atmospherics and the cohesiveness. It’s more than just a collection of songs; it’s a whole vibe Eatbrain is creating here and once again it is on the leading edge of neuofunk.
The point of the Divergence series has been, as the name implies, to break free from the pack, something that’s needed in neurofunk right now. This album also celebrates the unifying factors of music in general as well, however, with all these seemingly different tracks flowing into one another as if the album was a well-crafted mix. Even if our paths diverge, we can all come together and be even stronger together. Or at the very least we can make one kick-ass album.
Divergence II is out today, October 7 on Eatbrain on Beatport and Spotify exclusive. Click here to stream or purchase.