Sepia Filter: Figure Eight

The Sonic Music Review is proud to feature once more the work of an emerging artist who submitted a track for review. The American Electronic artist Blake Miller, working under the alias of Sepia Filter, notes in their bio "Sepia Filter often contains an element of sadness or melancholy, but lately inspiration, hope, and destruction. The music is born out of the battle between these modes." In this particular track, the notion of destruction and conflict between emotion is particularly pertinent.

Sepia Filter: Figure Eight

The Track begins with a grumbly bass riff which continues throughout, quickly developing with a steady  beats in the style of Dr. Dre, whom Sepia Filter notes are a source of inspiration. There also lies a notable Kraftwerk influence through the use of sophisticated timbres and evolving sonic elements. As the piece develops, the composer recontextualises the mood of the piece and introduces new thematic material. While the talkbox-esque lead timbre could possibly be refined to fit more effectively in the mix, it illustrates one of the tracks strengths: suggested melody - the small melodic fragments work best due to the way they create material greater than the sum of its parts.

As the track reaches its climax, the theme of chaos and destruction is shown clearly through the approach to composition which employs multiple competing musical elements. This is reconciled, returning to previous material which develops as the musical elements fade to expose simply a ticking clock. The creation of dysphoria within the piece is achieved well but the variety seen throughout serves as the greatest credit to the artist.

To read more about Sepia Filter and listen to available tracks, click here.

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