Vakula Times

On the label’s latest, Oath are proud to present ‘Times’, the latest morphological masterclass from Ukrainian producer extrodinaire Vakula, on which his boundless and intuitively captivating sound remains as absorbing as ever.
Vakula’s career has been defined by his ever-shifting, ever-meandering sound, one which is built upon a distinctive identity yet blends and merges into something different altogether with all the grace and purpose in the world. Drawing deeply from a rich palette of genres such as deep house, ambient, dub techno, and jazz, and feeding in inspirations from natural and philosophical spheres, Vakula’s musical ethos has allowed him to continuously explore the inner and outer reaches of his universal soundscape. By feeling things out through hardware, he allows his music to grow organically, blending humanistic tendencies with technological outputs that always bring harmonious musical riches to the surface. His work is known for its cavernous yet intimate sense of scale, along with a deep sense of introspection, evoking emotions from within that spread themselves out amongst the hypnotic synths and rhythms. His sound has been much celebrated over the years, and it is a musical journey that Vakula remains committed to furthering its capacities for new sensory experiences and melodic wonderment.
‘Times’ represents another seismic chapter in his story, one which contains a series of genre-defying blends that twist, turn, and enthrall with their ever-evolving beauty. ‘Atmos Time’ plays out as the EP opens up, and draws the listener close with a textured melodic chime and spaced out groove. The foreground contains much to dip and dive within, and via a shift transition, the gentle drums come into view. Floating along on a bed of cosmic ambience, the groove and melodic features cascade as one, drifting further through the layers of time and thought. ‘Break Time’ ups the urgency ever so slightly, with a similar atmosphere unraveling above an energised broken beat. The emotive haze in the backdrop seeps away at the halfway mark, as the track inverts upon itself and draws power from its core, swinging back into life with an arpeggio sent from the heavens above.
‘Drum Time’ brings in side B, and this one shifts perspective once more. The melodic sways up above merge and blend with the poly-rhythmic undertones, with the jungle-lite broken beat creating an enchanting energy. The track evolves through varying emotive phrases, each one chiming into life with the looping chord that acts as the track’s anchor - with such effectiveness, this one is golden. ‘Soul Time’ wraps things up, which moves into a distinctly ambient techno sort of realm. Dreamy pads and looping key lines intertwine amongst a captivating sea of mood and tone, as a laid-back beat shimmers underneath with poise and elegance. Vocal snippets add to the hazy atmosphere, calling out amongst the waves and clouds. A fitting end to a record filled with moments of tonal excellence, ever-shifting melodic feeling and rhythmic sequencing - an experience that forever drifts through the memory, always capturing the imagination….