MUMBAI: ‘Beside You’, Somna debut artist LP, arrived in spring 2020, fully equipped with all the elements necessary to ensure the artist’s big leap forward. Tour-ready and near enough bags-packed, Benjamin was set to take ‘Beside You’ to all the places he’d designed it to rock. Unfortunately, something else arrived in the spring of 2020, and that threw a mighty spanner in the DJ/producer’s works.
Where there was a will, there was a way though, so Somna laterally adapted ‘Beside You’s plan … It is somewhat fitting then that its follow-up, ‘Satellites’, pays tribute to the saving grace of its forerunner…
And in a word, that was Streaming.
Benjamin explains: “while all the physical proximity had been lost, the ability to reach and potentially connect with all my fans from around the globe in one moment was suddenly the solution to everything. Before … after .. sometimes even during a set, you could sense the reaction, albeit in a different fashion than I had become used to. While the actual nearness had been removed, that immediacy felt even more personal! Feeling that love, support and in-the-moment feedback from everyone made all the difference in dealing with the disappointment of not being about to tour ‘Beside You’. ‘Satellites’ became the word my head adopted for that effect, as essentially we all became ‘satellites’ of one another. Through the uncountable number of connections that were made, in a certain extraordinary manner ‘further apart’ somehow became closer together!”
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A testament perhaps to the time-rich-times in which it was produced, ‘Satellites’ reaches to an impressive fifteen tracks. That meant Benjamin had the musical scope to connect with an entirely new cast of singers, songwriters and collaborators, in turn allowing him to extend his range yet further. Among them are the likes of Sarah de Warren, Clara Yates, Adara, Nic Toms, Julie Thompson and Mike Schmid, all of whom collectively widen its lens. At its heart though is that clublife-lust, which tonally places a good deal of ‘Satellites’ music in the floor-wards (and upwards) facing position!
Somna though instinctively quarters its cooler moments at the frontend of the album. Sung by Sarah de Warren (one of her two contributions throughout), the lyrics of title track ‘Satellites’ both chime with his album ethos, whilst neatly overturing it. Similarly toned, (and ticking a significant bucket-list-box for Benjamin), sung by Sean Ryan & Michele C, ‘Light Your Darkness’s production features a first-time M/F duet on a Somna track. With ‘Hours’ and the Clara Yates-sung ‘The Reason Why’, the album’s pulse tangibly upticks. At its midpoint ‘The Woo’ clubs it hard and fast, pushing the door wide to more pumping fare. The final third of the LP Benjamin reserves for its most elevating numbers, as ‘Pretty Lies’, ‘Me Minus You’, ‘Afterglow’, ‘Your Gravity’ and others collectively see Somna’s ‘Satellites’ into high orbit.
Circumstances willing, this album-time-around, the floor’s where you’ll catch Somna’s second at its most potent. These days though, you can’t leave anything to chance! Find ‘Satellites’ first through all good sales and streaming stores from May 12 [https://blackhole.lnk.to/Satellites].
Tracklist:
01. Begin Transmission
02. Satellites (with Sarah de Warren)
03. Light Your Darkness (with Sean Ryan & Michele C)
04. The Reason Why (with Clara Yates)
05. Hours
06. Hold You (with Adara)
07. The Woo
08. Afterglow (with Caitlin Potter)
09. Until The End (with Nic Toms)
10. Pretty Lies (with Julie Thompson)
11. Your Gravity (with NASH)
12. Not Too Late (with Sarah de Warren)
13. Me Minus You (with Mike Schmid)
14. Back To Earth (with Donna Tella)
15. Apogee
