Raze.D leans away from the dancefloor with new album ‘Angry Silhouette’
Raze.D aka D.Ramirez ventures into bold new musical realms on his accomplished artist album Angry Silhouette, out now on Dreamwave. Across 10 evocative tracks with flawless production, the UK mainstay makes a striking departure from the physicality of the dancefloor and heads into more thought-provoking worlds of sound while centring his own voice and songwriting for the first time.
Ivor Novello-nominated D.Ramirez has spent 30 years producing innovative club tracks across genres. His seminal tracks and remixes have topped charts, landed on the most influential labels, and rocked dancefloors all over the world.
His new album as Raze.D, finds him digging deep to serve up his most personal work to date. Inspired by the 80’s Sheffield scene he grew up around and bands like Human League, ABC and Cabaret Voltaire while also harking back to his early days singing in bands, Angry Silhouette came about during the pandemic when D.Ramirez had time to reconnect with the more introspective side of his creativity.
The album draws on icons like Depeche Mode, Ultravox and the energy of modern alt-rock and features his own cultured and poetic songwriting. Lyrical themes muse on our deepening relationship with technology, social media addictions, self-worth, the influence of tech giants and much more.
As Raze.D explains,
“It’s about reflection and confronting the world we live in. It’s my way of offering a new sound that feels authentic to both where I have come from and where I am now. This music is 100% me. The singing, songwriting, production and mixing – every beat and note is mine. Just my vision, my truth. It’s raw, it’s all personal, it’s all me.”
The album’s foundation is strong, accomplished songwriting; intriguing melodies and hooks meld seamlessly with lyrical meaning and world-class production.
‘Something Better’ kicks off with crisp drums and a sleazy mid-tempo groove that allows Raze.D’s vocals to soar, coated in reverb and conveying feelings of hope while rich synths bring extra moodiness. ‘Overload’ drops a dark bassline with prickly synth patterns and powerful vocals that question our reliance on the digital world while ‘Keep This Dream Alive’ rides on a broken beat with rubbery bass off-set by celestial strings which brings hope next to Raze.D’s falsetto tones.
The 80s-tinged cold wave and synth fusion of ‘Angry Silhouette’ is defined by expressive guitar licks and more crashing hits, ‘Into The Fire’ shows yet more vocal range as a downcast and introspective delivery turns to empowerment, then ‘Coming For You’ twitches with synth riffs, haunting melodies and vocals that both shimmer about the mix and come as a deep baritone, rising into soaring harmonies.
‘Push The Fader’ picks up the energy with dark, industrial beats and stabbing synths reflecting Raze.D’s state of mind as he relates an intense personal struggle against inner demons made worse by the relentless distraction of noise, external and internal. Things play out through the twisted rhythms and chilled strings of ‘Pigeon Superstition,’ lush synth releases and nagging grooves of ‘Photoelectric’ and dramatic, epic closer ‘Do You Feel The Same’.
Angry Silhouette is a timeless, multi-faceted album that marks a superb new chapter for the ever-evolving Raze.D.
