For a 20 year old, Madeon aka Hugo Pierre Leclercq already has a lot of accomplishments under his belt. Being well known in the EDM scene for a few years now, the Frenchman hit the big time with the release of his 2011 track ‘Icarus‘. Now the producer has released his first EP Adventure.
It’s seems fitting, that this album be entitled Adventure, that seems exactly what this is, an musical exploration into the unknown. Being as Madeon has always firmly had a big fan base in the EDM circle, it begs the question, will this offering satisfy the old crowd whilst bringing in the new?
The first song on the album after the atmospheric Intro ‘Isometric‘ is ‘You’re On‘ featuring the vocals of Kyan. Its an upbeat song but the lyrics are strangely potent. What could have been a longing love song is transformed into a potential dance-floor hit bursting with distorted lyrics which build upto a catchy chorus.
The gem of this album is the collaborations with a mass of different artists and Leclercq’s ability of complimenting each vocal style with a completely new sound. Kyan’s R&B roots help lift the energy on You’re On to a whole new level whilst Dan Smith, frontman of Bastille provides a chilled out, almost melancholy vocalistic style to ‘La Lune‘. The lazy beats and 80s sounding synth wouldn’t be out of place on the Holy Grail Drive soundtrack.
The gems just keep on rolling throughout the duration of the album. ‘Pay No Mind‘ with Passion Pit as the guest vocalist has feel good guitar riffs and a lightness to bop around to. ‘Home‘, the first single to be released from the album earlier this year is bound to be featuring on Summer soundtracks everywhere. A feel good anthem, full of high energy beats and high octane lyrics, a song to bliss out to on a sunny day.
The album is an adventure. A journey which effortlessly blends different genres and voices with Madeon’s electronic/EDM roots. The spring release date is perfect, as all these songs can accompany long summer days and nights.
Overall, Adventures makes EDM accessible for the mass, not as hardcore as other records out there, Madeon manages to toe the line between mainstream pop/electro and EDM beautifully.
