I love music which takes you on a bit of ride, where the starting point does not become a predictable journey towards the same ending point. With that in mind, Valariejx should be congratulated for pleasing me with his first single, Pressure. My initial reaction upon hearing the intro was that I already knew where the track would go, I thought it would be another one of those crunchy electro instrumentals, fun but quite generic. I was completely wrong. Pressure does have electronic ingredients at its core, even in their own right they are really good, but then suddenly, right in the middle, he throws in a curveball in the form of an orchestral paradise. That section is a masterstroke, it breaks up the expectations and makes the whole arrangement so much more interesting.
Originally from Serbia, musician and composer Valarijex is now based in Melbourne (Australia). He says "The aim of 'Pressure' is to challenge the sonic soundscape and create a new paradigm of what dance music can be. That's what it's about. Yes it’s a dance piece but it's alive, it's breathing."
Pressure is out now and is available on all streaming platforms. Watch the video below.