Life Stories is the latest dazzling album by Lebanese indie electronic and pop artist CMK Beats. An independent composer of electronic music from Lebanon who is also a songwriter and performer, he is associated with Bentley Records and headquartered in Beirut. His musical taste spans various genres, including Hip-Hop, EDM, Techno, Trance, Drum N Bass, Euro Dance, and Electro Pop.
The first song and title track contain compelling vocals, synth, and xylo elements. The rhythmic production is great while the song gives a happy feel with vocal hummed melodies. Highs and Lows has an electronic beat with a funky guitar riff. The use of spliced vocal samples to significant effect and a great intro riff is the USP of this track. There’s a great section where the energy transition is in the middle. Feel The Groove starts with dual vocal lines. We get instrumentals with vocal samples used. CMK Beats perfectly balances pop and dance influences with his creative production and memorable songwriting.
The fifth track Can’t Wait[Give Me That Chorus Mix] has great processed vocoder bass vocals with a catchy chorus melody. I Miss You is a song with hip-hop beats and a great synth key riff in the middle section of the song. Waiting For A Savior/Leaving In Peace Prelude is a super cool interesting track with a sliding transposing effect going into a synth intro riff. The piano is laid on top of this refrain or motif. The song becomes sentimental towards the outro. The album concludes on a great note with the stunning final track Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now.
This LP contains 11 songs and runs for 37 minutes while giving us a taste of dance-pop, synth-pop, and groove. The synth production which balances the mids and bass from low energy middle part to build-ups is well done. Synths sound really great here and the work to refreshing and would fill you with energy. The album will make your dance with dense and sparse arrangements. Beats and synth bass with vocals are the main elements here aptly produced and arranged here.
The retro electronic songs with well done vocals and samples encapsulate the feel of the album.
with its upbeat energy and infectious chorus. This record is a must-listen for fans of electropop and synthpop. The band’s standout vocals, layered with atmospheric soundscapes and driving beats, make this album a shinier gem in the genre. The impressive use of synthesizers and creative sampling creates a lush soundscape. This album transcends boundaries, appealing to fans of both indie and electronic music. The overall production and attention to detail make this album a standout, and the tracks are sure to get stuck in your head for days.
Crafted by CMK Beats, Life Stories is a fantastic indie electropop synthpop album that showcases the band’s unique blend of electronic beats, dreamy synths, and addictive hooks.
We get to speak to CMK Beats here.
1. Which musical artists are you influenced by?
Both The Prodigy and Faithless influenced me and shaped my passion towards electronic music
2. We get to hear some diversity and rawness in this music and great songwriting! What was the songwriting process like?
For the first time since I started composing and writing, I decided to make an album based on my life’s experiences. I always thought what would it feel like writing something that I’ve lived but make it universal? The process was hard at first, especially when it cones to bad and hurtful memories but it was a good exercise and since the beginning I decided that the album would be a one of hope, forgiveness and re-emergence.
3. What was the overall recording process take place? Please tell us about the lyrical themes on the album.
The album’s composition and writing procees took place at my house in Beirut, Lebanon and the recording, mixing and mastering were done at the Harmonic Melodies studio also in Beirut. The lyrical themes, that are a reflection of my life, focus on elevating a person’s self-esteem and infuse a feel good mood despite that there are 3 songs that are darker than the rest of the album, those 3 have the impirtant role of saying that life will never be perfect but we shouldn’t fall into despair and learn to fight and rise again.
4. Did you decide and work on the mix? What was the scope of your vision for the record and the overall sound?
For this album, I wanted to take things to the next level in my career. This was my 3rd year recording and mixing at the Harmonic Melodies studio and my 2nd full album with them. My friend Adib understood my style and my direction and therefore, with my composition and his magic in mixing and mastering we were able to create my best work to date. Everything felt bigger and better than anything I’ve done before and the production offered on this album rivals the best EDM sounds out there. My scope was to go big and international and wanted to treat this album as either my last or the new beginning. And obviously with all the positive feedbacks I’ve been receiving so far, Life Stories will be my rebirth.
5. The tones used in this album are dazzling! Could you please tell us about your gear, plug-ins, VSTs that you have used in the making of this album?
Most of my compositions are done using my Novation Launchkey 25 and Magix Studio Professional Edition. Magix allows me to use built in VSTs such as bass, drum machine, electric guitars, synthesizers etc. And depending on the teack, I sometimes use my FL Studio Producer Edition to complete certain segments or effects.
6. How was collaborating with Blues Roses and John H Hall on three track on this record?
It was a great experience that I’d like to repeat in the future. Today’s music creation is very different and working with loops opens up doors for indie collaborations without the hustles that big companies and artists impose for a featuring. Us independent artists come together and work together for the loce and passion of music.
7. Please tell us about your upcoming music plans in terms of releases and gigs.
Seeing all the positive feedbacks on Life Stories, I’ve already started thinking about my next album and started experiencing with new sounds. While writing Life Stories I’ve left some ideas on the bench so I might be doing a Sub-Stories album. As for gigs, I’ll try to set up my first complete CMK Beats live gig in summer if the situation of my country Lebanon allows it.
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
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