The world of techno is by far, one of the few spaced filled to the brim with truly, talented artists. One such artists is that of Stephan Bodzin. Previously, we shared with you, the lead single from the album, eponymously titled, ‘Boavista’. This tune came out on the Afterlife label. Now, we bring you Bodzin’s full length 17-track album similarly titled ‘Boavista’. If you’re a fan of Stephan Bodzin, you’re going to want to check this one out.
For those of you who are new to Stephan Bodzin, just know he’s one the most celebrated artists there is. I say this for good reason, as his live show is one of techno’s most revered. In addition to this, he is one of the few who continues to push the genre forward. He does this, while simultaneously pioneering his signature sound. In addition to this, he has also dropped two other well received albums in the form of ‘Liebe Ist’ and ‘Powers of Ten‘. Now, through ‘Boavista‘ Bodzin looks to continue this trend.
From a press release it was stated that, over the course of the last year, Bodzin had the chance to look back on the vast archives of music he has recorded but never finished. While spending time in Brazil, he picked his 25 favourites and finished them properly. The best 17 of them now make up ‘Boavista‘. In true artist fashion, his singular goal with the album was to ‘tell stories with each track‘, as well as to ‘paint musical pictures that conjure up very real emotions‘ within the listener. After having given the album a listen, I believe that this goal was met.
As always, playing the album live was in the back of Bodzin’s mind throughout the creative process. This means each track is a powerful piece that is both emotional and honest. Physical, and straightforward, but also true to the authentic Bodzin sound. The lack of DJ gigs and club experiences had no impact on the music. This is because Stephan has long since done his own thing and has never tried to conform to expectations.
And so it proves. The album kicks off with the lush ‘Earth’ which pays homage to all the elements of life – water, fire, wind, as well as time, light and the rotation of the planet. ‘LLL’ is an electronic lullaby track defined by a sense of love for the people in Stephan’s life and ‘Astronautin’ has a lead synth that came about after Stephan’s daughter said she would like to be an astronaut when she grows up.
Elsewhere there ‘Infinite Monkey’ which was a freeform jam that was lead by the music itself, the epic pads of ‘Dune’ and interstellar explorations of the more thoughtful and melancholic ‘Cooper Station’. ‘Nothing Like You’ was written in a hotel room before Stephan’s last pre-lockdown gig, then ‘Isaac’ is another powerful journey through space and time, different worlds and alternative realities.
Further hypnotising highlights come from the soft melodies but powerful basslines of ‘Collider’, the expansive synths of ‘Trancoso’ and the delicate beauty of ‘Ataraxia’, which references German composer Klaus Doldinger who was a huge influence on Stephan’s understanding of melodies and harmonics. ‘Breathe’ is a second spindling vocal track featuring Luna Semara next to ‘Nothing Like You’ and closer ‘Rose’ is a heartbreaking piano piece.
Boavista is another exquisitely crafted album of rich, synth-heavy electronic music that takes you into new worlds of emotion and leaves you in awe. I’ve gone ahead and included the ‘Boavista‘ art above, as well as the track list below, for your viewing pleasure.
With a trackless 17 songs deep, ‘Boavista‘ is quite the voyage. The album has a total runtime of a whopping TWO HOURS, which makers it literally, a musical journey. Having said that, listeners can expect to get lost in the album, and love every second of it. Stephan Bodzin‘s ‘Boavista‘ is out now on Herzblut Recordings, and can be streamed below, enjoy!
Stephan Bodzin – Boavista | STREAM
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