"MEZMER EYES" By Hverheij

By Mariam Jibril

"Let’s Be Clear" is an album released by Hverheij, and its eighth song is called "Mezmer Eyes." In the song, Hverheij sets the stage, capturing the essence and the feeling of the city in and out of urban environments. The artistry of experimentally synthesized composition stresses the versatility of the transformative instrumental. The song showcases the subtleties of the city via emotion, and such is the loss of death, the lack of rhythm, and the anarchy of pulse. The use of the alive spirit of the piece and the city is evident in the use of the liveness of an electronic piece. Spelling and the artistry of the visuals create an aura of mystification. The track is entrancing and plunges the audience into a place where pulse and the fabric of the song become a surface.

Living in Abbotsford, British Columbia, one of Canada’s most prolific composers, Hverheij (Harry Verheijen), has become known for creating one-of-a-kind, boundary-defying, emotionally rich, and varied electronic music. His approach leans less towards formula and more towards sculpting audiated environments, employing sound like an architect employs building materials, forming shadows, tension, highlights, and empty spaces. Hverheij has easily established himself as one of the most innovative and deeply human electronic music composers with his vast catalogue of releases. Ranging from ambient and avant-garde to jazz-funk, progressive, and more leftfield electronica, many of his releases have earned the reputation of being unique and unanticipated. "Mezmer Eyes" continues this tradition, stunning listeners with his atmospheric musical storytelling based on his profoundly impactful and greatly developed life experiences.

The track presents a unique aural experience characterized by sweltering beats and textures that continue to get warmer and more complex. The keeps building and moving forward without losing any steam. With the combination of synthesizers, including the Arturia Mini Freak, and an electric guitar, the song creates an emotional weight, fronted by instrumentation. The electric guitar gives musical and emotional texture, and serves a wonderful, otherworldly, tactile/edge to the mix. The aggregate of movement and unexpectedness that Guitar Rig 7, cluster-delay reverb, and the refreshingly raw Molten Diode come together to produce serves the track well. There is an otherworldly/dreamy sense of forward-moving momentum, diffused through building and intentional gaps. The rhythms, stories, and pulses are adaptable throughout the circuit/colony, and craftsmanship is unmatched, bordering on the dangerously modern, seductively immersive modern.

The production quality of “Mezmer Eyes” showcases Hverheij’s craftsmanship. The track was pre-mastered in Ableton Live with bx-digital V3 and mastered later by Time Rival (Michael Southard). The track has a good balance and a clean mix, and every layer in the track has enough space to breathe. With a lot of layers, the track isn’t overwhelming, and the music draws you into a complex and evolving space, rewarding the casual listener and detail-oriented audiophiles. Even without having any vocals, the track is expressive and communicates just as strongly, proving the point that a song can have so much to say without any lyrics.

In the realm of electronic music, “Mezmer Eyes” is emblematic of what the genre can do and what it's capable of when it is approached with vision, innovative ideas, and emotional intelligence. This is due to the electronic and atmospheric track, which is most definitely the highlight of the record by Hverheij. Also, this is indicative of Hverheij’s ability to step into electronic music while keeping it accessible. If you yearn for music that makes you feel, this is one you need to explore.

“Mezmer Eyes" is simply instrumental and is not only reductive, but it is also bedimming one of the most innovative electronic tracks of the year. Without any words, lyrics, or stories, Hverheij captures the beauty and essence of the modern city. For lovers of complex electronic music, this track is one you need to listen to. Do not let the opportunity of streaming “Mezmer Eyes” rush by you.