"Ayo" by Ossian is the song of the summer. The EDM duo from LA has been making a huge splash over the last year, and this track cements them as a tour de force in the genre. And they're only 20 years old.
Xander Carlson and David Parris are Ossian, one of the most in demand young EDM acts right now. Childhood friends from Los Angeles, they are only twenty years old and experiencing massive success in the electronic music scene, having recently signed tracks to Sony Music, RCA Records, and ElectroPosé. While most of their tracks fit within the downtempo or future bass veins, they are committed to using live instruments whenever possible.
The duo's organic originality comes through in "Ayo," where Ossian uses a saxophone, which Xander Carlson recorded in his freshman dorm room at college last year. Carlson remembers draping the mic stand and walls with towels in order to get a clean recording of the instrument. In a broader sense, the duo produced this track as a funky change of pace from the downtempo and mainstream house that has characterized most of their recent tracks. Groovy piano chords open the tune with what sounds like cocktail party chatter in the background. The background noise crescendos and leads very naturally into a drop. Then the tune really gets going. A vocal sound carries the melody with well-placed pads and driving rhythm in support. By the middle of the song, Carlson's dorm room sax comes in, smooth as butter, to add that extra bit of soul to the tune. Ossian mixes light and fun with soulful and complex, a weighty task for such young producers.
Coming up for Ossian is the famous Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury, Michigan at the end of June, where they will perform alongside Marshmello, Bassnectar, and The String Cheese Incident (and Cory Henry for those who enjoyed The Note's feature of him in April...). The duo's already impressive live and recorded resume, as well as their unique sound, forecast a very bright career.
Be sure to check out Ossian's other work on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Music, and keep an eye out for their next live show.
The duo's organic originality comes through in "Ayo," where Ossian uses a saxophone, which Xander Carlson recorded in his freshman dorm room at college last year. Carlson remembers draping the mic stand and walls with towels in order to get a clean recording of the instrument. In a broader sense, the duo produced this track as a funky change of pace from the downtempo and mainstream house that has characterized most of their recent tracks. Groovy piano chords open the tune with what sounds like cocktail party chatter in the background. The background noise crescendos and leads very naturally into a drop. Then the tune really gets going. A vocal sound carries the melody with well-placed pads and driving rhythm in support. By the middle of the song, Carlson's dorm room sax comes in, smooth as butter, to add that extra bit of soul to the tune. Ossian mixes light and fun with soulful and complex, a weighty task for such young producers.
Coming up for Ossian is the famous Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury, Michigan at the end of June, where they will perform alongside Marshmello, Bassnectar, and The String Cheese Incident (and Cory Henry for those who enjoyed The Note's feature of him in April...). The duo's already impressive live and recorded resume, as well as their unique sound, forecast a very bright career.
Be sure to check out Ossian's other work on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Music, and keep an eye out for their next live show.