Dan Webb – Sunshine/Dialogue (Album)

It all started with a couple of interviews. Australian producer Dan Webb sat down with several artists to exchange thoughts about life and music making. These thoughts led to an idea, a concept, and finally the newly released album “Sunshine/Dialogue”, a fresh and exciting journey into the vast world of electro-flavored sound. I read a description stating that this album is “wildly imaginative”, and that’s a pretty accurate two-word description. But you’re not here for just the tagline, so let’s have a little in-depth look at what is to find in the album, shall we?

For me personally, this album feels a lot like a journey, with the destination being defined by the listener. The journey starts with “Drifter”, a playful groove-loaded tune using lightweight piano arps along a smooth bass and drum combo. The track pretty much feels like one of these early summer mornings, the sun is out but not too hot yet, and preparations are done for the upcoming road trip. The sunny and carefree road ahead, with the smooth bass line being heard on repeat.

On a journey, it’s only natural to meet people along the way, right? For me, the next tune of the album, “A Good Song”, feels like one of the guys you are about to meet on your journey. With really wise and important words (especially for all the musicians out there) that were recorded at one of the mentioned interviews, the track uses a floating atmosphere garnered with several effect chains to build an imaginative scene. While you think about the wisdom in the statement, you’re surrounded by what I’d like to describe as a desert void, with only minimal guidance from the music to let those thoughts wander. This way, the track also serves as a first step back to not burning all the groovy fuel there is to find on the album.

On the next turn, “Europa”, there’s this signature playfulness again. I found out soon that this lightweight and genre-defying blend of melodies and groove patterns is what Webb is all about, it’s the secret ingredient that builds the universe of the Australian musical jack-of-all-trades. I love the captivating scenery the tune creates, because around every other corner, there’s something happening, the sound feels “busy” like a rush hour in a big city, so to speak, yet without the stress and tension that’s usually connected with it. And then, all of a sudden, there’s this complete change of pace and texture. You gotta love the boldness with which Webb just uses what he has in his arsenal. Feeling like an underground impromptu alt-rock concert, “Sungenre” pushes the limit in regards to intensity while driving forward like a car chase with guitar textures, and a sassy rhythm. With a door-opener at the end, we’re heading down “Florence Street”. With the sound connected to an almost sub-nautical vibe, I have the feeling that for every single track, Webb has a particular distinct feeling connected to the main theme of every song. In this tune, lines are blurred, elements are undefined, and directions are not set yet.

“Sunshine” introduces itself with a jazzy, reverbed, chaotic infinitely reverbed texture, where somewhere in between being half awake, and half sleeping, the listener floats in an exotic environment consisting of synth textures, guitars, and eclectic drums. For me, this tune emphasizes the fact that this album isn’t just something to listen to, it’s more about the journey I already pointed out. In the universe of Webb, there’s something new to explore in every other track, or in the case of “Sunshine”, even multiple times within a single track. The following tune, “Ice Kachang”, has a distorted melodic approach and proves without a doubt that the focus of Webb lies in the experience of a sound, not the specific ruleset of the industry regarding form or function. You gotta love the quirky melodies creating their own legacy in their enjoyable almost dysfunctional style. “Divide” and “Conquer” though are stepping on the pedal regarding speed, energy, and expression. In an almost disco-ish fashion, the synths are blended with a saturated bass line and a driving steady beat to what I’d like to call a “night drive of thoughts”. The change of content in these tracks is really interesting because although the main concept seems the same, the audiovisual output is completely different regarding intensity and intention. In a way, these tunes are like a before-after picture, described with sound.

And then there’s “Dialogue”. A relaxed, intriguing rhythm concept meets saturated chilled bass and synth melodies in an interesting session-flavored setting. The sound reminds me a lot of session gigs I played back in the day. We could spend hours dabbling around until we finally found our universal language. It’s not always about the outcome, it’s about the process and the path you’re going. And that’s the experimental, or better, developmental essence of the track for me. “Ollie” breaks any regulations to a point where some listeners might raise an eyebrow, but once again, for me it’s the brave move to not follow mainstream demands. In a metallic odd world, the tune walks its path like a cave explorer, not knowing how to proceed in a planned manner. Closing the album, “Back To You” for ME is the eyebrow raiser, because the sound, although it brings the listener back full circle where he/she started, almost feels alien for being the most mainstream-oriented. You’ll find handmade backing and vocals there, blended together in an understanding environment that lets you emerge from the journey you are about to finish.

All in all, the album is a well-thought piece of art in my opinion. There’s nothing that was rushed to make it on the album. I read that the whole process took several years to be finished, with the way Dan Webb creates music spanning over a decade of trial-and-error, collecting snippets and ideas, and forming them to n album eventually. I love this calm and relaxed way of creation. You can feel that the album was puzzled together by thought and feel, not by brain or standards. And in the end, it’s exactly this vibe that makes “Sunshine/Dialogue” such an extraordinary sonic journey for me.