For electronic music fans seeking a transcendent journey through the full spectrum of human emotion, look no further than “Shifting” – the stunningly intimate and sonically impressive new album from producer Teho.
His most fully realized artistic statement to date, “Shifting” takes listeners on an introspective exploration through Teho’s deepest fears, anxieties, and traumas. Yet it represents not just an exercise in melancholy, but a quest for inner healing and peace.
Who’s Teho?
But who’s Teho? Originally hailing from the south of France, Teho discovered his calling for melodic techno production after being inspired by acts like Daft Punk, Stephan Bodzin, and James Holden as a teenager.
He quickly made waves in the melodic techno scene, catching the ear of pioneer NTO who helped nurture his early career.
Teho’s soaring, hypnotic sound earned him a deal with mentor Bodzin’s label for classics like ‘Kabuki.’
Driven by artistic integrity, he launched his own imprint Labo T. His albums ‘Polytone‘ and ‘Infinity‘ established him in the global panorama, blending techno might with acoustic delicacy.
The new album: Shifting
From the opening dreamlike mystery of “Hypernova” to the gently idyllic comedown of the closing title track “On My Way,” “Shifting” unfurls like an epic narrative – one movie traveling through radiant phases of hope only to plunge into shadowy bouts of fury and darkness.
It’s a courageous reckoning with the dichotomies that exist within us all, leaving no crevice of the human psyche unexplored.
What’s most remarkable is how Teho translates these interior emotional landscapes into such an aurally transfixing album.
Melodically rich and possessing dancefloor-ready energy, “Shifting” abounds with progressive, euphoric journeys and breath of tempos and tones.
Tracks like the shimmering progressive masterclass “Rising” and trance-tinged melodic beauty “Continuum” showcase Teho’s mastery of grand, cinematic harmonies and ethereal atmospheres.
Yet the album is far from one-dimensional atmospherics. With the acid-flecked dancefloor destroyer “Day Off” and industrial-edged techno prowler “Disorder,” Teho flexes ample muscle for peak-time club moments. “Five – O” is a hugely infectious synth pop-adjacent gem, with soaring vocal melodies embedded in a groove compelling enough to ensnare the most discerning music fans.
More than just a collection of disparate tracks, “Shifting” is a fully immersive listening experience – one that demands devoting quality time to its seamless emotional ebb and flow.
The depth and nuance Teho achieves, both sonically and thematically, positively dazzles. One moment you’re awash in the sumptuous melodic escapism of “Pixels,” the next you’re shaken by the intensity of “Collapse“‘s stormy underground sonics.
What unifies it all is the exquisite artfulness through which Teho builds tension, sculpts narrative arcs and ultimately provides cathartic release. Much like braving the torrent of life’s upheavals, “Shifting” requires opening oneself to moments of discomfort and confronting inner shadows. But in doing so, it unveils stirring beauty and profound solace on the other side.
Too often, electronic albums – even wildly accomplished ones – can feel like collections of songs optimized for dancefloor deployment or zoning out.
“Shifting” magnificently transcends any such compact description. It’s nothing less than an immensely creatively ambitious multimedia experience, fusing hypnotic grooves with powerfully evocative compositions and vivid storytelling. The captivating dynamic between whispery confessional intimacy and surging, even euphoric escapes and emotional purges reflects Teho’s own journey to understand “the reasons for his unhappiness when everything seems to be smiling on him.”
By album’s end, what’s clear is that Teho has located his center – his core source of inner light – and magnificently translated it into what represents electronic music’s most absorbing and emotionally resonant album experience of the year thus far.
More than just another masterful collection of productions, “Shifting” is a whole-hearted artistic statement as brave as it is beautiful.
