We Are All We Need
Above & Beyond
Since the band Kraftwerk got the ball rolling, electronic music has developed an almost incomprehensible diversity and reaches millions of people. Breakbeat is completely different from drum’n’bass / jungle. Hardcore techno is entirely different from house or trance. The supergenre trance alone has at least ten subgenres yet again. Electronic music can be melodic or brutal and fast as hell. Experiments went as far as 180 beats per minute.
Above & Beyond’ create benign electronic dance music. They have been nominated for two Grammys and have played at the sold-out Madison Square Garden, New York and the Royal Albert Hall, London. Their Friday radio show ‘Group Therapy’ is regularly listened to by millions worldwide.
The music on ‘We Are All We Need’ moves between pop and electronic dance music - trance to be precise. There are many uplifting moments that elevate the mood. The word elegiac comes to mind when I listen to some of the songs. The opening track ‘Quieter is Louder’ is like a glistening jewel, letting us know there is positive, soothing music to follow. Title track ‘We’re All We Need’ evolves into a multi-layered dance anthem that makes just as much sense on the sofa - even if it’s just while bobbing your finger. The song ‘Sticky Fingers’ is a bit harder. In it one finds synthesizer sounds used by artists like ‘deadmau5’. The tracks ‘All Over The World’ and ‘Fly To New York’ are uplifting trance music that could hardly be better.
The album is quite versatile. One can listen to it in a concentrated way, it makes good background music or creates a harmonious mood when we have a party with friends. Meanwhile, we can probably all use a boost in spirits from time to time…