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Electromatrix Records to Release Awaken, the First Electronic Music Album to Utilize 5.1 DVD Surround Sound, Album features Rabbit in the Moon, Divine Styler, King Britt and more!

Los Angeles, CA - You’ve always known it.  You experience music through more than your ears; you experience the thrill of a gut-wrenching bass, the electricity along the back of your neck during a transcendent high.  More than your ear, your entire body is attuned to sound, reacting to it, resonating with its energy. 

Electromatrix Records’ DVD and CD release Awaken is a full-contact listening revelation. Set for release in November, it features 12 visionary compositions by Rabbit in the Moon, Apl, Divine Styler, King Britt, Poet Name Life and others, the music of Awaken is delivered via six independent audio channels, allowing arrangements impossible with traditional equipment and instrumentation.  More than what the artist might hear, DVD surround sound offers what the drum hears, what the microphone feels--the very threads weaving the sonic tapestry.   Awaken also features multi-format video and audio clips, interviews, and thumping, sweat-inducing visuals.

Executive Producer Richard Dashut, well known for his work on Fleetwood Mac’s classic Rumors album, has seen other attempts to create immersive sound.  “People have tried to expand the listening experience before, but the technology was too primitive.  With DVD, we can finally deliver a product that takes us beyond stereo, into something completely and truly stunning.”

But what makes Awaken special is that its technology is more than matched by its artistry. “Think of this DVD technology as a tool, a paintbrush,” continues Dashut.  “In ordinary hands it paints a house.  In the hands of genius, it produces a masterpiece.   So when it came time for Awaken, I thought ‘let’s take this technology, hand it to the most artistically dynamic composers we can find, and see what happens.’”

What happened was Awaken, an album of incomparable energy, beauty, and diversity. From Divine Styler’s “Terraform” onward, Awaken pulsates with the creative motions of exploration and discovery.  Many of these artists are better known in the music industry than to the public at large, as producers, collaborators, and DJs.  Co-producer Peter Torres smiles, “There was a lot of interest in the project. We could have featured higher profile names, but we wanted artists who could best use this technology.  It’s not easy-- just because an artist is successful in an old format, it doesn’t mean that they will be successful in the new.  Like when movies first had sound, Hollywood changed because the new technology demanded a new breed of artist.”

Poet Name Life is such an artist.  The composer/musician/producer was asked not only to contribute to Awaken, but to coordinate the music for the entire project.  “Poet made this album,” says Torres, “when you hear the album, each track seems to embrace the next, but they’re also totally independent visions and statements.  It seems impossible, but then again, that’s Poet.”

“I spent a long time visualizing what I wanted this album to be,” says Poet.  “Awaken is the first album completely conceived in surround sound--we’re making more than an album, we’re making history.  I want our kids to pick this album up, smile, and go, ‘so this is where it all began...’” 

“I knew some artists would be featured--Rabbit in the Moon was like, ‘We’ve been waiting for this for so long.’   Others were a complete surprise--like ‘this came from who?’  But each track was selected because it offered something transcendent--a music that was too intricate, too dynamic, too powerful for traditional CDs.”

And yet, Awaken is more than music.  Although he often works with musicians and DJs, this is graffiti and spray can artist KOFIE’s first opportunity to create the visuals for an entire album. To the project, the painter brought his own, uncompromising philosophy and style.  “Light moves faster than sound,” says KOFIE.  “Regardless of whether it’s a computer screen, an art gallery, or a brick wall, images and color are what first impressions are made of.  It has to be good, and it has to be real.  At first, I wasn’t sure of how it would go--that’s how I create, I always leave room for the music--but as I listened to the tracks, I just cut loose, because I knew this was going to be special.” 

Accompanying the music and images are multimedia videos, clips, and interviews supplied by DVD producer A.J. Lara.  Dashut says, “A.J.’s simply the best.  With all of Awaken’s great artists, the project needed someone familiar with the technology to take the elements and bring them into focus.  And A.J. did a tremendous job.”

“I wanted Awaken to be like a neighborhood,” says A.J.  “A place you can explore to over and over.  A DVD holds almost 15 times more information than a CD, so there’s room in there for all sorts of stuff.”  

When asked what that “stuff” might be, A.J. grins, “You’ll see…”

Poet, A.J., Torres, and KOFIE credit Dashut for letting them create Awaken.  Dashut in turn says, “When I first told John Trickett (CEO of Electromatrix parent company 5.1 Entertainment Group) about this project, he believed in us and the concept. That kind of professional trust is so rewarding,” he smiles as he continues, “almost as rewarding as seeing his reaction and the reaction of other listeners when they Awaken to what we these amazing artists have done.”

Look for Awaken, to be released on both DVD and CD on in November by Electromatrix Records, and welcome to the new world.

Electromatrix is an imprint of Immergent Records, a division of the 5.1 Entertainment Group.  The group is also parent of 5.1 Production Services, the recognized leader in 5.1 Audio and DVD music album production.