Emma Hewitt
Burn The Sky Down

Magic, spells, and regalia unravel in the most secluded recesses of the sacred & majestic alcove of the electronic underground. This time, we make a long journey all the way to Australia, a flourishing pop-mainstream land that is also, why not, home to a lesser-known sonic underground: Emma Hewitt, currently based in Amsterdam, at the antipodes of her continent, is a lively young lady, probably known for being the classic female vocalist employed by DJs and producers, but who can already boast a debut that shines bright, "Burn The Sky Down", released in 2012, just as we were bidding farewell with panettone and sparkling wine. What can be extracted from the album is Hewitt's good ability to reinvent her knowledge of the European underground trance scene - with a particular mention to the Flemish-Nordic context (does Tiesto ring a bell?) - and to put it to service of a robust, coherent, harmonious solo work, dense in its genre and anything but anonymous and bland. Of course, the inspirations from the Dutch Ibiza are all present, and the support of producer-DJ friends is quick to arrive, yet this wealth of experience is nothing more than the precursor to an even broader curriculum of sounds and fragrances that include downtempo asceticism, the calmness of ambient creation, and some precious trip-hop gems.

Delving into the album, we can witness an exhilarating yet balanced musical journey, starting almost immediately with a bang through the harmonic transcendence of Colours, a great celtic-tribal-ambient composition that seems like a reinterpretation of Enya’s repertoire. Then we move on to a tasty track halfway between alternative rock and downtempo, These Days Are Ours, followed by a melancholic corner of retro synthpop with Foolish Boy, and then into trip-hop with subtle chillout nuances of Still Remember You (Stay Forever). New industrial-rock reminiscences can be perceived in Crucify, while we witness a strange trance-gothic marriage in the very dark State That I'm In and the equally enigmatic Circles; the grand finale is a hyper-danceable little Ibiza-style house jewel with Like Spinning Plates, a contribution from the Dutch team Dash Berlin.

"Burn The Sky Down" is a heterogeneous and cross-sectional project, not only to mainstream commerciality but also to pure underground eclecticism: here, gathered around a well-laden table, are pop and anti-pop, electronics for the body and for the spirit, industrial and ambient, nature and artifice, all micro-organisms of a single work. Far removed from any up or down alignment, uninterested in both unanimous mass approval and indie niche "fussiness", Emma Hewitt's debut is a product capable of satisfying any kaleidoscopic range of moods and preferences, without overlooking, refusing, or dismissing anything or anyone.

Emma Hewitt, "Burn The Sky Down"

Burn The Sky Down - Colors - Miss You Paradise - These Days Are Ours - Foolish Boy - Rewind - Still Remember You (Stay Forever) - Can't Turn Around Now - Crucify - This Picture - State  That I'm In - Circles - Like Spinning Plates.