On Repeat: 'Velvet Light' By Jakob Ogawa
Tristan Young @talltristan
What happens when you combine the frigid and sleek minimalism of Norwegian culture with the funk tinged braggadocio of Prince? Why, you get Jakob Ogawa of course. Ok, that may not exactly be obvious but we’re going to make the case for him anyways. For EP 29 of Beats On Repeat we checked out his 2018 single ‘Velvet Light’, and it’s perfect mood setting for those kind of 4:30pm perpetual winter sunsets. Lo fi and detuned synth patches are evocative of DIY Casio decks birthed from a hermetic bedroom session recording. It’s cadence is one of fleeting warmth, a radiant core that crystalizes and dissipates upon contact with glacial air. It’s austere quality seems removed from society, isolated. This is in keeping with the lyrical content of the track. Ogawa delicately and nostalgically feeds lines like, “I call to mind a love that fades”, and, “you must know that I miss your stare”. The sequence revolves around what was a constant in his life, but has now left a gaping hole- one that leads to unfulfilled desire, and eventual seclusion. It’s not all doom and gloom, as the chorus yields more curious and experimentally playful synth. It’s as if ‘Velvet Light’ is an exercise in wallowing in, but also overcoming debilitating introversion. Retreating into that dimly lit bedroom may denote an ossified simplicity, but the more energetic switch ups imply that Ogawa recognizes he needs to leave the house and make some friends. Check out ‘Velvet Light’ on EP29 of the show on iTunes or Spotify. Find our EP29 playlist on Apple Music.