‘Downside Up’ is a journey from darkness to light, about finding a door that leads to a better place, but one that no key can fit - in the wake the grief associated with letting go of control over our surroundings, of our dreams, and accepting our mistakes DROELOE leads us to a place of catharsis and resolution.

 

Within the music itself DROELOE uses wistful, very loose drops and sparse sounds to create an overwhelming wave that you’re manoeuvring yourself through as you listen. A deliberately jarring D&B drop hits on unanticipated beats in the way that things in life happen when you least expect them- you can’t control when they land and are as a listener forced to just let the music happen around you. In one of the most emotive tracks on his forthcoming album, DROELOE leaves us with a message of hope as the vulnerability and darkness of the opening blossom into self-confidence and light. 

 

 

For DROELOE, the themes of ‘Downside Up’ tie in perfectly to the heartfelt concept behind ‘The Art of Change.’ The album takes listeners on a journey through time and place, using recorded voice memos as a 'feedback loop' where DROELOE’s present self, engages in conversations with his past and future selves with snippets taken from audio cassettes and journal entries to help him grow each day, fostering feelings of motivation (‘Decision’), gratitude (‘Landscape’) and fearlessness (‘Feeble Games’) throughout his life.

 

The visual element is in deep collaboration with concept artist and designer FUNI . Each single of the LP is represented with a unique virtual world design and animated graphics, built in VR using Quill, representing the state of mind on each piece of music. 

 

An interesting interactive play for the album is that fans can write a message to themselves via DROELOE’s website which they will have sent back to them in a year, and will have access to a series of written essays by Rooijers which form the philosophical bedrock behind the creation of The Art of Change. This multi-dimensional approach to the album riddled with hidden ‘easter eggs,’ codes and games is a sensory delight for audiences that, in trademark DROELOE style, takes us far beyond the possibilities of a conventional listening experience. 

 

DROELOE has an amazing ability of blending a commercially appealing sound within abstract, mind bending sonic layers across the pop, indie, and electronic space. Charli XCX and Illenium are just a few artists who have tapped him for official remixes. He’s retained 1.3M monthly streams, amassed a following of over 110K fans, and massive brands like Spotify and Amazon have continued to lend him their support via editorials and even as the cover of their playlists.

 

For more information, please visit https://www.droeloe.com/