DreamWeaver’s 2023 blue garden is a hypnotic electronic dance record that slips through space and time in its 39 minute runtime. Released June 3rd, blue garden is the third album we’ve gotten from Tokyo, Japan’s DreamWeaver. They meld cybernetic spaces through soothing voices and synthesizers that are driven forward by meticulous breakbeats.
The album opens up with its title track, “blue garden,” which fades in and out of sugary echoes. As it skates through icy soundscapes, breakbeats take hold of the track and lead listeners through its various hidden passageways. The track is perfectly fitting as a title track, as it’s emblematic of the overall experience- showcasing a hollow yet endless expanse within the project’s first 2 and a half minutes.
“last eden” shimmers in brilliant flashes of ethereal arpeggiators. botanical anomaly’s vocals fall behind a veil of effects that help push a futuristic feeling. All of this rests atop a bouncing house beat within a sea of vaporous sounds.
As we freefall through industrial soundscapes on “cloud 9 hypnotics,” a voice whispers to us from a far. It glistens in blasts of computerized sounds, while we free run across a busy street in some cyberpunk city. The thin trace of speech and the blanket of digitized humming come together in a very nice and cozy listen. This space remains vacant until a jungle beat forms in the background. Once again, whispers dance in the background, aiding in DreamWeaver’s hypnotism.
Snowfall in the form of delicate breakbeat fills the soundscape on “winter wing.” As calls boomerang throughout the track, vocal trails and diffused bursts whirl around within. Definitely one of the most memorable tracks.
Jet engines soar through the sky while the beat rattles on “5years (VICIOUS SERENITY),” an epic drum-centric cut. The compression makes it feel like there’s a plane that’s veering overhead. The drums are almost reminiscent of something off In Rainbows.
Wibbly-wobbly synths flow throughout “beginnings,” which features buurgular as an accomplice to their production. It’s a nice moment to refresh yourself after the intense “5years (VICIOUS SERENITY).”
“i love the rain” pulsates in puddles of gleaming synths while botanical anomaly’s vocals dance around them in Yeule-like fashion. It’s an extremely ethereal listen that’s peppered by a quiet junglebeat.
“blue sun” comes back swinging with a rough and tough beat that skids along dreamscapes. This track is swift and stylish.
“future perfect” is a notched haze that coats botanical anomaly’s voice as “away” echoes throughout the track.
“splash” feels serene yet springy- you’d almost expect Bladee to start rapping over it. It’s like falling into a dream- nothing but a beautiful freefall.
All in all, this was a fun ambient vaporwave and breakbeat album. Listening to this album feels like exploring a digital world, where code is running along the walls and a sea of blue stretches out as far as you can see. It was a crystal clear listen, though at times, heavy on the ambience. If you enjoy vaporwave, breakbeat, or mallsoft music, this’ll definitely be up your alley. I also strongly recommend listening to DreamWeaver’s 2020 release, “Cloud9.”
★★★.75
Favorite Tracks: “winter wing,” “blue garden,” “blue sun,” and “splash.”
Stream blue garden on Spotify and Apple Music.
Support DreamWeaver on Bandcamp.
