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Schiller : Illuminate Review

Schiller : Illuminate Review

schiller-cdChristopher von Deylen is the mastermind behind Schiller and is one of Germany’s most successful electronic artists. This is proven by various #1 albums and numerous gold and platinum awards for his electronic music. Schiller is now releasing Illuminate, on which von Deylen is broadening his musical path, focusing on edgy electronic beats with catchy melodies. In addition, Schiller has returned to his electro-pop to create electronic sound worlds and pulsating rhythms.

“Empire Of Light” builds upon a guitar part as multiple layers stack to the theme. Schiller’s instruments’ sounds are full and natural sounding, adding to the appeal. The synth brings in a catchy melody as the dance beat fully develops. Light male vocal parts swim in the background as more layers of percussion, guitar, and synths continue to build. Schiller’s use of the guitar is the standout aspect on this track, I would have enjoyed a more extensive build to the drop and a pumping dance beat the last time, but the song still builds nicely.

“Exotica” has an interesting vocal part, but the auto-tune is too much for my taste. I love it when electronic artists keep the vocals natural, which adds another layer of organic sound to the mix. The synth melody is catchy and leads to a distant female vocalist singing. But, again, the vocals are too overproduced; shame everything else sounds terrific.

Illuminate has beautiful instrument sounds, and von Deylen’s use of layers is the high point. However, the overproduced vocals distract from his organic instrument sounds. Though electro-pop as a genre uses auto-tune, it does not add to the genre, or for that matter, Illuminate.

Schiller-Web

Schiller: Website

Overview
Artist Name

Schiller

Album Title

Illuminate

Release Date

March 10, 2023

Label

NITRON concepts

Overall Sound In Review Rating
Sound Quality
Vocal Quality
Songwriting
Buy Link

amazon

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About The Author
Shannon Smith
A fan of music my entire life. Should that be enough, well it is for me. Who buys music, the fans. Who listens to music, the fans. Like me, there are many like-minded individuals that daily search for meaningful and new music to add to their playlist, their soundtrack of life. A life without music would Bb. Yes, I have seen that saying floating around for years, and truth is, its #truth. So, may I introduce you to Shannon Smith (me). I am the editor. A music junkie that can’t get enough music in my life. A nerd (proudly), with some mad love for technology and design. It is that desire that sparked Sound in Review. Life is busy, the reviews are meant to ultimately introduce and briefly talk about the music. We have a section called SIR Quote: this is my way of saying thank you, to the countless artists making the world a place of expression. Show yours by rating each artists album, just as we have (collectively as writers), to show your support for your favorite artist.
1 Comments
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  • Bob
    March 11, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    I totally agree that the vocals, which used to be Schiller’s main attraction or at least bringing diversity into the albums, is now Illuminate’s weakest point. I have all albums, but this one is one of the weakest of them all. The choruses on many songs are so flat and dreary (Illuminate, Space, Quiet Love…). I never managed to sit this album out in one session. Never had that problem before bar the Epic album. It almost feels like production has taken away the magic, fairy dust and emotions. Yes, overproduced is the right word. I really wanted to love this album, but it just does not captivate me.

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