Sweet Escapism/Grooves of the Deep

Sweet Escapism/Grooves of the Deep is the third and final single extracted from Akiba Jonze’s fourth album NEPTVNE and released on May 14 2017.

Background and production
“Sweet Escapism” was the first song recorded for NEPTVNE. It was originally meant to be a beatless ambient track but eventually, halfway through the recordings for “Moonscapes of Triton”, Akiba decided to leave the beats he was using as a reference in the song and thus transformed the entire concept behind the album. “Grooves of the Deep” was one of the last tracks recorded for the album and, as it was pretty much an upbeat reprise of “Sweet Escapism”, Akiba decided to put forward a single that would include both tracks.

The single includes both title tracks, an all-vocal mashup, a b-side, an intro and an outro.

Sweet Escapism/Grooves of the Deep was released through Mothermantra Records on May 14 2017.

Style
“Sweet Escapism” is a chill out track with electronic beats and a heavy emphasis on choral-styled backing vocals, although it also features a piano. The lyrics to the song depict the urge to escaping into a fantasized version of the depths of the ocean so as to flee from all problems.

“Grooves of the Deep” is an upbeat reprise of “Sweet Escapism” with a heavy emphasis on Akiba’s higher vocal register as opposed to the lower vocal register featured in “Sweet Escapism”. The lyrics to the song are in Spanish and they remain quite similar without being a translation (except for the repeated instances of the line “conozco un lugar”, which is a direct translation of “I know of a place”, often repeated in “Sweet Escapism”).

The single does not feature a remix of any of the title tracks, opting instead for an all-vocal beatless mashup of both tracks. It also includes an intro (“Come With Me”) and an outro (“Towards the Surface”), the latter serving as a conclusion to the universe of NEPTVNE.

The b-side “Source of Life” is a vocal improvisation without lyrics.

Track listing

 * 1) Come With Me
 * 2) Sweet Escapism
 * 3) Sweet Escapism/Grooves of the Deep (All-Vocal Mashup)
 * 4) Grooves of the Deep
 * 5) Source of Life
 * 6) Towards the Surface