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Saga (The 16th Independent Music Award Winner)

by Dark Model

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1.
Prelude 02:00
2.
Avalon 04:00
3.
4.
Survivors 05:11
5.
6.
Labyrinth 03:53
7.
8.
9.
Elegy 1 04:54
10.
11.
12.
13.

about

NEWS: April 2018, "Saga” won the 16th Annual Independent Music Award (IMA) for Best Dance/Electronica Album.

More progressive, melodious, and dramatic. This second album takes the audience on an epic high-energy journey through 13 tracks of massive electronic beats with intricately layered orchestral sound.

- Album & "Survivors" Reviews (as of Mar 24, 2017) -

“With a rhythm section entrenched in the electronic spectrum, soaring and anthemic strings and classical-inspired organ lines comprise the lead melodic force. The blare of brass around 02:20 signals a melodic shift, into mariachi-like territory — before reverting back into symphonic anthemic bliss around the three-minute mark. Never dull, “Survivors” and fellow recent release “Storm Goddess” show Oe’s production-based power well.”

(Mike Mineo, Obscure Sound)

“What a clash on differences yet when you finally listen to the finish product, boy, you cannot help but be blown away at how beautifully he can make it work.”

(Aaron Escobedo, Verge Campus)

“‘Survivors’ is one of Saga’s lead singles and features a compelling cross between electronic and classical music to create a world around Oe’s aural landscape. It’s a scintillating movement capable of weaving characters and a setting into place within the mind’s eye as you listen.”

(Jonathan Frahm, For Folk’s Sake)

“Oe merges the dramatic and cinematic sweep of orchestral music with the enthusiastically rhythmic and dancy effusion of electronica on the 13 robust and rousing tracks that comprise Saga. The single Survivors showcases Oe’s adept merging of these two supposedly disparate genres into one entrancing whole.”

(Jen Dan, Indie Music Review)

“Powerful and engaging, Dark Model has fastened a makeshift of fantastical elements, providing both real and unreal details into this sweeping and highly charged conceptual album.”

(My Nguyen, The Celebrity Cafe)

“Picture yourself with a bag of skittles and you pour every single color inside of your mouth so that you can taste the rainbow. This is the same thing but happening through your speakers.”

(JourneyThroughTheHorizons, We Sound Strange)

“We immediately sense a new different sound from award-winning music producer Tatsuya Oe as he states this album focuses more on epic, emotional, and beat-oriented orchestral electronic music.”

(Harrison Morgan, EDM Sauce)

“Dark Model’s music will make you want to suit up for some form of ultimate fantasy battle with orcs and wizards and hordes of dark elves.”

(Substream Magazine)

- About Dark Model -

Dark Model is the latest project of award-winning music producer Tatsuya Oe, focused on epic, emotional, and beat-oriented orchestral electronic music. Oe was born in Hiroshima, Japan and is now residing in New York. Oe has an exceedingly diverse background in music, which has continued to evolve over the course of his twenty-year career. He has released several hundred signature tracks under the names Captain Funk, OE, and Dark Model, while also having completed remixes and collaborative projects with other artists such as James Brown, Serge Gainsbourg, Ron Sexsmith, Chic, Simon Lebon, and Yoshihide Otomo. Music journalists have referred to Oe as the “Remix Wizard,” and the “Modern Renaissance Man,” “…sailing into the uncharted waters of dance music.” Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) described his music as “F***ing insane!”

Dark Model’s first album (2014) was nominated for the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards (The IMAs) in the Dance/Electronica Album category. Dark Model and Oe’s music has been featured in numerous media projects, from box office film trailers like “Elysium”, “The Paperboy”, and "Money Monster," to advertising campaigns for Lexus, Verizon "Droid," Xbox "Forza Motorsport 5", and to a contemporary dance choreography by Northern Ballet.

- "Musical Narratives” -

The music of Dark Model is based on a concept that Oe has unvaryingly embraced throughout his career: incorporating a diverse range of musical ideas and elements into what he calls “Musical Narratives." As can be heard in preceding releases such as Captain Funk's “Songs of the Siren,” chosen as "The Year in Music" by Billboard magazine, Oe has a keen interest in “building and telling a story through music.” In this album, "Saga," not only does the whole album form as one epic story consisting of thematic tracks (as represented by the adventurous "Avalon," "Survivors," the apocalyptic and uplifting "Rage and Redemptions," "Danse Macabre," and the introspective "Dawn of Resurrection"), but some tracks such as “Inferno Suite,” “Storm Goddess,” and “Elegy 1” are also composed as a self-contained "suite," a sequence of short musical dramas.

Oe likens his music production style to making an animated/manga film. Just as a director/animator would do "visually," he develops several characters, emotions, and actions "musically" into one time-based work.

- About the Artwork -

For the artwork of this album, Oe came up with an idea of creating Dark Model's Kamon (Japanese heraldic symbol/icon/brand) based on the real emblem of his family. In the era of feudalism, Kamon was heavily used to identify an individual or family, not only in peacetime but also in wartime. It worked as the most definitive and effective way of tightening their family bond (including their blood, root, and creed) and demonstrating the strength and authenticity to their enemy. Oe thought using the "evolved" Kamon for the artwork would be meaningful for representing the theme of this album as well as his identity as an artist. Under the concept, Oe's design team morphed and developed his Kamon substantially into the modern symbol.

credits

released March 24, 2017

All music composed and produced by Tatsuya Oe
Art Direction: Passion Yoko
CG: Yuichiro Akao
℗ © 2017 Model Electronic & Tatsuya Oe (JASRAC)
CD Cat No: MECD-1005 (Digipak)

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Dark Model New York, New York

Dark Model is a project by an award winning music producer Tatsuya Oe (who has also been well known as an electronic music master/club DJ Captain Funk), which focuses on futuristic, emotional, and edgy orchestral electronic music.

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