Dan Eshleman wears his heart on his musical sleeve.
Often laced with a pinch of melancholy, a sprinkle of nostalgia or a side salad of introspection and always delivered with a crisp, synthwave-like sense of sonic gloss and space… Akuratyde music is a rich weave of feels, emotionally poignant enough to thaw the frostiest of souls.
In the past a great deal of his work has dealt with very personal themes of loss with his music carrying a palpably heavy heart. But on his latest album Head First we hear a somewhat more buoyant sense of energy. The emotion is still so thick your ears can taste it, but there’s a very clear sense of hope and a brightness in the mix that we’ve only ever been teased with in the past.
This is all down to the chapter of his life that’s inspired it… Head First was written between 2021-2022 as Daniel was commandeering one of the most bewildering chapters an adult can go through; parenthood. Written during the sleepless emotional highs and lows of his first year as a father, there’s a special energy and character to the album he’s not displayed in his music before. It’s an energy he’s also translated into this beautiful mix that ranges from deep autonomic to springy sci-fi D&B by way of many of his own productions…
Find out more + grab the full tracklist exclusively in our interview:
Follow Akuratyde: @akuratyde