brightviolet
Madison, Wisconsin, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | AFM
Music
Press
It’s always a refreshing surprise to come across a new project with such a refined, inventive and cohesive sound. Under-the-radar producer duo brightviolet hit all the marks and more on their newly released EP orchid, touching on influences from lo-fi to indie to future bass over six dreamy and atmospheric instrumental tracks.
On the EP’s opening track “bicycle+yesterday,” the careful randomness of the glitches split the track into two distinct halves. The duo revisit this theme often, challenging the continuity of their tracks with quirky and inventive breaks where organic elements and thoughtful melodies command equal attention.
Orchid also features upbeat indie electronic single “Pink.” For new brightviolet listeners, the track is a perfect introduction to the simple beauty of their sound; layered textures and organic elements are supported by abundant low-end and soothing guitar riffs. On “Chlorine,” off-grid percussion with vocal chops and melodies interspersed make for an uplifting and hymnal lo-fi track.
As recent University of Wisconsin grads, the duo split across the state in their adult lives and continued to trade brightviolet tracks back and forth, impressively working on separate DAWs to cultivate orchid. Perhaps as a reflection on the period of change, the EP includes two beautiful brief monologues on “Channel” and “Past+Present.”
Luckily for fans of orchid, brightviolet has plenty more to explore. With remixes of Louis the Child’s “Better Not” to a criminally underrated 2017 EP “In Reality,” the diversity and magnetism of their catalog is incredibly strong. - River Beats
Sam and Ryan are the Madison, WI-based duo behind brightviolet and they recently dropped their new EP, “orchid”. Influenced by lo-fi hip-hop, warm indie tones, and electronic textures, these six distinct yet cohesive tracks lead listeners through the sharp contrast between Wisconsin’s relentless winters and memorable summer nights.
Through these six is Pink where organic layers weave with throbbing textures. Vocoded vocals stretch with the tranquil embers of nightfall and a pitter-patter of elements roll, flutter, and drift from one season to the next. - Ohestee
A few weeks back, producer duo brightviolet dropped a new single “all of me” with Milwaukee-based folk-pop artist Bear in the Forest. Today, the crew returns with a DIY music video for the upbeat summer single.
The track’s loose vocals and hip-hop percussion flow seamlessly above beautifully layered indie guitar melodies. Bear in the Forest’s gritty tone contrasts the softness of the instrumentation nicely, and his falsetto comes through perfectly to compliment the pianos during the track’s bridge.
On “all of me,” Bear in the Forest explains navigating the social perception of “masculinity” and how being in love with another male further raises the pressure. At one moment, he’s willing to give all of himself and the next is feeling betrayed. Through all of this, the theme of love prevails, as they explain:
“We all feel the pressure to fit into a certain idea of who we should be and hope this song encourages people live and love their truth. We tried to match this intention by using lots of candid footage of loving moments between friends at our favorite summer spots, like the Lake Michigan sand dunes." - River Beats
Discography
"orchid" 2019 self released
"in reality 2017 self released
Photos
Bio
brightviolet is the electronic music project of two best friends from wisconsin. the duo blends emotion-drenched harmonies with infectious grooves and playful sampling to tell their story. through their music and live performances, brightviolet's sam & ryan create a space for shared freedom, expression and escape from insecurity.
it's hard to pin down brightviolet's production to one genre or mood, but listeners typically find a textured, hip-hop/dance-flavored drum section that is easy to hold onto, while a myriad of synths, samples and vocal bits whirl about. Lushness, intricacy and a brave quirkiness set brightviolet apart from the rest of the electronic music world and allow the duo to tell their story authentically.
2019 saw brightviolet release a series of mixtape-style singles which hinted at an upcoming mood-shift. then, sam & ryan dove fully into their feelings with "orchid," a 6-song EP released 3/14/19. on the project, feelings of doubt, yearning and melancholy exist alongside nostalgia, pride and triumph. equally as complex as the emotional tones are the sonic choices found on "orchid", ranging from intimate personal dialogue to jarring police sirens and cassette static. with this project, the duo made a statement that their music, while danceable and fun, can (and will) be deeply personal.
brightviolet's discography spans more than three years of work. their first single, "alright" was posted on soundcloud in 2016 and quickly garnered attention (now sitting at ~130k soundcloud plays). their following releases, beachy and optimistic in tone, encapsulate sam & ryan's blossoming friendship and eagerness to make brightviolet something special. these sentiments culminated in their first EP "in reality." fans and press received the project well; "in reality" now sits at almost 30k listens on soundcloud with lead single "blush" carrying ~14k of those plays.
since they met at uw-madison in a music production club, sam and ryan have worked to establish a presence and core fan base in the city. in madison, brightviolet has hosted, headlined and supported many shows. possibly their greatest performance accomplishment came in october of 2019 when the duo sold nearly 60 tickets for a show and debuted a more "live" take on electronic music performance. previously, sam & ryan would DJ'ed\ their sets, but they now combine finger drumming, live sampling, looping and effects to seamlessly blend a wide variety of entirely-original music. response to this new performance style has been warm. since that october show, brightviolet has played a whopping 12 local shows in just under two months. whether performing in a basement or on the main stage, the duo brings a truly infectious energy to their live shows.
brightviolet, at its core, is simply the expression of two friends' innermost struggles and triumphs. beyond that, this vulnerability inherently invites others to freely be themselves.
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