Twenty-year-old Sam Gellaitry, the son of a bagpipe maker from Stirling, Scotland, has had an unprecedented rise in fame over the past few years. Having started out releasing fun, playful tracks and remixes on Soundcloud under the alias Synth-E-Sam, Gellaitry has gradually been moving in a different, mature, more refined direction.
Influenced by experimental trap music from artists like RL Grime and Mr. Carmack, Gellaitry signed onto the up-and-coming record label Soulectio and within a short amount of time has found himself touring around the world with other like-minded producers, people who have also used streaming services, like Soundcloud or Bandcamp to gather a respectable following. The EP “Short Stories,” his first major project released in 2015, was an enormous leap for the Scottish producer and a brilliant showcase of his talent and diverse repertoire. His sound is overwhelmingly complex, from another world, with each new release getting busier, more layered, and more intricate.
“Escapism III,” the third and final addition to Gellaitry’s “Escapism” series, is some of his most polished work to date. Since the first “Escapism” EP, the series has transitioned from fun, bombastic trap bangers to more serious, cinematic soundscapes. In contrast to his earlier work, which was simple and punchy, very to the point, his newer releases have been incredibly ambitious. The number of samples being panned from one ear to the other make it hard for the listener to take it all in at once, and with each new listen, another layer of sound reveals itself.
“Jungle Waters” has a dreamlike opening, filled with harps and a slowly building string section that eventually dominates the track. Then, Gellaitry does what he does best, flipping the instrumental on its side with skull-crushing drums and trippy, diverse synths. The bass on this track is the most impressive part, staying powerful and in the front, while not taking away from anything else. This is what separates Gellaitry from other young producers, his ability to let each individual sound in his tracks shine on their own, not letting anything become too crowded.
“Ceremony” is a glitchy, fast-paced adventure, packed with rubbery, high-pitched noises and choir samples. It is the closest thing to a pure trap song on the whole EP, but is not as memorable as some of Gellaitry’s other songs in that style like “Paper” or “Long Distance.” A long, wailing sitar sounds off on “Acres,” another track dominated by slowly building soundscapes. This track is all about Gellaitry experimenting with the sounds of other cultures, possibly made while touring unfamiliar territory.
“I love imagining my fans getting lost in my tracks, just as you would in a book or when exploring,” Gellaitry explained in a recent press release. “When I realized my escape would turn into what I do for a living, naming the project Escapism only felt right.”
Strange sounds fill the listener’s head in “Ever After,” in what turns out to be a stunning ending, wrapping everything up without leaving any stones unturned. A dense, aggressive synth fights against live recorded drums and atmospheric sound effects, with dizzying percussion digging away in the back. “Ever After” is similar to “Acres” in the way that it experiments with using foreign instruments and unorthodox melodies. Gellaitry is a producer who is not afraid to confuse his listeners by playing around with a vast assortment of sounds.
“Escapism III” is not as memorable as Gellaitry’s other releases, but is a solid addition to a body of work made by somebody who is not even old enough to buy a drink, so hats off to that. Keep an eye on this kid as he is pushes electronic music into a unique, bizarre and fascinating direction.
