2018 Roundup // C418 - Excursions

2018 is coming to a close and we here at We Hate Music would like to highlight some of the records that slipped through the cracks. Happy Holidays and hope you enjoy.

September 7, 2018 - Self-released

Daniel Rosenfeld creates music under the name C418 and is responsible for some of the most listened to audio pieces in recent history. Though not a household name himself, Rosenfeld wrote the soundtrack to Minecraft, the second best-selling video game of all time as of this writing. The music for Minecraft has been hailed by people such as myself as works of minimal ambient genius that will firmly stand the test of time, no questions asked. After releasing physical copies of the Minecraft soundtracks on Ghostly International, Rosenfeld has focused on personal work, dropping projects here and there with little to no fanfare. As such, I missed the opportunity to speak on his latest album Excursions when it entered the world in September 2018.

I feel the need to disclose that I was raised on background music. Memories of childhood almost always include music that more often than not existed on the side of the spectrum that includes classical, smooth jazz, quiet storm, incidental, and ambient. To me, music’s purpose was, and still in some ways is, to fill the voids that occur in “real life,” like a life-soundtrack that can remain neutral or at least take a backseat to the emotions and moods that exist on the surface. While I have feet planted firmly in the world of the club, the active auditory arena, I still find myself drawn to the amorphous and ambient. Rosenfeld’s latest project is able to explore both worlds rather effortlessly.

The project opens with the titular track ‘Excursions,’ a piece filled with Rosenfeld’s signature echo room piano, strings, and field recordings. Rosenfeld remains within his comfort zone on the next few pieces, hopeful chord progressions atop minimal percussion with clipped digital and organic samples sprinkled throughout. Finnish producer Jukio “Kuabee” Kallio teams up for ‘Tingle,’ a more expansive track that builds its audio layers with a sense of storytelling.

‘Beton’ is a lengthy track of two disparate ideas coming to a head. A syrupy chord-focused dance anthem dominates the piece with a softer melodic section peeking through the gaps. ‘AMS’ cuts back to the comfort of an almost melancholy piano piece. It’s familiar territory for Rosenfeld, but his ability to play with note progressions and mood to create an otherworldly atmosphere keeps it from feeling too safe. The next track, ‘Thunderbird,’ pushes the envelope firmly into the realm of science fiction and fantasy, sounding like being both on a distant, barren moon, and like the middle of a tropical rainforest at once. The second half of this track keeps the same atmosphere but places it inside a dance club, in a rainforest, in space. It’s dark, but not hopelessly dark. Definitely a hopeful kind of dark.

The rest of the project takes those sentiments and runs with them. Softer introspective cuts like ‘Aviva,’ ‘ATX,’ and ‘Home’ act as intermissions to heavier, headier pieces. The formula remains fairly similar for these; ambient world-building into percussive drop and deliberate danceability. It’s not a new or groundbreaking format for music, but it works.

Minecraft connections aside, Rosenfeld is a master at crafting worlds for listeners to feel apart of. His music takes on a natural, sometimes somber tone that conveys at the same time a sense of nostalgia and a sense of exploration. The tension that results from these opposite forces, similar to the tension presented between ambiance and dance, drives Excursions, Rosenfeld, and listeners ever onwards and ever upwards. Here’s to not missing the next one. 🍍