PRESS REVIEWS

Supermoon Moonlight Part I

Tuneloud Magazine

“Supermoon Moonlight Part One” is the debut electronic album from Forest Robots – a project of Los Angeles based Fran Dominguez. Occupied with our connection to, and the preservation of nature, the project which began as a letter to Fran’s daughter and has now expanded into a global communication of caring from Forest Robots. This artist seems to come from nowhere with his phenomenal debut album and he immediately puts his stamp on what Ambient and instrumental electronic music should sound like, seamlessly intertwining ambient sound, synthesizers, and digital drums to create beautiful, stylized, emotional and unique soundscapes. The album contains flawless compositions, never trite, always building to a delightful purpose and concluding at just the right moment in each piece. The music keeps you engaged, not so much that you feel imposed upon, but enough because you want to follow and savor each note and intermingling chord and riff.

“Supermoon Moonlight Part One” has no wasted meandering, no trying to stretch out each piece just to fill space, there is also no sense of urgency to finish, just a very smooth enjoyment through each composition, and when you’re done listening, you’ll want to do it all over again. No matter what kinds of music you like, if you are the least bit adventurous, you will appreciate this work. It represents, arguably, the peak of its genre. And that’s saying a whole lot for a debut recording. Forest Robots’ selection and control of sounds and layering is a delight to the ears.

Right from the opening track, “A Path Among The Woods”, the compositions are more harmonically interesting than most electronica artists and Forest Robots’ rhythmic sense is subtle and polished, and not guilty of the awkwardness or formulaic tedium that too often burdens electronic artists. Both ethereal and grounded, sometimes-slow moving, melodic lines move about in the imagination, conjuring up mental landscapes that fully come into focus. Which is what happens on the wistful “Times When I Know You Watch The Sky I”. It’s “Shapes Shift In The Distant Shadows” which figures as the first standout track with its incessant synth buzz and driven beat.

“Last Silvers of Moon” has an overall sheen and slickness that disguises some very carefully worked out musical details, hidden in plain view within its minimalist piano driven musical ideas and instrumental and choral textures. “Silhouettes Follow The Echoes” avoids superficiality, or just plain brainless electronica, by means of a slowly evolving musical landscape that is imbued with optimism, warmth and an unpretentious musical integrity. “Then The Spider Turned Into a Cloud” exudes a melodic space and creates an other-worldly atmosphere where the listener becomes thoroughly entrenched in the celestial microcosm Forest Robots’ manifests here.

On “Mandelbrots In Winter” the rhythmic music will take you to deep places within your awareness, while the melody tries not to be complicated. This is a song of haunting beauty and a layered, transcendental sounding theme. “While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind” has an almost post-rock attraction with its harder beat that sucks you into moments of synthetic vertigo. “By The Stillness of The Lake” has a sense of celebratory melancholy that is difficult to replicate in many other listening experiences. Forest Robots closes the album on a high and upbeat note with “Follow the Towers to the Moon”, with its swirling melodic build-ups that end in joyful light dance grooves.

On “Supermoon Moonlight Part One” you will find aural soundscapes, gently evoked moods and distinct rhythms, but this is music that touches your very core. It talks to you and folds you into its melodic conversation. Definitely recommended.

Klef Notes

When does music transform from just being artistic to art? Well, one can say after listening to a track or album where the music, artist’s vocals, and/or instrumental direction is creative or inventive, and that makes the piece artistic. But for music to be considered ART, its creativity or inventiveness must be from a place so deep from inside of the artist’s core that it is as if the artist’s fingerprint is placed on the entire project – it becomes personal and unique. It should be as if you are spying through a looking glass. You can hear how the work is not only trendy or impressive, but it is special – then, it is art. So, I’d like to introduce my readers and music aficionados to Forest Robots’ music. His music is art containing 75% character and 25% music.

Forest Robots (known as Fran Dominquez) is a music composer who resides in Los Angeles who has gifted the Indie Music community with his art. His music is passionate and visual, and it allows for you to journey through his mind and moments while deeply pondering your very own life. His recent release is titled “SuperMoon Moonlight Part One” and is a two-part musical series that he composed to teach his beautiful daughter about the world around her – its natural beginnings, its vitality, and to gain an appreciation of our marvelous planet’s surroundings.

Ten tracks are included on “SuperMoon Moonlight Part One”:

A Path Among the Woods
Times When I Know You Will Watch the Sky
Shapes Shift in The Distant Shadows
Last Silvers of Moonlight
Silhouettes Follow the Echoes
Then the Spiders Turned into Clouds
Mandelbrots In Winter
While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind
By the Stillness of The Lake
Follow the Towers to The Moon

While each track houses an amazing musical narrative, I will focus on the five tracks that held the premise so tightly that the musical narrative’s emotion and drive is felt first hand time you set your ear to this collection. Since this LP is a “love letter” to his daughter “about the wonders of nature,” it is only fitting that Forest Robots awakens your insight and clear your ears so to speak with the opening track “A Path Among the Woods.” More Synth-Pop in feel, this track kicks off the EP by unveiling the hidden narrative with its title. When you stumble across a path made in the woods, the first thought is “who made this?” Then, you think, “where does it lead?” right? And that is exactly what Forest Robots has done with his opening track’s title – with this title, he wonderfully excites the imagination even before the music begins. But when the music filled with ambiance does begin, it is as if the light gets brighter and brighter. Forest Robots achieves this illuminating effect by layering synths at the right tempo and at the right sections on the track while leaving that muted monstrous 808 crawling at the bottom treading the entire track. The mystery and curiosity!

“Times When I Know You Will Watch the Sky” opens sublimely with a euphoric synth melody that plays like a child’s jewelry box when it opens, and it instrumentally gives off that feeling one gets when they are star gazing and pondering over the many wonders of the sky. It is thought-provoking the way Forest Robots builds the track’s Electronic R&B foundation from a small synth to the booming bass, followed by the rushing bassline like the cosmos. This is musical phenom of wonder and fantasy all wrapped in one.

One chord, and “Last Silvers of Moonlight” will captivate you! If Beethoven was composing today, I think this track would be a part of his symphony – it’s that manic piano dancing electrically with quiet synths so organized and smooth. The same way the woods captivate its visitors, this track will leave you breathless and spellbound. Meandering through the entire piece is that hypnotic piano played by Forest Robots just draws you in. Never shortchanged by the Classical harmonic vocal-effect synths, the piano is wonderfully following its lead. This track has texture, balance, illusion, and spontaneity. Seriously, it is quite impressive!

In the typical way that art translates differently from one viewer to the next, great instrumental music does the same thing when composed correctly, and Forest Robots nailed it on his eighth track “While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind.” For me, there is only one word that describes Forest Robots’ eighth track, and that is CHILDHOOD. By using the technique of incorporating nostalgic sound FX with soft instrumentation, Forest Robots was able to pen an impressionable piece of music. It’s the distant children speaking in the background effect spliced with the pounding ethos-like distorted synth that progresses, that humble bassline, and the wonder-evoking bells that makes this track just give off an evolving vibe. And what better symbol of evolving than to grow up. Growing up is a part of life that brings pains, joys, mystery, excitement, and exploration, and it echoes that new horizon, journey, and/or path for both the child and the parent. This is what “While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind” established musically for me. It is like maturation set to music – this imagery so clear.

“Follow the Towers to the Moon” to me is like saying “follow your dreams no matter where they lead – live your life as yourself and be free.” And in that case, what a way to close your letter to your child. And let’s talk about the synthesizers on this clip: when that one beat hits and then pauses allowing for the synths to speak, and then the beat builds into a nostalgic-like rhythmic old school Hip-Hop track, it is as if the journey will continue. The echo-effect laced onto the background rhythm synths is almost conversational. And those hand-claps showcase the artist’s ability to mesh both the classic with the modern. In addition, that bass gives off a Techno-Funk vibe that makes this track one of the most danceable in the collection. Great to end on a high-note. If you love classic Dance instrumentation that was heard in the 1980s combined with modern command to the beat, then you will LOVE “Follow the Towers to the Moon.” Synthesizers revel in this clip!

First off, I’d like to say that I think it is ah-some that a father loves his little girl so much that he composed such a collection of beautiful music. To set out and achieve a musical piece of art like this takes passion, skill, time, understanding of the world, and love. Every beat, timed-sustain, stroke, blend, pull back, climb, and finale all comes from the artist’s core making it ART, and this type of art is priceless. The five tracks that I touched on in this review jumps out at you when you first listen and quickly sets up the imagery of Forest Robots’ narrative so that the artwork is clearly seen. These tracks allow for the narrative to be seen and understood without needing any vocals.

Please also take a listen to the remaining six tracks so you get the full picture and artist’s scope. It is no mystery that Forest Robots is a genius when it comes to enveloping his listeners into the music and pulling them waist-deep into his music and passion, so we can see the world around us and gain a real appreciation. When listening to “SuperMoon Moonlight Part One” it is as if you can vicariously explore nature and appreciate the difference and allure. To be frank, if one were to say that “SuperMoon Moonlight Part One” is just another instrumental album, well, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” must be just another film. Neither is “just another” anything, they are ART. In comparison to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, both are revolutionary and sublime at the same time. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” introduced the masses to an entirely different take on cinematography and I feel like Forest Robots is going to achieve that same feat within the Instrumental Music realm – he is changing a concept and direction, and this is spearheaded with “SuperMoon Moonlight Part One.”

To push the envelope is one thing, but to make sure that envelope goes off the table and make a change is quite another – it is daring and so appreciated.

Stereo Stickman

This upcoming album by Forest Robots offers audiences a unique experience, one in which elements of the natural world and those of a more electronically sourced ocean of sound combine to create a truly immersive, enjoyable form of escapism. Follow The Towers to the Moon is the leading single from the release, a beautiful introduction to the artist and to the journey that will come with the full-length project.

The music is complex yet calming – while you can feel the wave of warmth and optimism put forth by the ambiance, you can also pick out and connect with a few very specific riffs and streams of colour, which really allows you to embrace the musicality of the piece and to see something recognisable and characterful within it.

Elsewhere on the album, listeners can expect to be guided along a number of thoughtful and creatively exploratory pathways. There is plenty of rhythm, certain levels of uplifting energy from time to time. There’s also a notable element of delicacy, and even, in contrast, a sense of intensity. All of this at once can be found within the likes of A Path Among The Woods. This is a piece that offers a truly captivating experience, moving from the spacious and intimate, the organic and partly tribal – human – to the all-encompassing, overwhelming, other-worldly, and then back again; within just a couple of minutes. If ever there is to be an audio-representation, a replica or outline of what it is to escape into the natural world or into the unlimited wanderings of the mind, this album comes pretty close.

To take a single track from the collection is enjoyable and offers a few minutes of atmospheric-ambiance, among which you can effectively let go of your concerns for a while. However, the project in full is where the true beauty and strength exists. Forest Robots is a perfectly fitting name for an artist who crafts these kind of considerate and conscious arenas of music. Beautifully done.

The Faulkner Review

Forest Robots is the musical brainchild of electronic artist and composer Fran Dominguez and this project has an interesting and unusual genesis. It began when he began pictorially documenting his travels to the Sierra Nevada mountain range. When his daughter was born, he started to attach narratives to his collections to teach his daughter about the wonders of nature. This led to feeling inspired to compose music to go with these narratives and Forest Robots was born.

This album, Supermoon Moonlight Part One, consists of ten instrumental tracks in the electronica/ambient genre. Dominguez cites various influences as musical inspiration, including electronic and ambient artists like Brian Eno, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada but also artists like Nick Drake, David Bowie and Radiohead. His overall intention with this album is to inspire a love of nature and encourage people to preserve our natural lands.

It opens with the haunting A Path In The Woods, which melds beautiful harp-like melodies with a skittish, complex electronica beat and atmospheric synths. It builds gradually, developing into a shimmering soundscape that has a pleasingly hypnotic effect. A captivating way to start the album.

Second track, Times When I Know You Will Watch The Sky, Pt.1, is even more dreamy. Consisting of interweaving melodic patterns and a subtle but highly intricate beat, the swirling glockenspiel-esque synth sounds create a magical tapestry which immerses the listener and instils a meditative mood.

Shapes Shift In The Distant Shadows maintains the mood and is another five minute track, though this one is somewhat closer to mainstream electronica. It is built around a laid back four-to-the-floor rhythm, which develops into something restlessly inventive with all manner of syncopations and rhythmical intricacies flitting in and out of the mix. It is held together by the constancy of synth melodies which hold the attention till the end.

Fourth track Last Slivers of Moonlight is rather different. A moody, minimalistic and repetitive but addictive melody manoeuvres through some unusual harmonic changes and modulations and it brought to mind Philip Glass’s classical/ambient masterpiece Koyaanisqatsi. It shares the same restlessness and intensity, perfectly capturing the mood of a late night moon.

The beautifully titled Silhouettes Follow The Echoes then takes us into a more traditional electronic realm, developing into a Jean Michel Jarre-esque ambient journey with a pulsing beat. The high-end synth melodies add a lot of atmosphere, giving the music a crystalline texture. It’s perhaps the most instant track here and would make great soundtrack music.

Things turn rather weird and wonderful with the mindbending Then The Spider Turned Into A Cloud. With just a sparse but subtly intricate glitch beat, a lead melody drifts across the top, constantly morphing and pitch bending. It has a rather disorientating effect, but also induces the enjoyable otherworldly feeling you get from the best 60’s psychedelia.

And there’s more than a touch of the psychedelic in these titles, as shown by seventh track Mandelbrots In Winter. Mandelbrot was the 20th century mathematician who pioneered fractal theory and so this is presumably a musical depiction of snowflakes or other fractal shapes found in nature in winter. It’s one of the more opaque tracks, with an ominous bassline that never quite goes where you expect, melodically.

White Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind returns to more melodic climes, with a cluster of intertwining, soaring synth melodies set to a funky beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on a hip hop record. This is one of the strongest arrangements and melodies on the album, with subtle musique concrete low in the mix helping to retaini the album’s consistent air of mystery.

Ninth track By The Stillness Of The Lake is as tranquil and beatific as the title suggests, though at only one minute long it acts as a prelude to the last track, Follow The Towers To The Moon.

This one has a unique vibe, with a quirky, rubber-band bassline and a rather groovy Daft Punk-style beat. It somehow seems to combine the cumulative styles displayed across the album in a grand finale, with a fireworks display of synergistic synth melodies deployed in a dazzlingly tapestry. It’s an apposite way to complete what’s felt like an epic sonic adventure.

Overall, this is a fascinating album that manages to give seemingly abstract instrumental music a sense of narrative and progression. This has been achievable due to the authentic inspiration of experiencing nature, which kick-started the whole project. The quality of the composition and production is first rate, which is all the more impressive as Fran Dominguez does it all himself, entirely. Fans of ambient and music lovers, in general, will find much to enjoy here and hopefully will feel inspired themselves to go out and appreciate nature in all its glory.

VERDICT: 8.7 out of 10

Alex Faulkner

Warlock Asylum International News

Earlier this year, I had the honor of interviewing a truly gifted composer and electronic musician of our modern era. Currently based out of Los Angeles, California, Fran Dominguez a.k.a. Forest Robots has spent a lifetime perfecting his craft that he fell in love with at an early age. Usually when we hear about the escapades of electronic music, our minds become bombarded with thoughts of outdated gadgetry. Forest Robots, however, has taken electronic music to another level by making it organic and a tool to help us feel the world of nature that surrounds us in his new album SuperMoon Moonlight Part One.

SuperMoon Moonlight Part One is a full-length album of ten tracks. The mood of the album is built with its opening selection. A Path Among The Woods is a melting pot of cerebral sounds that create an atmosphere perfect for reflection, much like our time spent with nature. Following A Path Among The Woods is the astronomical and starry Times When I Know You Watch The Sky. Its title is more than fitting, as the bright keyboard riff simulates the dancing light of stars above us.

Forest Robots does an excellent job in maintaining the album’s continuity by maximizing the structure of its compositions and variations in instrumentation, as evident from tracks like the tantalizing Then The Spider Turned Into A Cloud. This tune possesses a very etheric backdrop that puts a nice accent on the track. Follow The Towers To The Moon completes the album. As the album’s lead single, Follow The Towers To The Moon comes with a cool video and attention-grabbing drum programming. This is definitely the way to end a brilliant album.

SuperMoon Moonlight Part One by Forest Robots is filled with musical gems and nostalgia. Forest Robots does an excellent job in exploring nature through the guise of a futuristic landscape that is more than just a sunny day in the park. This is an album that will take you to a sonic oasis for life.

The Bandcamp Diaries (1st Editorial Review)

Forest Robots has just released his much-anticipated album “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” which is one of the most forward-thinking instrumental albums that I’ve had the chance to enjoy in recent times. The first song on this eclectic and diverse album is titled “A Path Among The Woods.” The track is a futuristic electronic composition, infused with ethereal vibes. This song immediately draws you into the album and piques your curiosity as you hear this innovative and unique concept.

“Silhouettes Follow The Echoes” breaks up the album perfectly, with a darker, and more ominous energy that brings a lot of color and diversity to the album. The style of this song is intensely cinematic and evocative; it could fit perfectly in a post-apocalyptic film such as Blade Runner!

The stand out track on the album is “Last Silvers Of Moonlight”, once you listen to this song it is impossible to forget the intoxicating piano melodies, stylized synth, and visionary composition aesthetics.

“Follow The Towers To The Moon” is the last song on “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” and it leaves you feeling intensely satisfied after a roller-coaster soundscape experience. “Follow The Towers To The Moon” sums up everything that is right with this album, with a kaleidoscopic and mercurial style, which is really ahead of its time.

In the modern music industry, it is difficult to find emerging artists that bring something distinctive and new to the table.
Forest Robots fill this void beautifully. Their style is a refreshing reprieve from the usual cliches in this genre. With this release, the project shows that artists can still break boundaries and create appealing and authentic music. Listening to “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” means that you can enjoy a very immersive experience, allowing the sound to paint powerful pictures for your mind.

This kind of music is best enjoyed in your bedroom with the lights down low and headphones on. There are so many details and beautiful subtle moments that one listen won’t be enough.

Dancing About Architecture

A message can be a powerful thing, connecting and resonating far beyond its intended destination. And so this debut album from Forest Robots may have started as a love letter to the daughter of the man behind the music but now it is out in the wider world it is sure to reach and effect a new swathe of listeners. It is an album which uses orchestral sweeps, synthesised instrumental layers, electronic textures and skittering dance beats to create its soundscape, one designed to reflect on the beauty and delicate harmony of the world around us.

Even the titles evoke the majesty of our natural surroundings, Shapes Shift in The Distant Shadows explores the dark corners of the outside world, a shaded and brooding piece but one driven by a vibrant beat and While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind reminds us that the world is populated by myriad creatures all with their own instinct and thoughts. Do birds dream of the early light and a wind that will carry them to new climes? I like to think so. My favourite is Mandlebrots in Winter, perhaps a reminder of the ultimate complexity, circles within circles, of the world at large.

Super Moon Moonlight is less about individual song and more a suite of musical pictures and is best treated as such. Whilst any individual track can be taken on its own, this record is much more than the sum of its parts, a reflection of the world around us, a majestic sonic re-interpretation of the yet unspoilt beauty of our world and a prayer that it remains so.

Music too is a powerful tool and this suite of delicate yet potent moods and thoughts is perfect to induce thoughts about the damage we do to our home planet. It seems at a time when man is ever more driven by his own desires and material needs and the considerations for the havoc we reek less and less important, this meditative piece couldn’t have arrived at a better suited juncture.

Skope Magazine (Jessica Patron Review)

Inspiration usually comes from the most unexpected places. But when it arrives, it brings a definite change in the world. Fran Dominguez is an innovative electronic artist and a nature lover who has dedicatedly worked all his life to spread the beauty of nature through his passionate music.

Forest Robots is a solo project by him which had initially started as a love letter to his daughter presenting her the mesmerizing beauty of nature and then turned into the beautiful journey of melody. The album Supermoon Moonlight Part One is a collection of ten songs that has its foundation enrooted into the beautiful meadows, valleys and oceans of the universe.

While crafting this beautiful letter he had tried hard to inspire his daughter to explore the gifts of nature instead of covering her days sitting inside the room and work towards preserving the natural charm of our earth. Dominguez is now able to spread his charm over a wide range of audience with this new album which contains his magical words in a section of ten intriguing rhythmic melodies. The background music of the album is another unique feature that gives it a new creative edge and elegance. The musical association of synthesizers and orchestral instruments enhances the natural feel of the songs as they slip smoothly one after the other.

Though ten separate tracks, the songs can form an intense soulful journey of passion if they are played consecutively. ‘A Path Among the Woods,’ is the first song of the album that starts with a tuneful prelude and gradually progresses towards the main theme of the album. Just as Dominguez has always proclaimed, the songs are sung in the same intensified ambiance which provokes the audience to smell the charm of nature outside their house, mind, and soul. It speaks about the beauty that is independent and barren, yet that intoxicates much stronger than an addictive drug. ‘Times when I know you watch the sky’ and ‘Silhouettes follows the echoes’ are the songs which further establishes the path already set by the initial songs. With a catchy melodious chorus, the song has the power to pump blood into the deadest hearts.

The songs deepen the theme further and keep synchronizing the various tunes of the album into a strong intensified lyrical section. In an era when people are no longer attached to the natural aura of the environment, Dominguez has worked well to inspire the young hearts to feel and preserve the nature for their future generations.

The album is surely an inspiration that talks about the life that is outdoor, that has no restrictions, that needs care, something that is beautiful and lively. The musical variation, the upbeat sections and the soul-enriching content in the songs is sure to keep the audience interested and absorbed throughout the album. Prominently much importance is given to retain a high sound quality throughout the whole album. Being a visual engineer, he has worked well with the digital effects on the song, keeping it minimal yet appropriate.

The newly released album Supermoon Moonlight Part One is a unique journey of ten innovative melodies that have the capacity to inspire young hearts to travel outside the regular bondage of cemented walls and enjoy the mystic flavors of nature.

Electro Wow

Forest Robots’ first album examines the wonders of nature through music. ‘Supermoon Moonlight, Pt. One’, was born after the LA composer explored the landscapes at Sierra Nevada. According to the artist, this record makes a call to spend more time outdoors, and it’s especially dedicated to his daughter. Furthermore, if I am not mistaken, he features some elements of classical music in conjunction with pure Electronica. In addition, the song titles seem to be taken from a very poetic world that is correlated with the album name. This turns out to be a fantasy story in the midst of nature but there are no vocals, just exquisite ambient sounds.

Following, you will enjoy my concrete analysis track-by-track.

1 – A Path Among the Woods
There’s a strong distortion that intentionally alters the smooth composition, but at the same time, this becomes a magical effect. On the other hand, the harp that can be heard throughout the song gives this intro track a touch of refinement.

2 – Times When I Know You Watch the Sky, Pt 1
The continuous chimes remind me a little of the Christmas season. Indeed, I also found myself immersed in its cinematic beat construction.

3 – Shapes Shifts in the Distant Shadows
Here we have lively electronic music and something more danceable in comparison with the previous two that are designed rather to contemplate them sitting on the sofa or lying on the bed.

4 – Last Silvers of Moonlight
A dark piano melody will captivate you from the beginning to the end. The first thing that comes to mind is a horror or thriller movie. An excellent piece that makes a contrast with the rest of the tracks of this album. I really think Forest Robots has a brilliant future as a composer of soundtracks for Hollywood movies.

5 – Silhouettes Follow the Echoes
For a moment, I felt I was floating in space. It might sound funny to say, but this song applies very well to astronauts. By all means, he creates a progressive tune and its rhythm becomes more intense little by little.

6 – Then the Spider Turned into a Cloud
The slow and gentle sound creates a mysterious atmosphere. I would venture to say he also incorporates oriental sounding instrumentation at the same time.

7 – Mandelbrots in Winter
At the start, I thought this was very relaxing but then the TR-808 drum beats came to provide dynamism and something vibrant to the whole song. Without this last element, this could have been a downtempo number.

8 – While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind
Once again, I think he repeats the same synths that were used on the previous track. The only difference I found is the presence of new audio effects that seem to come from outer space.

9 – By the Stillness of the Lake
This is the shortest song from the album. With just one minute and seventeen seconds, Forest Robots designs a soundscape that feels delicate. A little melody that incites you to enter the alpha state of mind.

10 – Follow the Towers to the Moon
The album has a great ending with bright melodies. An array of colorful electronic textures are properly calibrated to leave listeners with a memorable experience.

In conclusion, if the day has you stressed or worries go round and round in your head, then ‘Supermoon Moonlight, Pt. One’ is the best free medicine. Just close your eyes and chill out with these wonderful compositions.

Beach Sloth

Forest Robots sculpts a dreamy realm on the ambient pop bliss of “Super Moon Moonlight Part One”. Rather blissful, everything about the sound feels so warm and welcoming. Melodically rich, Forest Robots sculpts a fully-formed luxuriant atmosphere which has a hazy, lovely quality to it. Pieces play off each other which helps tie the entirety of the album together. Opting for a wide array of color to enter into the mix everything simply feels so alive. Completely wordless yet even within this wordlessness Forest Robots creates a compelling narrative. Reminiscent of Boards of Canada’s early joyous work, Forest Robots taps into a uncanny kind of grace.

“A Path Among The Woods” embarks on a grand journey, opening up the album with true style. The fragile “Times When I Know You Watch The Sky” goes for a light, airy approach. Even the beats have a certain restraint to them. Propelled with the help of a soothing groove “Shapes Shift in the Distant Shadows” serves as one of the album highlights, moving forward with true determination. Going for a theatrical take “Last Silvers Of Moonlight” at times captures a truly dramatic aura. Truly profound “Silhouettes Follows The Echoes” serves as the heart and soul of the entire album. Psychedelic informs the slow-moving “Mandelbrots In Winter”. Perfectly ending the album is playful electro of “Follow The Towers To the Moon”.

With “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” the way Forest Robots allows these many layers to interact lends it a majestic, stately aura.

Nataliez World

Where to even start with a name like "Super Moon Moonlight Part One" by Forest Robots. The titling of their debut full-length album crossed with me, as it appeared to be the labeling of an attack, given to a magical girl off a Japanese anime film, series, or manga of said culture. But when it turned out it had no relation or intention of the Japanese culture, it was sure disappointment. But nevertheless, Forest Robot's debut album, may not be in tune with this other culture but has a whole another meaning behind it entirely.

According to Fran Dominguez, the sole member behind this act, also being the musical machinist, visual engineer and literate savant, he says that Forest Robots is actually a love letter to his daughter, about the wonders of nature. It being a collection of photos and music that was written to accompany said pieces, in the hopes of instilling his daughter with the benefits' of spending time outdoors, preserving the importance of our public lands and all there is to offer and take in from it and its beauty. This debut album "Super Moon Moonlight Part One", being that very glimpse into the visual and music of which is Forest Robots. So with sharing this with others, that the hope of which they will be inspired as well, spending time outside, taking in all there is to offer, if not perhaps even becoming an advocate for personal benefits of the outdoors and the importance of preserving what we hold dear and then some. Thus, with that said, three of the tracks to come from this album include such as "Follow The Towers To The Moon" , "Times When I Know You Will Watch The Sky", and "Shapes Shift In the Distant Shadows".

These songs mentioned, as well as the rest, combine purely instrumental structure throughout each piece, no vocals given time upon this album. Now that may be a downer for some but in reality, it makes the music more at peace. More of as you say, relaxing piece of art that flourishes the music, as it combines the use of such instrumentation as the synthesizer, guitar riffs, and bass lines to create a rather electronic yet funky joinery that sends you into a groovy state of mind and being as one self.

In other words, the music is a mix between soft rock and EDM. Not so much into the EDM sense, but close enough. The music just has you feeling so different, so calm and collected with yourself and all else around you as well. It's a style of music that can be heard by either dancing along to it, or enjoying it by just listening in to it as a whole. You will be sucked into the matter, as the music consumes you. This being how Forest Robots' music just works out.

It makes you feel things, but still is very catching yet soothing, making the whole listening experience at the time, become so worth it, it makes the listener at hand, wanting more, because it seems to be endless yet flawless.

Iggy Magazine

Forest Robots is no stranger to our team. A few weeks ago we published an article reviewing his latest single at the time, “Times When I Know You Will Watch The Sky Pt I”. This track allowed us to get to know an artist distinguished for making remarkable instrumental music that has the ability to transport you into musical hypnosis. For an independent artist, the quality of the music far exceeds the size of its budget. The music’s strengths lie in its ideas and creativity and it’s one of the things we love most about this project.

Forest Robots is about to release an album called “Supermoon Moonlight Part I”, a project that was a pleasure to listen to and we have no doubt it will attract your attention as well. Forest Robots, whose real name is Fran Dominguez, gives us an album of ten songs characterized by extensive experimentation that is quite exciting and does a fine job of living up to the imagery of each song title.

If you are fond of unique artistic discoveries, some of the album’s tracks such as “While Birds Dream Of Dawn And Wind”, “Last Silvers Of Moonlight” and the latest single, “Follow The Towers To The Moon”, are artistic experiences that beckon to be lived out to enjoy to the fullest. However, you do not need a special set of keys to access the universe that Forest Robots inhabits, the music awaits the listener with wide open arms, ready to envelop you as soon as you start listening.

Emerging Indie Bands

The US ambient electronica project of Fran Dominguez – Forest Robots – released the LP Supermoon Moonlight Part One yesterday. The ten track album (available on Bandcamp) is best approached with plenty of time on hand to listen to the full heading towards three quarters of an hour of gently bubbling compositions, which work as a single body, rather than snatching glimpses.

Forest Robots creates, unexpectedly given the name of the project and the array of electronica deployed, music which has the effect of forming the almost tangible organic presence of a dappled moonlight flickering through a canopy of breeze brushed leaves, in a quiet wood.

Wreck My Brain

The combination of nature and synth – forest and robot – is a strange concept to fathom. No longer is that so thanks to Fran Dominguez and his solo project Forest Robots. An LA-based electronic music composer who has stuck at his craft and created a specialty in generating emotionally charged works of art, Dominguez has honed his talents into a debut album, entitled Supermoon Moonlight Part One.

The birth of his daughter and a mesmerizing trip through the mountain range of Sierra Nevada gave life to Forest Robots; where narratives and conceptual ideas could combine and thrive, ultimately creating the symbiotic soundscape heard on Supermoon Moonlight. Rooted deep in instrumental electronica and synthwave, Dominguez demonstrates his natural ability to merge two seemingly opposite ideas into one, merging the natural with the unnatural to create a beautiful, lasting legacy for his daughter to grow up around and appreciate.

To appreciate the balance of our modern lives and the nature surrounding us. We often get too caught up in the mundane aspects of our technological existence, so much so that we forget that there is a whole world waiting out there that we cannot replicate through our phone screens. Dominguez wants not only his daughter to see this, but for the rest of the world, too.

By beginning each of the ten tracks on the record with minimalism and a gradual build-up, Dominguez is able to firstly grab our attention with the strange sounds that eventually morph into a symphony of synths and punchy beats. It’s these preludes for tracks like ‘A Path Among the Woods’, ‘Times When I Know You Watch the Sky’, ‘Last Silvers of Moonlight’ and the diegetic sounds used in ‘Mandelbrots in Winter’ and ‘While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind’ that allow Dominguez to explore his conceptual goals whilst also bringing something completely new to the art of instrumentals; reminiscent of Cliff Martinez’s work on the 2011 masterpiece Drive.

As is stated in the press release for the record, Dominguez ‘mixes orchestral instruments with various synthesizers, filtered drum beats, and electronic pads to illustrate the beneficial dynamics of personal intimacy that can be achieved through connecting with nature on a deeper level.’ Supermoon acts as a preface for a longer story, that we all need to be comfortable – and able – to root ourselves in a future that isn’t heavily reliant on technology. We need each other, and we need the nature surrounding us.

But that isn’t to stop an amalgamation of the two, as Dominguez demonstrates through his debut that a firm grasp and balance between technological advancement in the music industry and a more traditional mindframe can create some of the most surreally beautiful soundscapes that I’ve ever heard.

A tight, clean production and a distinct singularity really sets Fran Dominguez / Forest Robots above his contemporaries. He does not lack style nor substance and has a heart rooted firmly within his family and the nature surrounding him. For a debut, Supermoon Moonlight Part One is simply sublime; I certainly hope that there is a Part 2 on the horizon.

The Bandcamp Diaries (2nd Editorial Review)

Forest Robots is a music project that truly stems from one of the most basic human instincts: a father’s love for his daughter. The outfit, created by Fran Dominguez is indeed self-described as a daddy’s love letter to a daughter, about the wonders of nature. In order to achieve that, Forest Robots crafts a unique melodic landscape with music, accompanying the sound with matching photographs to enhance the experience. Recently, the project set out to release a brand new studio effort - a full-length album titled “Supermoon Moonlight Part One.”

This particular release features 10 original tracks, which blur the lines between genres and styles, ranging from ambient to electro, and a lot more. The album’s wonderful opener is a track titled “A Path Among The Woods” - a suitable title for a song that feels like a great sonic journey! This track has a blend of tasteful 808-style beats with cool piano melodies and synth pads.

The opening track clocks in at 4.32, leaving room for the next song, “Times When I know You Will Watch The Sky.” This track has a beautiful organic feel, with stunning soundscapes that feel minimalistic, yet extremely rich and poignant. The beat and the melodies kick in, making for a swirly feel that almost makes me think of some of Radiohead’s later works (Think “Bloom”)

The third track, “Shapes Shift In Distant Shadows” is one of the most creative and forward-thinking arrangements on the whole album. I love how the beat interacts with the melodies, shape-shifting (no pun intended!) with taste and dynamics. The fourth track on this release “Last Silvers Of Moonlight,” is a truly remarkable track, with some lively and exciting piano melodies and ambiance drones that add a lot of depth to this mix.

“Silhouettes Follow The Echoes” is perhaps one of the most atmospheric tracks on this entire release. The synth pads are rich, dream-like and lush, making for a very ethereal tone. Up next is another charming track titled “Then The Spiders Turned Into A Cloud”

The song’s tone and composition are certainly matching the title’s visionary imagination, and this is also among the highlights of this album, evolving and taking a few different turns. The seventh track on the setlist is titled “Mandelbrots in Winter.” This song stays true to the identity and sonic formula of this album, but it certainly brings something quite new to the table, with some intriguing sound samples and some cool synth lines that have a nice old school feel. The beat is pure 90s, with a touch of Hip-Hop and R&B.

The samples keep finding their way into this album, and they are an important part of “While Birds Dream Of Dawn And Wind”, the 8th track on this album. This song has a nice introduction, which fades away, leaving room to a completely different atmosphere. The initial piano melody and chatter samples make for a relaxing and introspective composition, but later, the song morphs into a hard-hitting tune with a heavy synth bass and some really groovy drum beats - certainly one of the best songs on the record!

“By The Stillness of The Lake” is the shortest song on this album, and it almost acts as an interlude of sorts, serving as a great introduction for the last song on the album. Last, but certainly not least, the album’s very own curtain closer packs quite a punch, bringing the record to fruition in a full circle motion. The final song is titled “Follow The Towers To The Moon” and it really makes for a great conclusion, with a fast-paced beat and a great array of melodies and textures, as if all of the different influences and ideas that have brought this album together set out to collide for a final bow to the listeners. This release is only the first part of the debut album from Forest Robots, so there is definitely going to be a lot more to come!

Skope Magazine (Emma Jones Review)

The musical stunts on electronic music and sound immediately take the mind of the listener to the world of outdated gadgetry. What’s new in electronic music? Words cannot be the answer to this question, but a bunch of songs in the “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” album.

It is Forest Robots, who has tried to reach electronic music to another distinctive level through his debut, “Super Moon Moonlight Part One”. Forest robots has cooked orchestral rush, synthesized instrumentation, with an electronic texture and hippety-hop dance beats, to come up with the perfect recipe to make his “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” a heart-winning album.

This album consists of ten soundtracks. In every soundtrack, the instrumental electronic music gets intertwined with digital drums, synthesizers, to create musical impressions of the world around us with the beautiful, creative, unique, and thoughtful soundscape.

This album shows how a single message can be so powerful to build up a connection beyond the end of the line with a vibrating and resonating effect. “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” opens with a letter to Fran Dominguez’s (Forest Robots) daughter but proceeds as a global message of caring, intending to reach to the new level of a crowd worldwide.

In “Super Moon Moonlight Part One”, Fran Dominguez has not used unnecessary musical zigzag or ups and downs. Not a single soundtrack reveals his haste to finish it. In fact, nearly all the songs evoke a smooth and easy-going musical description of the surrounding nature, at a comparatively slow pace. Fran’s selection of instruments and control of their sounds and effects along with the layering is worthy of appreciation and exactly what has made his debut a listening-delight.

The delicacy and subtlety of Forest Robots’ rhythmic sense is clearly evident right from the beginning track, “A Path Among The Woods”. The title of the song clearly shows what Fran is trying to tell to his audience. “Times When I Know You Watch The Sky I” is an astounding musical composition of Forest robots, where the slow-moving, melodious lines are dragged out from the deep core of imagination, imploring the mind to make a retreat with the mental landscape with delicacy.

While nearly all the songs of this album are a kind of celebration of the majestic grandeur of natural beauty, ”Shapes Shift in The Distant Shadows”, evokes the dark nooks and corners of the outside world through vibrant and endless beats. The piano-driven sound gets mixed with chorus and instrumental textures in “Last Silvers of Moon”.Silhouettes Follow The Echoes” reveal an optimistic, modest, and the warmth of musical and sound integrity.

The “The Spider Turned Into a Cloud” comes with a melodic expression that creates a mystical atmosphere; the audience’s mind gets anchored in the celestial microcosm zone of Forest Robots’ creation. The rhythmic tone of “Mandelbrots In Winter”, the post-rock mood of “While Birds Dream of Dawn and Wind” will set the mind to immediate synthetic dizziness.

Wishful imagination, gentle moods, distinct, and unique rhythm, all these elements have transformed “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” to a musical conversation, that strikes the main chords of the listener’s mind and heart.

9.5/10 Stars

– Emma Jones

Interviews

Supermoon Moonlight Part One

Stereo Stickman Interviews Forest Robots - Music Production, Technology, Nature & Enlightment

Warlock Asylum Interviews Musical Genius – Forest Robots