SINGLES REVIEWS
Shapes Shifts In The Distant Shadows (Released 11/2017 For album Supermoon Moonlight Pt I)
The Music Butcher
Francisco Dominguez is the Los Angeles based composer behind Forest Robots. The idea for Forest Robots evolved over a period of several years, beginning vaguely during Dominguez’s travels to the legendary mountain range of Sierra Nevada. There he was inspired by the natural landscapes to compile a collection of photos and narratives of his experiences, which then inspired the composing of the music adding the final ingredient to Forest Robots. Following the birth of his daughter, Dominguez was driven to use this art to teach her about the beauty and importance of nature. His forthcoming album is titled “Supermoon Moonlight Part One” and features the single “Follow The Towers To The Moon”. The song “Shapes Shift in the Distant Shadows” is currently steaming on Spotify.
“Shapes Shift in the Distant Shadows” begins with rhythmic psychedelia that has a quirky and eerie atmosphere. One by one more tones and beats are added while the song grows bigger and bigger. The music has a dream like innocence at the beginning, and then suddenly takes a dramatic turn into a crunchy industrial groove. Dominguez bounces back and forth between these two vibes, showing the versatility of sound and well thought out layers he is able to come up with. This is a track that keeps you interested and takes you through a wide range of emotions while staying incredibly enjoyable the whole way through.
Times When I Know You Will Watch The Sky Pt I (Released 01/2018 For album Supermoon Moonlight Pt I)
Dancing About Architecture
Not all music has to make a big impact or get right on with the job straight away. Sometimes the most effective musical communication is all about reserve and understatement, about taking your time and working with slow, gradual build ups, space and minimalism. What they used to call the “less is more” approach. If you are a fan of this angle of attack then the wonderfully named Times When I Know You Will Watch The Sky Pt. I is a song that you will warm to.
This chiming, electro instrumental is all about delicacy and restraint. It spends the first 30 seconds gathering shimmering sounds and then slowly expands on them, but never excessively, never gratuitously. Instead the overall effect is like the first drops of rain coming down followed by a steady strengthening of precipitation. And rain seems like a good parallel to use as the whole song feels somehow transient and ephemeral, a musical mood rather than a song. And this strange and beguiling quality is what brilliantly sets it apart from the makers of more obvious music. Strangeness is good, especially when it is this beautiful.
Iggy Magazine
If you are fond of contemporary music, you are aware that instrumental music has become more prevalent in France, highlighting a new category of artists who choose to share emotions or feelings without the benefit of voice. Indeed, while it seems more difficult to reach people without words, many artists choose this method to express themselves and make us travel to hitherto unknown countries. Forest Robots is part of this category and does it beautifully.
This talented composer is distinguished by a wonderfully creative music, which immerses you in a time and space you won't want to leave. This is exactly one of the most interesting aspects of beatmaking or instrumental music. We forget the words, more than usual, and it is a vector of sensations that perhaps gets rid of the superfluous. Forest Robots spend worthy moments in musical melodies that are worked with a relentless precision. Times When I Know You Will Watch The Sky, the latest installment by Forest Robots installs you on a relaxing journey over clouds, of "great mountain ranges after a summer storm".
Follow The Towers To The Moon (Released 03/2018 For album Supermoon Moonlight Pt I)
Emmasierra Songs presents “Forest Robots – Follow The Towers To The Moon”, the latest single from the upcoming debut album “Super Moon Moonlight Part One” due out March 30th, 2018. “Follow The Towers To The Moon” is absolutely hypnotic! The ambiance is trippy and is dominated by finely-calibrated chunky bass lines and a raw acid flavor that is infectious and transporting. The circular guitar riffs and weirdly funky synthesizer motifs really add to the ethereal feeling of the track. While offering a unique enigmatic atmosphere and cerebral evolution, its core is a fresh mix of IDM, Trip Hop, Breaks and Chill-Out flavors.
Grab your best pair of headphones and let the Forest Robots transport you into this deep eclectic musical journey.
Forest Robots is definitely an artist to keep on your radar for quality Indie Electronic, IDM and Chill-Outmusic, make sure to follow him on social medias to stay up to date with his releases.
First off, I LOVE the concept behind Forest Robots music. It is a love letter to his daughter and a proclamation to his appreciation of nature and the elements that have defined the core of human existence for our millions of years of existence as a species. Need we remind you that this city living, digital lifestyle has only been a thing for a very very small fraction of our species’ life on this planet?
Let Forest Robots‘ music serve as that reminder.
With a smooth groovin’, instrumental, electronically infused sound bed of pleasing, thought provoking, vibing out frequencies, we are guaranteed to enjoy a sonic voyage through head noddin’, hypnotic grooves, beautifully arranged instrumentation and enough positive energy to give you a much needed adrenaline boost anytime of day.
Excuse me while I listen to this new single for the “umpteenth” time and vibe out with volume on 13.
Through The Trees And Into Wide Open Landscapes (Released 11/2018 For album Timberline And Mountain Crest)
Francisco Dominguez is the Los Angeles based composer behind Forest Robots. The idea for Forest Robots evolved over a period of several years, beginning vaguely during Dominguez’s travels to the legendary Mountain Range of Sierra Nevada. There he was inspired by the natural landscapes to compile a collection of photos and narratives of his experiences, which then inspired the composing of the music adding the final ingredient to Forest Robots. Following the birth of his daughter, Dominguez was driven to use this art to teach her about the beauty and importance of nature. Following the critical success of the debut album “Supermoon Moonlight Part One” earlier this year, Dominguez returns with the follow up album "Timberline and Mountain Crest" and the first single from the album "Through The Trees And Into Wide Open Landscapes".
The single holds surprise elements alongside sticking to the artist norm. It immediately begins placing you into an atmospheric setting with its cinematic intro. The song starts to climax you into relaxation where you absorb in the landscape sounding fx and feel the sensation from the music enter your ears, transforming your mood into something more content and peaceful. It continues to breathe life and serenity into us as the song progresses with classic synthesizers from the older era of music. Finishing off the song is the augmented sound fx of nature where you feel completely lost in a dream-like state. You feel like you’re floating inside the song as if Forest Robots musically hypnotized you. It’s a feeling I’ve never received from a song before and it was oddly exciting!
Forest Robots recently released a brand new album, “Timberline and Mountain Crest.” The record shows off the band’s genre-defying attitude, with a driven and distinctive sound. Forest Robots create music that makes me think of artists like Vangelis, Flying Lotus or Jon Hopkins, only to mention a few. The record features highlights such as lead single “Through The Trees and Into Wide Open Landscapes.” This song has a cinematic feel, with an entrancing soundscape, really adding a unique texture to the concept. This song is a great indication of the high level of songwriting and composition that you can expect throughout the span of this album. Each sound is perfectly tailored to fit a specific space within the mix, and Forest Robots is all about channeling creativity in a very special way.
Inevitable (Released 07/2019 Released as stand-alone single)
Forest Robots leads with something a little different on this occasion. Taking a step closer towards electronic production, still holding on to ambient and multi-layered soundscape design, but presenting a sense of rhythm, melody, and vocal delivery, Inevitable introduces a whole other side to the artist and songwriter, and it’s a pleasure to hear that subtle sense of creative variety.
Musically, Inevitable softly draws out a peaceful yet rhythmically entrancing bit of down-tempo electronica. There are qualities to this work that pay fair tribute to the style we’ve come to know of Forest Robots – that unity between music and nature, the intricacies, the natural world intertwining with digital production in a skillful and dreamlike fashion. At the same time though, this release brings through a touch of accessible humanity; a relatable voice, quiet but expressive, and a string of deeply thoughtful and subsequently provocative, inspiring lyrics.
To break this down to its underlying sentiments, the song for the most part addresses personal difficulty – struggle, regret, looking back. And yet, in line with that you get a surprisingly uplifting and hopeful arrangement, and by the end the song offers a similar level of hope and possibility; ‘Regret can’t be something you take with you everyday’.
These final words linger, as the song reverts back to its hypnotic repetition of ‘when you know, you know’. That phrase wraps around you, unsettling at first but ultimately comforting and indicative of a brighter future. There’s clearly a level of depth to this that speaks volumes on behalf of the songwriter’s own journey and personal experiences. The way he’s expressed it though, is not only beautifully poetic, but complex and simple all at once; vague enough to be made your own, and mysterious enough to leave you wondering.
As is the case with much of his instrumental work, the experience is likely to mean something slightly different to everyone who takes it on. In every case, the whole thing has been professionally and indeed gorgeously crafted, making this yet another memorable and rewarding piece of music, from an artist who consistently thinks and creates just outside of the mainstream or more predictable arenas. A real pleasure to escape amidst.
Forest Robots is the musical brainchild of electronic artist and composer Fran Dominguez. He has previously released two full length albums, Supermoon Moonlight – Part One and Timberline And Mountain Crest (both of which I gave glowing reviews). These albums were essentially conceptual works, ambient instrumental soundscapes inspired by nature. This latest release, Inevitable, is a distinct contrast to those works, moving into the area of traditional songwriting and featuring vocals performed by Dominguez himself. The genre is influenced by classic 80’s electronica/synth-pop groups such as Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins, as well as a My Bloody Valentine influence in the use of guitars.
Set to a mid-paced, slinky Daft Punk-style electronic beat, the music is propelled by pulsing, highly melodic Depeche Mode synths and a subtle but effective bassline. This forms the bedrock for the distinctive, rich lead vocals with Dominguez singing in a low register not unlike Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan along with the understated style of New Order’s Bernard Sumner. Lyrically, the song is essentially one about self-empowerment and not giving into the self-doubt created by a success-obsessed society: “They try to pretend that they know something that you don’t”. This builds to a momentous chorus with the mesmeric vocal hook, “When you know you know, you know…”. After this is a section of spectral guitars that gives the track an otherworldly feel akin to his previous work.
The second verse is direct in its unflinching honesty about life’s vicissitudes: “No point in pretending, heartbreak will always come…”. This is far from a ‘glass half empty’ outlook however, with the ultimate message hugely positive and empowering.
Overall, this is a bold step forward into unchartered territory for Forest Robots and already a highly successful one, creatively. Retaining some of the sonic qualities of previous material, Inevitable is a very well composed and performed synth-pop track, with Fran Dominguez’s vocal style as unique as his musical approach. Accessible, yet nothing like most of the mainstream music out there, Inevitable should gain Forest Robots a whole new legion of fans and open many doors.
Inevitable is a new single from Forest Robots (the name for the musical project of Francisco Dominquez.) I’m familiar with the artist, having reviewed one of his previous releases. This new release has a slightly different feel. While Timberline and Mountain Crest had meditative, nature oriented thematic elements, Inevitable gives off more of an 80′s nighttime vibe. The retrofuturistic synth backing strikes me as something which wouldn’t seem out of place in a dance club scene on the soundtrack of a 1980′s thriller. I don’t think I’m that far off as Forest Robots lists Depeche Mode as one of the influences for this song. Indeed, he captures that sound quite well, and it’s apparent from listening to just the first few seconds of the recording (I didn’t even read the description info prior to my initial listen and could still detect the sound he was going for.) Also I should mention that the synths themselves are awesome, haunting but in an emotionally deep sense. The track is very catchy, and I would rate the danceability as quite high.
The vocals are somewhat poetic, as in the lyrical delivery is somewhere in between spoken word poetry and singing. The voice is just very pleasant to listen to, and it really does remind me of the best of 80s and early 90s synthwave. The song itself deals with self empowerment in a world of commercialist consumerism. Ultimately, that is where we see can the connection between this and the artist’s previous works. The meditative self exploration and idealized reverence for nature aren’t limited to a literal walk in the woods. We can channel the spirit of natural world even while on the dance floor or on a late night drive through the city.
Warlock Asylum International News
Based out of Los Angeles, California, the gifted electronic music composer and songwriter Forest Robots (Francisco Dominguez) returns to the music scene with a new song entitled Inevitable. Many of our regular subscribers may remember the interview I hosted with Forest Robots back in February of 2018. Forest Robots has released two critically-acclaimed album Supermoon Moonlight Part One and Timberline And Mountain Crest.
While he is popularly known for his stirring compositions that are cinematic and colorful, Inevitable opens up a new door for Forest Robots to another level of musical expression. Different than Forest Robots’ previous works, Inevitable falls under the genre of alternative music that is infused with elements of electro-dance and modern rock. Inevitable is also a vocal track.
Inevitable begins with the magic of an irresistible beat. Coupled with synth sounds and a chunky bassline, this is truly a track that will keep your head moving in sync with the groove. Inevitable has a very free-spirited structure that is cerebral just as much as it is entertaining. The lead vocal adds a blanket of nostalgia around the whole experience of listening to the song. Forest Robots has created a smooth melody that is equally competent with changing times and the boundaries of fate.
Unique ambitions in this project. According to the pages online, Forest Robots is a solo project from Electro-artist Fran Dominguez and intended to be a “love letter about the wonders of nature to my daughter” – it’s not every day that you come across a project with ambitions & sentiment like that attached to it, that’s for sure. A further peek into the social-media pages & info online revealed we have a lot in common beyond that when it comes to the music, he’s got bands & artists I love listed in the influences section like Four Tet, Boards Of Canada, Sigur Ros – hell, even Wham!, I’m cool with that too – and of course, he’s got my good ol’ hero Aphex Twin on there as well, which as some of you know, I have a tattoo of his logo on my left forearm proudly on display for all to see. Reading all this kind of stuff gets me more than excited to push play – I feel like I must be Fran’s brother from another mother.
Forest Robots will combine a Post-Punk & subtle New Wave sound into the Electro-based vibes you’ll find on the brand-new single “Inevitable,” rocking that signature aspect of a real low-end voice in the mix to lead the way in the vocals, surrounded by vibrant & serene sounds from the lefts to the rights. “Inevitable” on a lyrical-level, definitely delivers – and that’s where you’ll hear it tie-in most to the original concepts driving Fran and this project; he’ll run through several of the obstacles & struggles many of us face along the journey of life…the “Inevitable” moments & pivotal choices that we can all relate to & have to face ourselves at times. The chorus becomes like a mantra…a solution, advice, or way to navigate the course of what his daughter will face in her lifetime, essentially encouraging her (and us as well by proxy) to follow her conscience, to trust her gut, and to know that by doing this, she’ll always truly know when she’s making the right choice or the wrong one no matter what situation she ends up in. It’s not just sage advice Fran’s doling out here – it’s also a highly inviting tune to listen to.
It certainly doesn’t hurt at all that the music is as endlessly enticing as it is. Forest Robots actually reminds me a lot of the best of the best that I used to find online from my old days spent on the Garageband website, many moons ago now…projects like Togos, The Field, and Lyua Dust…some of which are still around & going strong to this day as far as I know…I’m pretty sure The Field locked down a solid record deal at the very least. Point being, “Inevitable” is a genuinely explorative & expressive style of Electro that’s bound to resonate strongly with you, just like those other acts have for me, for years & years to follow. You’ll remember a single like this, either for its sentiment or sound – Forest Robots rock the advantage of a storyline & set of ambitions unique to itself, but make no mistake, everything you’ll hear from this single also proves that the appeal goes far beyond the narrative that comes with the music. Right from the drop “Inevitable” puts forth a solid beat & colorful vibe into the energy & aura of this song, making smart switches into serene moments like around the 1:10 mark in the instrumental section between verses…and the repeating & hypnotically rhythmic hook of the chorus provides an additional warm layer of comfort, hope, and wisdom through the words for ya as well. For a mid-tempo tune, you’ll be surprised by just how much uplifting sound there is guiding “Inevitable” along – the hooks might be subtle ones, chilled-out & low-key, but there’s no doubt about their effectiveness. You’ll find memorable ones in the chorus, through the flow of the melody in the verse, and even in the arpeggio-style Electro that pumps the heartbeat of the sweetened sound you’ll find on “Inevitable.” Vocally, maybe a tiny touch-up here & there could have made a tiny difference or polished this up a degree or two more, but I’m certainly not complaining about this single as it stands now and I doubt anyone else would either. Fran has done a solid job in creating a multi-dimensional single that speaks on a sincere level, contrasts sound in exceptional ways, and generates a tangibly insightful vibe through its mix of emotions breaking through the murk & mire of its darkest scenarios with a clear burst of hope.
Forest Robots is a hard-working artist with a focus on creating a wide-ranging blend of different musical styles. His sound is highly intriguing and unapologetic, and songs such as his brand new stand-alone single, “Inevitable” is proof of the project’s unique sonic signature. At its core, Inevitable is actually a quintessential dance track. However, it is not the usual EDM grub! Forest Robots thinks outside the usual sonic cliches, not only in terms of melody but also in terms of sonic aesthetics and production value.
The beat has a warm groove to it, and I love the texture of the low end. The kick drum is the pulsating heart of this song, and in addition to the rest of the drum kit, it creates a smooth ebb and flow. The rhythm is then completed by the bouncy arpeggiated synths. I love arpeggiated synth sounds because they actually do so much more than just adding yet another layer of melodies. They add a striking sense of movement to the track, making for a vibrant, world-class vibe.
Find out more about Forest Robots, and by all means, check out Inevitable, which is now even available on Youtube with a matching music video! The film clip highlights the song’s appeal, by matching it with some compelling aesthetics and inspiring imagery! Whether you’re a dance music fan, or you simply love good songs with memorable hooks, this is the one for you!