A deeply intense slab of Ambient/Soundscape music that clocks in at nearly twelve minutes, DRUINE – Emotional Portal is probably not one of those tracks you would put on if you were looking for a feel-good mood booster, or an old favourite that you can sing along to. Instead, its swirling synths and haunting, eerie atmosphere offer listeners a chance to escape from the real world for a while, and to take part in an immersive journey that has you hooked from beginning to end.
The man behind DRUINE – Emotional Portal, meanwhile, is French producer Christophe Druine, a veteran who has also worked in artificial vision development and the creation of linguistic automata engines. He says that the combination of his difficult childhood and supportive wife has enabled him to acquire some techniques for sculpting sounds, thereby transforming his previous experiences into pleasant waves. He has certainly succeeded with regards to this latter point; Emotional Portal gently ebbs and flows like the movement of the ocean, and although it is undoubtedly soothing to listen to, there is also an undertone of ghostliness that lends the track an additional sense of depth.
Around halfway through DRUINE – Emotional Portal, for instance, a loud, hissing synth suddenly develops, acting perhaps as an aural representation of a deep exhale, the kind where you relax and try to let go of any negative thoughts you may have at that time. The track also escalates slightly towards the end, with the airy, wispy synths briefly becoming more densely layered, before evaporating into silence and leaving the listener with a calm, soothing feeling.
All in all, DRUINE – Emotional Portal is an exemplary piece of Ambient/Soundscape music that gives off serene and soothing vibes, whilst also encouraging the listener to look deeper within themselves and challenge any negative emotions they may be feeling.
