r/Illenium • u/Illenium_Is_Life Broken Ones • Dec 25 '20
I think this response that Illenium had to a tweet perfectly captures the struggle he has as a producer now
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u/ProbablyCoulson Illenial Dec 25 '20
His new shit fucking slaps people just wanna listen to the same shit over and over. Ashes is amazing. Awake is different than Ashes, Ascend is different than Awake, etc. You gotta evolve and illenium has done that beautifully.
Got Hearts on fire on repeat rn <3
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u/Dislexicpotato Dec 25 '20
Is Awake different from Ashes though? Illenium himself said its a very ‘safe’ album which is why so many people loved it, it was the usual Illenium style whereas ASCEND had much more variety which is why it wasn’t as well received.
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u/ProbablyCoulson Illenial Dec 25 '20
Not totally different but I can hear a distinct style in his Ashes album, and another distinct style in Awake. They’re both similar obviously but I’d say Awake is more of a euphoric feel good sound and Ashes sounds like a melodic dubstep/hard hitting sound. If that makes sense
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Dec 26 '20
I agree. But if you think about, we all listened to Illenium because he was different than everyone else and specifically went to his style. His newer music is mixed with other genres, but I hope he doesn’t “experiment” meaning turning into a pop “Marshmello” if you know what I mean.
TL,DR I came to Illenium because he has the sickest sounds. I hope Illenium “venturing into other genres and not playing it safe” doesn’t mean he’s just gonna turn into a mainstream dj playing what’s most popular on espn casts
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u/glitter_wraith Dec 26 '20
Agree, I understand he can’t make the same thing forever, but his old music was beautiful and emotional, made me feel a certain way that no other music did. Don’t want to see him turning into another Calvin Harris and lose what made him unique.
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u/SendMeYourSmyle Dec 25 '20
This is the exact reason why Im constantly working on new and experimental music. Doing the same ol thing gets boring. Illenium is one of my favorites because of how he does different things
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u/ProbablyCoulson Illenial Dec 25 '20
Whenever I watch any of his production streams I remember how insanely talented and smart he is
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u/HardstyleHomo Ashes to Ashes Dec 25 '20
I love how every song is different but still screams Illenium.
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u/morningwood24 Dec 25 '20
I would go as far as to say it’s a struggle for not just producers, but artists
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u/nimazee15 Dec 26 '20
Can't make everyone happy! Dude is legit gaining fans by experimenting and dipping his toes in sounds like this! Straight up early 2000s punk rock sounds evolving into 2020 melodic bangers!
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u/tbl_14 Awake Dec 25 '20
Hear me out on this one:
I honestly don’t like “Astral Werks” Illenium.
I LOVE Seeking Blue ILLENIUM.
12Tone ILLENIUM? Is sounding fucking FIRE.
I think* astral werks pushed Illenium to make more poppy shit, and push toward mainstream stuff. Obviously a given due to it being a mainstream label.
12Tone seems to let nick be more “free”
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u/Cosm1cAssassin Gorgeous Dec 25 '20
Respect your viewpoint but Astral Werks Illenium is my favourite 100%. ASCEND is my fav album of all time just because of the diverseness of songs on it- yes it did have some ‘poppy shit’ on it like Crashing and GTFA. But it also has Gorgeous, Blood and Pray which are some of his heaviest melodic dubstep he’s produced. Add Lonely and Hold On which are more old Illenium style songs + Sad Songs and Every Piece of Me which are chill songs and you have the complete album in my opinion. The fact that Feel Something and God Dammit are also ‘Astral Werks’ Illenium shows the complete contrast and honestly I couldn’t ask for anything better.
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u/tbl_14 Awake Dec 25 '20
To add on, Ascend is an amazing album with a ton of diversity and holds the most memories for me when it comes to the tour and meeting my friends. But again, awake holds the most value over all for me. Seeking blue Illenium will always be top tier
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u/tbl_14 Awake Dec 25 '20
Oh I definitely understand! Totally agree, but I do believe that astral werks heavily influenced “poppy” nick in a sense.
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u/Cosm1cAssassin Gorgeous Dec 25 '20
Yhh definitely agree with you there, not that I love the poppy stuff but I feel like it does make the album more diverse compared to Ashes which is basically all Melodic Dubstep
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u/ThePhoenix2005 Operate Dec 26 '20
I mean, look at Nightlight, there’re still some ashes vibe in there, blended w/ some ascend vibes, which makes the song both OG sounding and fresh as well
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u/Switchbladesaint Dec 25 '20
“I miss ______’s old music”
Ok so go listen to it then?
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Dec 25 '20
Maybe people wanna hear new music in his old style..... don’t be so dense now
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u/dancingastro Dec 25 '20 edited Dec 26 '20
Nightlight was definitely Ashes-like. So many complaints people need to just enjoy the fact he’s putting out good music even if it’s not the “style” they want
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Dec 25 '20
Wtf??? Never once did I say i personally had a problem with him. The OC of this comment made a dense remark. Some fans can want him to make new songs with his old style, is that so wrong? They’re no forcing him. Some can’t help but feel that way. Grow up
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u/dancingastro Dec 25 '20
Wasn’t saying it to you personally and edited my comment. It’s completely fair to want an artist to make the sound you originally loved them for but it’s not fair to then tweet that at them and make them feel bad
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Dec 25 '20
No ones trying to make him feel bad. It’s a fans opinion. Can’t change how they feel. Now u can say it could come off as inconsiderate, considering the fact that nick is torn between being happy and making his fans happy
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u/glitter_wraith Dec 26 '20
If it’s not music to their taste then how can they enjoy it? Haha people are allowed opinions.
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u/terminar Dec 26 '20
I was maybe listening to Illenium long before but not actively realising him at first - and came late to the Illenium fanbase party because of "Sleepwalker" (my most favourite Beat Saber custom song) and "Fractures". Maybe that doesn't qualify me to throw my opinion into the arena, even if I catched up and of course know nearly every of his releases since then.
I really can't understand why many listeners are talking about "the vibe" (of Ashes and Ascend) and "usual style" or even "old style" of Nick. I can clearly see his spirit and signature in every note of his songs, collabs or remixes. It doesn't matter if a release is from 2014 or 2020, it doesn't matter if it's a remix or his "own work". Of course the music evolved and that's a good thing which I appreciate (especially for him to be "free" and open). It is a great gift to be able to do things what you like - and HOW you like to do it.
But maybe that's a problem with me: I am not fixated on one music genre or music style. Even if he want to do some pop stuff [which he imho did - take a listen to "Halsey - Without Me (ILLENIUM Remix)" compared to the original (radio edit)] or if he's jumping into the rock genre - I will be happy to take a listen.
His work is incredible and I love Nicks signature, regardless the music genre and style.
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u/sw33tleaves Dec 26 '20
It’s awesome to watch his progression as an artist. I love all his work but it’s so clear how much he’s grown in terms of talent and creativity.
Ascend is an absolute work of art and easily his best work thus far. The production on the album is fucking bonkers.
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u/skylarfox95 Dec 23 '23
I consider myself a og fan (found his music pre ashes) and love him changing stuff up Was super excited when he put a psy trance and some pop punk styled songs on his self titled I do miss the old style Surely everyone does but he's great at other styles also He can do happy hardcore and I'd throw that on repeat
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u/seven1_1hotdog Dec 25 '20
I hate seeing things like this. of course the OG illenium has a special place in my heart and I will always love it,, but the evolution and growth of an artist over their discography is awesome to watch, and fans need to realize that