i_o Explores His Soft Side with New Project AM 444

By wazup on May 16, 2020 Comments Closed / 85 views

Take a guess at i_o‘s favorite number.

His recent project, a three-part series of four songs each, is titled 444, if that’s any clue. Its third and final installment, titled AM 444, was announced today and is due out May 29th. Its lead single, “Annihilation,” was also released today via mau5trap.

Following 2019’s ACID 444 and February’s NRG 444, each piece of the project has been dedicated to the dance music roots defining i_o’s sound, including warehouse dubstep and aggressive, uptempo techno. “Annihilation” and AM 444 will explore the the producer’s softer side with melodic and progressive house. It will also be the first set of songs to be created with alt-pop artist Lights, perhaps best known in EDM for her vocals on Felix Cartal‘s “Love Me,” among other high profile collaborations.

This latest single is a slow-burner with gradually amplified downbeats and bright synths. The vocals from Lights only add to its encapsulating feel, giving the progressive house track a bit of romance. Compared to the previous project installments, the song is a 180° sound turn, but it still expresses i_o’s talent for techno and progressive house production.

According to a press release issued with the single, the inspiration for AM 444 came from the early morning hours around 4AM, when night becomes day. It was developed by both i_o and Lights from quarantine, adding another creative layer to their work by turning the project into a metaphor for escapism.