Exclusive Premiere: the crushedvelvets' "Dig To Me" - Stereo Embers Magazine Stereo Embers Magazine

Written by: Alex Green

Rumi once wrote that if we sit quietly and listen closely, a voice will emerge that will urge us to be even quieter than we are.

The great poet insists that it’s in that second silence where the soul can truly be revived.

In the case of the crushedvelvets’ frontman Dani Meza, sitting quietly was indeed the key to revival and, in the process of that revival, he was able to locate a new artistic voice.

It was also the key to Meza’s survival as a human being.

Let’s back up for a second.

The California musician suffered an aneurism and two strokes and like any artist whose been forced to the sidelines, Meza’s healing was centered around continued creativity. But being advised that turning the amps up to ten wouldn’t be the best move, the musician found a new pocket to create from and it was in that new pocket where a new groove started to emerge. A fan of everyone from Prince to Serge Gainsbourg, Meza’s music has transformed into dreamy and soulful shuffles that have all the night-kissed grace of Julee Cruise and the poetic finesse of The Jazz Butcher.

Of his new approach, Meza tells SEM: “Along with not being able to be as physical as I used to be, my vocal delivery had to be more laid back due to not being able to exert too much pressure on my neck while healing. So the slow, grooving pace of these songs were built and written to not over stimulate myself. At times you can hear the tension in the music and in my voice when I have to hold back.”

Taken from EP2, which is the second in a three EP sequence, “Dig To Me” is a perfect example of Meza’s new musical identity. A smooth number that’s set against an astral soundscape, the song is buoyed by undulating percussion and Meza’s stirring vocal delivery. Bringing to mind the early work of Noah and the Whale, “Dig To Me” positively radiates late-night longing with Meza’s delivery oozing a quiet command.

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