Rêve Négatif

Reve Negatif -- translating (roughly) to "The Negative Dream". Not to be equated with nightmares or dystopia -- rather the name evokes thoughts of our waking lives being the "opposite" of the realm of dreams -- the images and sensations our consciousness assembled while we slumber, denying our physical mind most of the immediate inputs. It seeks to remind us that we can still let our consciousness assemble these other worldly sensations beyond the typical reach of this plane.

Reve Negatif is the symphonic downtempo / psychedelic chillout project of Dreamstate Seven. The original concept was to blend symphonic movements with bass heavy chillout music -- the sounds one would hear in the early evening at a festival's chillout stage beneath a summer sky.

Cascading dulcimers and harps, full-on string ensembles, and earth-shaking basslines combined with lush pads and archetypal chillout and psychill sounds. That's before even mentioning all the haunting vocalists featured.

The early concepts behind Reve Negatif were to give more archetypal direction to Steve's works. Dreamstate Seven's solo albums (Semblance (2014), Cleftwork (2015)) were explorations in sounds, not constrained by any particular target or genre -- created simply because that's what was felt at the time. Reve Negatif moves towards a more recognizable sound.

The ability to perform the tracks live remain a core concept of the project -- resting on two key ideas; improvisation, and remixing. The best DJ sets are those that have taken familiar elements, even familiar tracks, and woven them into a curated performance.

Similarly, the most excitement for electronic-centric performances comes from not hearing the track exactly as it was rendered by the artist -- but in them taking the elements and assembling something unique to the event. Reading the room, following the flow, feeling the vibe. From rearrangement and remixing on the fly, to improvised dulcimer lines and electronic hand percussion -- the live performance of Reve Negatif is much more than an artist amidst their console.