Following 2015’s ‘People I’ll Never Forget’, ‘The Path Of Life’ is the second studio album from Indonesian producer, Louis ‘LTN’ Tan. Artistically it expands the size, scope and ambition of its predecessor, whilst retaining at its core Tan’s favoured undercurrents of existentialism and spirituality.
Teaming up with label partner AVA Recordings, at one stylistic end it delivers the deeper crafted sounds and dive-in immersion of his ‘Sunrise Mixes’. At its other lies the far more pronounced energy of Louis’s vocal-led anthems-in-waiting. Cumulatively, the result is twenty-strong collection, micro-produced down to the finest sonic detail and featuring standout vocal & lyrical performances from the likes of Christina Novelli, Aelyn, Kyler England, Clara Yates, Eric Lumiere & others.
‘Path’ embarks in cruise mode, with LTN’s swapping between solo produced instrumental pieces and some Sunrise-tipped offerings. Included among them are the harmonic ‘Nowhere To Run’ and the piano-led emotion of ‘Life Goes On’, alongside Kyler England’s calling tones on ‘Rise Like Smoke’ and LYCA’s heartfelt petitioning on ‘Take Me Back’.
After ‘Hold On To Your Heart’ – their ‘People I’ll Never Forget’-based debut – the album sees Christina Novelli re-entering LTN’s musical universe. Not once in fact, but twice, with the upbeat feel of ‘I’d Go Back’ making an early appearance, whilst the singer also graces its closing moments with the future bass spike of ‘Cabana’.
At ‘Path’s median point LTN takes the opportunity to showcase some more instrumental gear. ‘Golden Triangle’ dives epically into the orient, as does ‘Samurai’ – his latest side-by-side with fellow countryman Attila Syah. Throughout, ‘The Path Of Life’s lyrics and titles transmit the album’s pervading themes and frequencies. Across its span, songs like ‘Zodiac Sign’, ‘In Between’ and ‘My World’ lyrically ponder deeper-than-the-anticipated subjects. Louis’s solo numbers meanwhile (‘Life Goes On’, ‘Remember Where We Came From’ and others) signal a more meditative approach to music making.