The Greek aficionado VieL has firmly established himself amongst the finest of melodic movers. Through opulent offerings on Do Not Sit, Tale & Tone, and Hoomidas, he peruses a distinct blend of lush groove, soaring emotive, and electronic entities. After gracing us with an incredible collaborative project alongside Madraas, the Vires EP, and later a solo piece in the form of It’s You on our Tales of Romance series, we’re thrilled to have him back on TOR during the peak of summer.

Cognitive Empathy opens with a fruity house groove and playlist basslines. The glossy vocal eases in, providing the framework for delicate melodies to float over the punchy arrangements. The track lightens as we approach the pinnacle, letting the groove carry elevating emotions.

Melt Into the Sky captures an irresistible hook and never relents in melancholic mastery. A touch of solemnity brings immense character, while swirling synths keep the B-side firmly in dancefloor territory. Balancing easy-flowing instrumentals with organic texture, Viel’s production is brimming with timeless quality.

Two-stepping into the EP’s closer, old school drums come to the fore on Pathways. Elongated pads placate the energy, before an electro-tinged hook ignites to steal the show. The most club-friendly of VieL’s trio, bountiful basslines and sensational synth-work leaves us grooving into the night.

To celebrate the release of Cognitive Empathy, we caught up with VieL to touch base on the journey thus far!

WWD: VieL, thanks so much for joining us! Many congratulations on the latest project – sounding sensational!

Thank you for having me guys 🙂

WWD: This EP feels like the perfect soundtrack to the world’s re-emergence. What vibe did you try to capture on this release?

Music to me is the best way to express your feelings. Each track of the EP is a different part of my emotions. Happy, romance, melancholy, combined always with a good dose of energy and groove. Music is a language we all understand.

WWD: The A-side features a stunning vocal performance. How do you approach adding vocals to your productions?

It was a challenge for me to add beautiful vocals in the track. As every time, I start recording a track with pads, melodies and some grooves. I realized that something was missing. After many times of listening and recording new elements again, I tried some vocals from my music library. At the first listen I loved the voice and the track sounded much better. Hope it sounds good to everyone 🙂

WWD: Which is your personal favorite track from the EP? We’ve been absolutely loving Cognitive Empathy in the office.

I like Cognitive Empathy for the reason i mentioned before, as well as “Pathways” for the groove elements, but i think my favorite track is “Melt Into The Sky”. This track is a wave of emotions and I really enjoy it. 

WWD: What other artists have you been jamming to recently? Which labels do you often turn to for new grooves?

Liking the new work by Ben Tucker (Where The Heart Is) and Amarte (Album, Lost Diaries). So many labels but Do Not Sit, Hoomidaas, XYZ, Tale + Tone, 3rd Avenue, Mirrors & m.o.

WWD: How has the last year or so been for you in Greece? Were you able to find some silver linings throughout the pandemic?

It was crazy because we thought the “pandemic story ”could come to an end. On the other hand, I had the free time to prepare new tracks and improve some of my musical skills. We hope that after the vaccinations, things will be better and soon we will return to our “real” life.

WWD: Do you have any big travel plans as the world starts to reopen a bit?

I have some propositions from Europe and USA but nothing has been confirmed yet. 

WWD: We absolutely loved the remix you did for Eduardo McGregor – one of the songs of the summer in our book. What do you look for in remixable songs, and how do you get started on the process of the rework?

Thanks for the kind words! Eduardo is an excellent guy and a great artist. I loved the original track from the first listen because it was remarkable.The groove and the organic elements as well as the brass instruments and the latin vocals, just really got into it. I tried to make a remix for the dance floor, keeping the best parts of the original and adding some leads and strings for atmosphere.

WWD: What’s a goal you have for yourself in the next year?

Healthy, happiness and more free time for traveling and making good music.

WWD: We can’t wait to hear what’s coming! Thanks so much for the music 🙂

Thank you once again for having me! I really enjoyed it!

VieL – Cognitive Empathy [TOR021]
Release Date – 07.30.2021
Stream & Buy – https://xyzlabel.lnk.to/CognitiveEmpathy

Connect with XYZ – https://linktr.ee/wwd.xyz
Stream releases in full via Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2uDd07z

Connect with VieL
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/viel
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/vielproducer/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/VieLproducer