With Nightsister, LA-based composer Matt Orenstein steps out from behind the film score and into the limelight, delivering a mesmerizing slice of downtempo house that feels as cinematic as it is rhythmically fractured. As the first single from his forthcoming album Desiccation, this track showcases Orenstein’s rare ability to blend jazz-influenced beats, ghostly atmospheres, and acid-tinged basslines into something that feels both familiar and entirely new.
Inspired by the Nightsisters of Dathomir—dark force-wielding witches from the Star Wars universe—Orenstein channels their mystique and power through a haunting mix of hypnotic groove and eerie melodic textures. It’s a track that pulses with ancient energy, wrapped in a futuristic shell.
The rhythm here is deceptively skeletal. Built on a foundation of jazz-inflected drum programming, the beat is crackling and nuanced, filled with ghost notes and syncopated hi-hat patterns that keep the listener slightly off-balance, yet completely entranced. There’s a skittering quality to the percussion, not unlike the polyrhythmic intricacy found in early Burial or Demdike Stare, but softer and more restrained, leaving room for breath and space.
At the heart of Nightsister is its acid-drenched bassline—a throbbing, elastic presence that recalls the gritty, analog warmth of classic Chicago house. It pulses with menace and allure, always moving, always evolving. The bass doesn’t dominate so much as it anchors, offering a sense of tension and release that propels the track forward. There’s an almost ritualistic feeling to how it interacts with the rhythm—like footsteps in a ceremonial dance long forgotten.
The synth work is where Orenstein’s cinematic roots truly shine. Ethereal choral textures float above the beat like remnants of a dream, evoking Durutti Column’s angelic shimmer and the vaporous layers of Boards of Canada. These ambient elements are not just decorative—they’re structural, rising and falling like a tide, shaping the track’s atmosphere into something that feels both sacred and spectral.
The overall vibe is one of nocturnal seduction—moody, introspective, and charged with latent energy. It conjures images of a lost rave at the edge of a dystopian city, long after the crowd has dispersed and only the ghosts remain. This isn’t music for the peak-hour dancefloor; it’s for the walk home afterward, the hazy moments when memory and emotion blur.
For fans of textured, experimental electronic music with emotional depth, Nightsister is a compelling listen. It carries the DNA of Orenstein’s work as a film composer—story-driven, emotionally rich—but filters it through the lens of underground electronic culture. The result is a track that’s as cerebral as it is bodily, a perfect opening statement for the Desiccation project.
We’re thrilled to feature Nightsister on our webzine, and it’s clear Matt Orenstein has crafted something exceptional—an initiation into a larger sonic world we can’t wait to explore further.