Each week we’ll be partnering with The QR Network to compile a short recap of notable tracks that we didn’t have time to cover during the previous week. We hope you enjoy our selection and if you have any tracks you’d like to see here, please feel free to use our contact form or post your suggestions in the comments. So let’s get right into things!
Fedde Le Grand & Funk Machine ft. General Levy – Flex
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This collaboration takes the heavy-handed sound of Fedde le Grand and mixes it with Funk Machine’s signature blend of old and new styles of well, funk. General Levy provides the hypnotic vocals and there are enough melodic flourishes to keep the break interesting. The track starts off strong but the drop becomes too repetitive very quickly. While the old Electro style is refreshing to hear, it’s just not engaging enough. It would have been nice to have included more Complextro elements but it is nice to see both artists branching out and doing something new with their sounds.
78/100
QUIX & MATRODA – Lambo
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I have been a fan of these two artists for quite some time but I never anticipated them to collaborate on a track given that they usually work in a consistent BPM range. This track takes QUIX’s new age Trap style and adds Matroda’s signature sounds into the mix and the result is absolutely massive. It starts off with some church bells and jungle sounds and rises up to this simplistic but extremely hard-hitting drop which sounds exactly how you would think a Matroda track would sound in this 150 BPM piece. The drop reminds me of Michael Spark’s “Style on ‘Em” but this track is much more well mastered. My only complaint with this piece is that the build came on a little too strong and therefor messes with the flow of the arrangement. Otherwise, this would serve as a perfect intro to any sort of Dark Bass mix in this tempo range. Someone needs to mash this track up with some lyrics because the breakdowns are just begging for them! I hope these two work together in the future on a Bass House track so that they QUIX can infuse his style into Matroda’s genre of choice.
89/100
le Shuuk & Max Lean feat. Tosh Stop (BAZZFLOW Remix)
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I included this one rather than the Dannic Remix because of its clean master and Dropgun-esque sounds. It takes the sporadically beautiful melodies but tones down the energy to make the overall tone match the vocals and break. It’s undeniably derivative, but it’s a great sound and ultimately that’s what matters in the end.
84/100
Tiësto & Dzeko feat. Preme & Post Malone – Jackie Chan
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There are quite a few powerful names in this collaboration and some I would not have expected to have seen come together for an original project. To start off with something positive, I’m extremely happy to see Dzeko working with Post Malone considering Dzeko’s remix of “Congratulations” was by far my favorite version. Listening to this track, you can absolutely hear some similarities in arrangement and vocal tricks. Aside from that, the lyrics are what hurt this track the most and make it impossible for me to enjoy because they’re extremely lazy and have so little to do with the title. The worst offense is the in the chorus where Post talks about how he’s going to “kick it like Jackie Chan” after mentioning sushi from Japan. The drop is repetitive but functional. This song would only be good if you were in the mood for superficial summer vibes. I’m interested to see if this garners any radio play in the states.
58/100
Blinders – Melt
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The latest STMPD release follows in a similar quirky vein of Todd Helder’s release last week. The superb harmonic vocals are a true standout of this piece. What holds this track back is actually Blinders’ signature sound because of the melody used. It’s a shame he couldn’t curate a better drop for this new tempo. The vocals are truly fantastic and the break reminds me of Timbaland’s vibes so I’m looking forward to the remixes of this one.
70/100
Justin Mylo & Navarra – Live Like This
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This latest release from Justin Mylo follows in the same vein as “Chasing Shadows” with a summer new-age progressive sound. The vocals are very generic and the strings in the break seem like overkill in trying to evoke emotion. The build is great and the drop is quirky, lively, and joyful. It’s not the most danceable track with all of the chops in the drop but it would be great on the radio or in a set.
75/100
MOTi & Chancellor – We Own the Night
MOTi “The Game” was his previous venture out of house tempo territory and I was just as big a fan of that track as I am of this one. I just have a soft spot for this tone and style of male vocal because it hits all the right notes and isn’t overly repetitive or distractingly stupid (Read Jackie Chan). It does remind me of The WEEKND’s “In the Night” but this track can certainly stand on its own. Overall, this is a wonderfully dynamic and groovy midtempo song that deserves a spot on your playlist.
89/100
Thomas Newson & Giocatori – Heartbeat (feat. Jareth)
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After last month’s tribal release on Revealed, Thomas Newson is back with a full on summer anthem. This one features sultry and extremely catchy vocals. Piano chords make up the break and the drop utilizes a horn style Future House sound with a healthy dose of those great vocals from the break. This song is sexy, short and sweet with just the right amount of bass.
82/100
Siks & John Walt – The Sky (Julian Jordan Edit)
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The break has this vocals which start of as interesting but quickly devolve into being repetitive only to be saved by interesting piano and brass riffs. What sets this track apart is the Bass House meets Future House drop which is both clean and hypnotic.
74/100
SPECIAL: KSHMR & Dallask – ID
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Every artist needs to do what KSHMR did and release their dead IDs! There are so many lost tracks like KSHMR & DVLM – Opa!, Apa – Guitar, and the original DBSTF – Bump It. Anyway, this track serves as a nice time capsule of the Big Room and Festival music from 2 years ago. These two’s other collab, “Burn,” is a verified classic so I’m glad their follow-up got at least a soft release as well as an amazing bit of fan service. While not the most unique track, it features the great old KSHMR style break and the riveting Dallask sounds before he went soft, big thanks to the Facebook group for sharing this.
85/100
We hope you enjoyed our recap of selected songs from last week. If there is a song that you felt should have been on here, be sure to leave it in the comments below and we’ll do our best to give our take on it. Certain songs were not included because they will be covered in more detail in the following days so make sure you’re following our social media pages to see all of our latest posts!
In case you missed it, here are the tracks we covered last week!
Illenium & Said The Sky vs. Kerli vs. 1 7 8 8 – L – Sound Of Where’d U Go (Illenium VIP)
Firebeatz X Peppermint feat. Aidan O’Brien – Everything
Illenium feat. Annika Wells – Crawl Outta Love (The Glitch Mob Remix)
Feenixpawl feat. Mikayla – Neon Sky
This Recap was provided in part by The QR Network which is a blog for interviews with producers and DJs such as Drop Department, Jordan Jay, Loris Cimino, and many others!
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