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.
Matt Nash – Universe
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This self-released track features some great vocoder work and an interesting blend of Tech House and Future House elements in the drop. It’s a good mix of energy, bass, and melodies. However the repetition of the track holds it back from being anything more than a decent track. One could imagine this track being released on Doorn but it’s always nice to see artists take matters into their own hands.
74/100
Third Party – Free
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This track has much to be desired. For starters, the track sounds fine through headphones and monitors, but when played on a lesser speaker like computer or phone speakers, the kick just gets lost in the mix. Beyond mastering issues, the melodies are slow and unoriginal like it was taken straight from 2008. There is a deliberate reverb and delay on the subpar, generic vocals that ruin any sort of enjoyable to be had from the weak source material. Overall, I suppose this track falls in line with some of their previous Progressive House efforts, but they should really just stick to tracks like “Start It.”
44/100
Rivero – We Are the Fire
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The powerful, rock-influenced male vocals start off this track to great effect. The melodies and chords benefit from an effective use of the leading tone which instantly sets the track apart. The main melody and rhythms are fairly simple but undeniably catchy. While not the most original Progressive House sound, this is still a memorable addition to the Rivero catalog.
76/100
Andrew Rayel & HALIENE – In The Dark
InHarmony is one of the most diverse Trance labels spanning a fairly wide range of styles and tempos. Andrew Rayel is back with his knack for making Trance accessible to people outside of the typical Trance audience. The chords are classically effective and are an excellent means to convey the emotions from the beautiful vocals to create a very moving track. The drop is lacking in energy but makes up for it with the aforementioned melodies. This track would be an fantastic way to conclude a high-energy set.
84/100
Henry Fong & RAWTEK & IAmStylezMusic – Vibrate
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While the Barong style might not be for everyone, “Vibrate” stands out by including enough Big Room elements to bring some fans over to the Jungle side of things. This track features some generic Jungle vocals and a lead that sounds like it was taken straight from Juyen Sebulba’s remix of “Smack.” However this release is short, diverse due to it having two unique drops and just the perfect length to you’re your attention throughout.
79/100
Azooland – Click Clack
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I will always be against the structure of starting a track with a buildup if the producer doesn’t include a different second drop. It essentially forces a DJ to skip your first drop and go right into the first breakdown either because they want to give the audience a break or because it doesn’t sound good to go from the end of another drop straight into a buildup. Back to the track at hand, this piece does feature some interesting sound design and textures on both of its identical drops and a break that stands out because it could possibly stand alone as a Big Room or Dark Progressive drop from a past generation.
80/100
Jauz & Lazer Lazer Lazer – Keep the Rave Alive
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With a title like that, it’s hard to ignore this track. Jauz & Lazer Lazer Lazer have taken old school Electro sounds and put a modern Bass House spin on it in typical Jauz fashion. While the dischordant melodies aren’t for everyone, this is still a loving and dynamic tribute to the Rave music of the past.
82/100
Tritonal ft. Riley Clemmons – Out My Mind (Zack Martino Remix)
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Zack Martino’s remix stood out from the other versions in this second set of remixes because of his semi-unique lead on the drop but more importantly, there is much more emotion put into the melodies which adds a sense of longing and euphoria to an already solid track. The breaks go the more traditional Progressive House route with light kicks and claps which give the remix a lighter vibe and beautiful simplicity.
85/100
Hardwell & KSHMR – Power (Loris Cimino Remix)
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Loris Cimino’s take on “Power” harkens back to his groove roots and he uses them to modernize what was originally a fairly standard Progressive House anthem. His modern spin is most apparent in the chromatic, sharp melodies in the drop and cleaning up the breaks to make the vocals speak for themselves. Back when we interviewed Loris Cimino on The QR Network, he told us about the making of this track but we were unable to publish those comments for legal reasons. Now that the track is out, we’ve gotten permission to release those comments and we’d love to share them with you.
The question we asked was, “What has been the proudest moment of your journey so far?” To which he replied, “That’s a fantastic question but sort of difficult for me to answer at the moment. I could definitely tell you something that has definitely been the proudest moment but you can’t release it in this interview. But I have an official remix of Hardwell and KSHMR’s track, “Power,” coming up on Spinnin’ Records which is just super crazy for me. There was a contest at ADE where we had two hours to make a remix of the song and about ninety minutes in, Hardwell unexpectedly came in and wanted to hear some of our progress. I was lucky enough to play my track for him and he was just blown away by it. His manager formally introduced me to Hardwell and well, the rest is history!” There is a video of the moment on Loris Cimino’s official Facebook page.
82/100
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!
A Boy & A Girl – Not Without You (Ft. Lydia)
Dropgun – Uluwatu ft. Jesse Wilde
Hardwell & Metropole Orkest – Conquerors (Part 1 & Part 2)
Paris Blohm – Silently (feat. Ēnok)
LNY TNZ x Ruthless x The Kemist – Rebels Of A Nation
Timmy Trumpet x Junkie Kid – Toro
This recap was provided in part by The QR Network which is a blog for interviews with producers and DJs such as NO_GUESTLIST, OUTRAGE, TBR, Jonth, and Corx.
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