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.
Daddy’s Groove & Bottai – Free (feat. Mingue)
Perhaps most interestingly, this track follows a pop structure rather than a normal house structure but it works fairly well considering how well the vocals hold the piece together. The accompaniment consists of beautiful guitars and an undeniable groove in typical Daddy’s Groove fashion. There are two complaints with this track: one is a chromatic ornament which sounds neat at first but quickly becomes annoying as it repeats over and over again in the background. The other is that the vocals can get a bit too strong and overstay their welcome in this average-length track.
81/100
Deorro & Dirty Audio – Dracarys
Unlike most tempo-changing weapons, this track goes from the high-energy 150 BPM down to 128 BPM. The first drop takes that classic Deorro synth and puts it in a carnival setting with a chromatic melody. It’s a passable melody but certainly nothing that stands out. There’s not really any breaks here other than some atmospheric pads and snares. The transition to the slower tempo takes place over too short a period of time to fully register and give the second drop enough power to carry on the track. Seeing these two names together had us hopeful for something a bit more impactful but the result is still unique in its own way. It’s shame they didn’t capitalize further on their shared strengths and Dirty Audio’s past with bounce music.
76/100
Jay Pryor – Rich Kid$ (Ellis Remix)
The original tropical was nothing special aside from the vocals. Ellis takes this and turns it into an amazingly fun future bounce track leaning on the more progressive side of things with its melodies and synth choices. It’s short, enjoyable, and more unique than the original.
82/100
Jax Jones feat. Mabel – Ring Ring (RudeLies, Jonth & Tom Wilson ReBoot)
RudeLies synth dominates over the other two but no doubt Jonth and Tom Wilson added their melodic touches to take the track to the next level. Both have had their own collaborations with Rudelies and this one is by far the craziest of them all. The spread of notes, while sporadic at first, comes together to make an extremely infectious melody that just overloads the senses. The break is serviceable, builds off of the original without adding much new except cleaning it up and fitting it in with the drop. Great work from all three.
86/100
Big Z – Losing Control (Stisema Remix)
Stisema adds more power and punch to the original but it comes off as more of a remaster than a remix because it follows the same structure and style. This remix essentially cleans up the mix and takes out some of the melodic flourishes of the original, but the overall result is a much more modern and enjoyable track.
80/100
REZZ & 1788-L – H E X
A fairly basic structure consisting of what comes off as a horror soundtrack like for the intro, a little bit of drum and bass for the build,leading up to a Glitch Mob-esque midtempo drop. This is headbanger music for sure but the high frequencies crush out the mid and low end leaving us wishing for just a touch more bass. The second break doesn’t add anything new to the first except adding in a bit more drum and bass and the second drop has more of a riddim feel. Altogether, this is an energetic, hard-hitting collaboration but could have been better considering the ever-rising popularity of the two artists.
76/100
Dave Mak x Argot – Solo
Dave Mak has a very distinctive sound which lacks the high frequencies necessary to make a truly punchy and powerful track. Whether or not you can get behind his sound, you cannot deny that his breaks are exceptional. This one bombards you with synth solos and power chord equivalents. It could have been longer and the transition to the build is a bit rough since the tempo is upped for the second psy-trance drop. Is this the weapon you were looking for? I would say no because it doesn’t have the energy compared to other tempo tools.
74/100
Funkz & Reggio – Parallax
Parallax is fairly standard Reggio fare with great effects, catchy melodies, and a signature dark progressive energy. The second break really brings out that dark energy but the choice to split the build in half with percussion, riser, and 2-bar Acapella is just so strange and unconventional. Time will tell if this unique structure holds up or not.
78/100
Fabian Mazur – Edge of Love (feat. Nevve)
This piece is an amalgamation of so many light-hearted whistles, melodic flourishes, and and wonderful marriage of voice and synth. All of this comes together with a fantastic swing to create an overall gorgeous piece.
87/100
What do you think?
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