Each week we’ll be partnering with The QR Network to compile a short weekly 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.
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive (Maurice West Bootleg)
In typical bootleg fashion, it leaves much of the original song intact for the first half of the break albeit it does sound much louder and well mastered thanks to Maurice West’s handiwork. The additions come in seamlessly in the form of a new melodic break which perfectly complements the original melodies with Maurice West’s signature take on the hardstyle synth. For the extra-long break, he reintroduces the orchestral elements from the source track before the drop hits. The drop is the same melody from the break just with a tad more energy and bass. The third section of the drop brings back those orchestral elements which works to great effect. The sound design for this bootleg seems to come straight out of “Robots in Love” which is fantastic because Maurice West has had problems in the past adding the mids and lows to his leads. Overall, there’s a lot to love about this festival-ready rendition of this classic song and it leaves us exciting for all of his upcoming releases that he teased in a Soundcloud mini-mix.
87/100
Headhunterz – Leap of Faith
I’ll start off by saying that the vocals in this track are just plain silly. I understand that the song exists in a sort of fantasy bubble, but even still, the tone and inflection of the spoken word parts don’t sound powerful or meaningful and comes off as bad voice acting in a C-grade fantasy movie. Another minor issue is using the term, “Leap of Faith” which is so strongly integrated into the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise and not calling back to any of the themes or motifs of its fantastic soundtrack by Jesper Kyd. A wasted title and opportunity. Looking back at the music, it’s a fairly standard Headhunterz hardstyle track borrowing heavily from his bag of melodic tricks. While it is fairly average fair on its own, the ridiculous acapella ruins the track and pushes it into campy territory.
66/100
Kav Verhouzer & Sjaak – Stap Voor Stap
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/464736999″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
Kav Verhouzer is primarily known for his sunny, deep house tracks and mixtapes which makes this release so unexpected as “Stap Voor Stap” is a veritable club-ready banger. The dynamic and hypnotically bouncy vocals from Sjaak pair perfectly with Kav Verhouzer’s mixture of rolling bass, melodic percussion, and even a bounce synth thrown in during one of the builds. It’s a wonderfully diverse track which stands out from the rest of the cut and paste club music due to the original vocals and ever-changing instrumentals.
85/100
Chuckie x Steve Andreas – Latino
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/464734923″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
This feels more like a collaboration between the basslines from Herve Pagez and the brass from Provenzano rather than a track from Chuckie and Steve Andreas. The track is interesting for about the first minute but after that, looping the same melody over and over gets exhausting and the changes in percussions and instrument doesn’t do enough to warrant the lack of true melodic additions and diversity. There is definitely some great source material and interesting melody, so we’ll be looking forward to the remixes.
72/100
Mesqo – Spotlight
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/471243021″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
Bass music has been rearing its head back around clubs all over the world but these tracks which hover around the 126 BPM range are still to my knowledge, rather rare. One other memorable one which comes to mind is Wolfgang Gartner and Aero Chord’s “Borneo.” Mesqo’s track features a pitched down vocal sample which loops around and drives the rhythm as the percussion follows more of a trap pattern rather than the typical four on the floor beat. Our one complaint is in the structure where there are essentially two identical drops only eight bars apart from each other. Such structure is common in dubstep and groove tracks but the lack of meaningful additions makes the track drag on longer than it should. However, the third drop makes up for this by addition bass swipes which elevate the track to an entire new level of energy. While the structure of the track as a whole could have been more succinct, the unique tempo and intensity makes this track stand out from all of the releases of this week.
85/100
Midnight Xpress – Photon
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/464728860″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
The one word which comes to mind which listening through this track is “clean.” The mixdown is so clear and every element shines through this minimalistic tech house track. The progressions, while simple, fit in beautifully and seamlessly to move the track along. However, the first drop sounds strikingly similar to Passenger 10’s “Serenade” and the second drop sounds remarkably like BLR’s “Böda.” Midnight Xpress relies a bit too heavily on the stronger synth which comes in at that second drop which makes the track becomes tiresome very quickly which is a shame considering how wonderfully crafted the first half of the song was.
77/100
Moksi feat. Feliciana – Stranger
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/471134835″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
When it comes to original sound design and unique tracks in general, Moksi has been on fire this year. Deviating from his usual harder bass style, “Stranger” showcases his mainstream appeal in this fantastic summer track. Original, genuinely interesting lyrics from Feliciana bring a personal touch to the breaks accompanied only by some piano chords and soft percussion. Since the song is primarily pop, the build is perfectly subtle leading in to an extremely catchy violin melody in the drop with vocal samples interspersed for diversity. In Moksi’s previous pop-like track, “Lucky” he kept his unique bass style but in doing so, ruined the overall feel of what could have been a lovely laidback track. This time around, he keeps the tone consistent resulting in a beautifully cohesive and satisfying song.
88/100
Pusher – All We Can Do (feat. Anjulie)
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/470843952″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
This track hits all the right notes by taking some of the best parts of the indie music scene and adding the well-mastered sounds of an electronic production. Filled with adorably catchy vocal tricks and hooks. Anjulie’s playful and well-structured voice guides the track with Pusher adding in the perfect percussion set to back her up and give the track a flow and bounce which will surely make your body sway. Another amazing addition to the colorful discography of Lowly Palace.
87/100
Audien – Higher (feat. Cecilia Gault)
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/471244722″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
Another wonderfully clean production featuring original vocals from Cecilia Gault. While nothing in particular stands out as particularly unique, this progressive track is solid in and of its own right. It’s perfectly satisfying with enough effects to keep it compelling and enjoyable to listen through. One complaint is that the synths in the break after the vocals seems stagnant and boring in the way the sound tapers off. The melodies are much more effective when they are in full force during the drop. The track is euphoric and powerful but I wouldn’t bet on it withstanding the tests of time in terms of lasting impact on the scene. For now, we’ll enjoy the track for what is and keep pushing forward.
80/100
Wolfpack & Futuristic Polar Bears – Derb
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/470275557″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”130″ iframe=”true” /]
Big Room isn’t going anywhere. Smash the House is back with its first big room release in three months with the horrendous “Brasil Connect” being the last track before exploring various other subgenres. In my opinion, I wish more tracks would follow this track’s structure of one break, one build, and one drop. Adding an unnecessary copy past build and drop to start off the track is usually a waste of time and a hassle for DJs to navigate and construct a set. Digging deeper into the substance of the song, it is fairly basic with some ethnic vocals, a hard synth melodic break, and a slightly modified version of the break melody with this fairly generic Melbourne Bounce synth. There is some slightly unique percussion in the second phrase of the drop but otherwise, this song is simply another solid addition to the continued resurgence of Big Room.
71/100
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 songs and stories we covered last week!
The Amazing Story Of “Ein Sof”
Axwell Λ Ingrosso feat. RØMANS – Dancing Alone
Hardwell & Blasterjaxx feat. Mitch Crown – Big Room Never Dies
4B & Junkie Kid – Love Is Dead (LNY TNZ Remix)
Dannic feat. Polina Griffith – Falling In Love (SOS)
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, George Z, Jonth, and Drop Department.
What do you think?
Show comments / Leave a comment