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.
Sebjak & Özgür Can – Hope You Like Me
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This amazing collaboration came straight out of nowhere. Label owner, Sebjak, has teamed up with Özgür Can to bring you this moving piece that features soft percussion with soaring vocals which all come together to deliver this sense of calm and peace. In a genre which can get bogged down in repetition, this track stands out for its dynamism and harmonizing elements. The second buildup and drop adds a bit too much in the high frequency department which ruins the oceanic soundscape built up in the first half of the song. If only the white noise had been pitched a few octaves down to mimic the sounds of waves, it would have done a lot to hold this track together and make it a true masterpiece.
84/100
Robin Hustin & Tobimorrow – Light it Up
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The track starts off with some fantastic female vocals with some Dropgun-esque vocal effects. Both of the breakdowns and builds are very effective, melodic, and energetic in the right way for this track. Where things fall apart is when the drop hits you with this poor “Byte” knockoff which sounds like it was ripped from a YouTube FLP video. It lacks the clarity and energy of Brooks & Martin Garrix’s collaboration and you are left with quite a sour taste in your mouth. I can’t deny that it’s not bouncy and even a bit fun, but the blatant reference to Byte is appalling from a label like NCS. However this is the same label that released NIVIRO’s “The Apocalypse” which has a drop that’s nearly identical to “All Aboard.”
58/100
Dirty Ducks – Your Love
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Previous Dirty Ducks songs have always been festival ready tracks with a strong groove influence. “Your Love” takes their signature catchy loops and transposes it into a house track which is enjoyable, albeit with a melody that isn’t the most unique. You can hear the same synth hit used in their previous track, “Medusa,” starting each of the bars in the drop. While this is certainly one track that won’t stand out in Dirty Ducks’ discography, it’s a serviceable house track that should bring some fun to any house set.
80/100
Afrojack & MC Ambush – Step Back
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Kicking off the upcoming release streak, Afrojack brings way too many high frequencies into “Step Back.” This short track jumps straight into the drop which is repetitive on the verge of annoying and the break which follows is equally irritating to the sober listener. While this track would play well at a nightclub in Asia, hopefully the other upcoming tracks will come with a bit more balance. “Step Back” is reminiscent of “Around the World” by NLW, KIIDA and Aspyer but without the melody.
68/100
Reggio & Sansixto – Invasion
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Reggio and Sansixto have teamed up again for their second collaboration which improved upon the first in every way. While “Rumble” was a solid offering, it was a bit generic and seemed to be lacking some energy to really push the track over the edge. In “Invasion,” Sansixto’s percussion prowess meets Reggio’s amazing melodies and dark progressive production to form a truly earth-shaking track. We honestly couldn’t picture a more perfect collaboration which so clearly emphasizes the strengths of both of these talented producers.
88/100
Justin Mylo & Rich Edwards – Funky Freddy
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Three years after Justin Mylo’s debut of Bouncybob with Martin Garrix & Mesto and two years after the last track in the alliteration series, “Jumping Jack,” Justin Mylo has returned to future house with Rich Edwards to bring us “Funky Freddy.”While it does bug me that he’s not going in alphabetical order, it’s nice to see something from a series that’s been around for such a long time from the early days of future house. As for the song itself, it’s sounds very much like a Curbi song and shares the same tonal style as “Bruh” as it blends a bubbly breakdown with a highly energetic drop. The drop would almost be too powerful for this track if it were for the quirky leads that they used. Overall, it’s great to see Mylo’s versatility as he returns to the genre which started his career but the track itself is just slightly over-average at best.
81/100
Futuristic Polar Bears & Wolfpack – Moksha
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With a barebones melody paired with a simple call & response structure, “Moksha” turns out to be fairly generic big room offering weighed down by excessive white noise which causes the whole mix to sound messy. There’s an orchestral break which leads into another white noise fest. The second drop is identical to the first which makes the track feel too long despite its short structure. While this would go over well at any festival, hopefully the return of big room doesn’t bring back the parts that almost killed it off in the first place.
71/100
Deorro & D3FAI – Titan
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Deorro has really outdone himself with his collaboration choices. D3FAI brings his energetic big room flare to Deorro’s future bounce sound which leads to two different and very energetic drops. The breakdown has some melodic tribal elements to it and the pluck selection gives it an almost old western vibe. The second drop doubles down on the chromatic melodies in the first drop and adds more white noise and vocal chops to great effect. One can only wonder if upping the tempo would have made this track even more energetic than confining it to the normal 128BPM of big room music. Overall, the track seems to be missing something despite all of the energy thrown in there. Perhaps some variation to the four on the floor percussion would have helped the track feel more lively.
79/100
SLANDER & Crankdat – Kneel Before Me (feat. Asking Alexandria)
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Rock & dubstep have always shared similarities but few songs aside from Sullivan King’s have blended the two so effectively. SLANDER & Crankdat have come pretty close by nailing the marriage of genres in the breakdowns which include original vocals from Asking Alexandria and power chords which are a staple in rock music. Where things fall flat is during the drops which are both fairly standard riddim fare which don’t add any new sounds or textures to such a saturated genre. Hopefully they’ll release a remix EP with some different drops because these vocals and electric guitar riffs deserved to be noticed.
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 songs and stories we covered last week!
Suyano, No Class & Alicia Madison – Night Like This
LNY TNZ – We Go Up (Da Tweekaz Remix)
Martin Garrix feat. Bonn – High On Life
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike – Tomorrowland 2018 EP
Maximals feat. Nino Lucarelli – My Best
This recap was provided in part by The QR Network which is a blog for interviews with producers and DJs such as Husman, Pharien, Martin Jordan, Jordan Jay, and Protohype to name a few.
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