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!
Going Deeper & Cybermode – Trump It
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Going Deeper is back from a three month break in releases to bring a truly exceptional offering on Hexagon Records. Using this incredibly modern and fresh brass-inspired synth paired with a understanding bass house fill in the drop, Going Deeper and Cybermode have brought the sexiness of jazz into an absolute banger of a track. My only complaint is that there isn’t a real breakdown in this piece. It’s such a shame to waste all of the elements used in the drops which could have created a something truly special in the break. Maybe a sax or trumpet solo with some real emotional weight to it. Had they added something like that in, this would have been a legendary track, but for now, we’ll just have to take the drops for the masterpieces that they are.
87/100
Magnificence – Closer
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It’s funny to be reviewing Magnificence since the first piece I ever did for EDM Reviewer was on the first song off their ep, “Cobra.” Since that track, Magnificence has continued to take this groove and bass house fusion to various remixes and collaborations. In their first original solo in four months, they seem to have copy and pasted the formula from “Cobra.” In addition to being identical in length and structure, some of the same percussion elements and rhythms have been carried over as well. The primary differentiator is that “Closer” takes a more melodic approach and relies more heavily on the bass house elements to bring out the energy in the track. While it’s strikingly similar, the differences do set this track a step above its predecessor and I’ll rate it as such.
79/100
Jack & James – Aftermath
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No one has done more for future house and future bounce than Brooks, who breathed new life into a stagnating genre. As a result, there have been many who have followed in his footsteps to varying degrees of success. With the amount of tutorials that Brooks releases online and project files available for down, it’s no surprise to see some excel in imitating his once-unique style. Jack & James have nailed down the structure, fills, and even break melodies and I can’t deny, it really works. This is a very enjoyable track with depth, diversity, and dynamism. While it’s not an original sound, it’s an excellent copy. Had I been presented this track as an ID, I would have assumed it was from Brooks himself.
82/100
Nervo – What Would You Do for Love (Wasted Penguinz Remix)
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Wasted Penguinz is usually a group which is very in tune with the emotions they want to convey with their music, but the first drop of this remix is incredibly tone deaf when it comes to adapting and reshaping the source material. It’s essentially a very basic rawstyle drop which is overwhelmingly repetitive on the verge of becoming irritating. The song does shine, however, it the original melody that it derived from the original and used in the breakdowns and second drop. A common downfall when it comes to the genre is reusing the melody too many times, after hearing it the first time, it just doesn’t have the same impact when used in the drop. The drop is supposed to be shocking and energizing but in this cases, and many others in the genre, it just feels like more of the same, and while you may be dancing along to it, you can’t help but think, “Yeah, that’s just about what I expected. Cool, but predictable.” At any rate, this is definitely the most seamless and well-integrated remix of the EP and, with some cutting from the DJ, could be a real crowd pleaser.
76/100
Forever Lost – Bring it Down
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Forever Lost is an extremely talented musical duo, bringing lots of old school funk into the hardstyle genre. “Bring it Down” has yet another impressive melody which has a swing and harmony which is sure to get your feet stomping along to the beat. Despite the strong, the duo can’t quite build on it and add anything new for the second break or drop which is unfortunate given how well they handled the melodies in “Get it Done” which is by far my favorite song from the pair.
83/100
Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (Slushii Remix)
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Slushii is someone who knows how to make a mainstream track, that’s undeniable. In this remix of the incredibly talented Charlie Puth, Slushii makes one of those rare tracks that can be played on Spotify as well as a DJ’s set at an EDM festival. Reigning in the popularity of future house and bass house, Slushii’s production value is exquisite compared to his past offerings. This remix keeps the emotions of the source material and infuses the euphoric energy that comes with great progressive house tracks. Truly an exceptional rendition and affirms Slushii’s position in the EDM community.
86/100
BRKLYN & Zack Martino – Good Vibe
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One of my biases as a reviewer is that I’m not a fan of progressive house, especially progressive tracks in major keys. One artists who always reaches me despite my bias is Zack Martino. I couldn’t quite tell you why, but his kicks have more punch and the melodies do give me that “good feeling” that I assume other progressive music lovers experience more often than I. While the breakdowns and melodies don’t stand out as particularly original, the emotions that the track caused me personally is enough for me to recommend it to lovers of the genre.
84/100
Feenixpawl & XMulty – Atomic
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Blending this new future house sound into a groove track, Feenixpawl and XMulty have tried something a little different, but the lack of melodic diversity holds this track from being anything more than an interesting experiment. There’s definitely promise in the premise, bringing some old-school 8-bit vibes in the breakdown and combining these two popular sub-genres. However, something is just missing and it sounds incomplete. Given the right state of mind, this could be an infectious dance track for any club, but for someone who is stone-cold sober, you might be better off skipping this one.
71/100
Fatesky & Kage – Move & Groove
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Beyond the atmospheric breakdown and vocals that start off the track, Kage brings his signature bass sounds to this collaboration and it is very reminiscent of his past solo track, “Mind.” The second break continues the minimalistic approach while adding some small percussion elements to spice things up. Those elements make their way into the second drop which give the track some more energy for the first eight bars but then they disappear confusingly only to come back in the third scene. Overall, this is great club music and stands out due to Kage’s unique sound design.
83/100
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!
Bassjackers & Sunstars – Block
Sub Zero Project & Phuture Noize – We Are The Fallen
Illenium feat. Tim James – Take You Down
Vargenta ft. Max Landry – Everything
This Recap was provided 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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