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. This week is a bit different since we’ll be throwing in tracks from week 42 as well as this week since we missed our recap last 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.
STVRLØRD X THOBY – JUMP!
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Honestly, I was unaware that Uberjak’d had his own record label un until this release. While I would have expected some sort of bounce or psy-trance, instead we’re given an extremely solid big room track in the first half and a sped up psy-trance track in the second. While this style certainly helps out DJs transition between genres in their sets, when you’re making a playlist or a set and have such an extreme tempo change, it really stands out and messes with the flow if you weren’t planning on going to those higher tempo genres. At any rate, while I wish there was two true breakdowns instead of one, it’s a solid, memorable melody and a well-executed idea from the pair!
79/100
Tiësto – Grapevine
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“Grapevine” seems to be the follow up to Tiësto’s other Brazilian Bass outing, “Boom.” Although unlike Boom, which helped bring the genre into the mainstream, “Grapevine” is an outdated, unoriginal, and uninspired release from the icon. Especially because this song has been remixed before and done even better by the likes of Beowülf & Heiken. There’s just nothing more to be said here and it’s unfortunate that this is how some listeners will be introduced to this classic by Marvin Gaye.
30/100
Jonas Aden – I Dip U Dip
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I first came across Jonas Aden from his future house track, “Temple” on the Hexagon Generations EP. The last release from Jonas Aden was over a year ago and was this sort of clean but generic bass house track on Spinnin’ Copyright Free music. After all that time, he’s finally back with a really fresh bass house tune in the style of something you’d hear on Axtone. The most interesting part of this track is the muted future house sounds used in the breakdowns which are reminiscent of Jonas Aden’s older, brighter sounds. The drop itself is clean and there are some interesting changes thrown in to keep the sound dynamic, while I wish there were a few more sounds added in to really make the track pop, this release would play well at any dance event and it’s a fascinating direction for the talented producer to be heading in.
83/100
Galavant – Kuta
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To me, Galavant has always represented the fruitier, pop side of EDM and before that, he was a fairly active progressive house producer. “Kuta” and “Mess” represent a foray into the darker club side of the genre. Both are fairly generic tracks with solid vocoder work. “Kuta” is a bit fresher than “Mess” but its sounds are still very derivative for the genre. This week has just been really fascinating to see artists break away from their usual sounds and explore different tones and niches within the EDM sphere.
76/100
Virtual Riot – Remedy (feat. Leah Culver)
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The focus here are on the vocals from the Atlanta native, Leah Culver. The way that Virtual Riot manipulated her vocals almost make this sounds like a song from the Glitch Mob at least until the first drop hits and you’re getting rocked by a syncopated melody paired with a syncopated trap beat. There’s a mysterious air about the entire track and the soft touches here and there make it easy to get lost in for a few minutes. The second drop builds off the first which is always great to see the producers rewarding the listeners who make it all the way through the track. “Remedy” is a self-contained track but also fits in well with the EP as a whole.
82/100
Ummet Ozcan – The Cell
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No one has maintained a consistent sound in this industry quite like Ummet Ozcan. While he has made exceptional groove, big room, trance, and pop tracks, you can always hear that Ummet Ozcan sound in there. “The Cell” marks another fusion track, this time between trance and the groove sound that helped him rise to fam in the first place. It’s incredible how many callbacks are in this song while maintaining a sense of originality about it. The melodies are on the simple side as is the drop, but it’s such an effective track that has an air of nostalgia about it without falling into the trap of sounding derivative.
81/100
Zen/it – Rêve
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The mysterious producer, Zen/it, who many presume is the new project from Lush of Lush & Simon. After Simon commandeered their shared Facebook paged and renamed it to “Simon Says,” many fans have been looking for the return of Lush and many signs would point to this being it. This fresh release on Don Diablo’s Hexagon Records blends the popularity of psy-trance with classic melodic progressive house that is reminiscent of Zonderling. The vocal samples are some that I’ve not heard before which is always welcome and they’re very effective in giving this track a sense of emotion and longing which carries it forward. I’m very excited to see where this project leads as well as who is truly behind it.
84/100
JUSTIN HAU – GENOCIDE
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Halloween is coming! Justin Hau is an up-and-coming big room producer who has been on my radar for a while and this track just blew me away. While the synths sound like they’re straight from a Husman preset pack, the combination of great mastering and harmonic minor melody just make this a fun, energetic Halloween banger. The spoken-word breakdown speaking of a zombie apocalypse is particularly fitting riding over the groove percussion set. The second drop is nearly the same as the first and is teased by sixteen bars of effective build. I only wish he had put a secondary hardstyle synth melody in the break to really elevate this track to the next level.
78/100
Chocolate Puma – Reality
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No one carries the underground sound from EDM’s beginnings quite like Chocolate Puma. These pioneers have released an EP that capitalizes on the new groove and future house trends while maintain that underground grime which creates such an atmosphere in clubs and festivals alike. Some might not prefer the repetitive rhythms but in my opinion, it’s interesting because it utilizes the progressions of tech house and it just works for me. House music is the lynchpin of the EDM scene. No matter which genre you prefer, house music will always unite the majority of EDM fans.
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!
Charles B & VCTRY – House Pride
SICK INDIVIDUALS feat. Nevve – Symphony View
WHAT IF? – DJ Snake & KSHMR – Himalaya
Luca Testa & Wildcrow Feat. Philip Matta – Memories
Our 10 Favourites Injustices in the DJ Mag Poll 2018
Revealed ADE Sampler 2018 [Part 2]
Sub Zero Project & Timmy Trumpet ft. DV8 – Rockstar
New Blood & RCOP - Murda Sound
This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs such as Debris, RudeLies, Luane de Lima, Kris Kiss, and Chocolate Puma.
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