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.
Vito Mendez – Yangon
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Here we have the first release of the new Smash the House sublabel for “the talent music of tomorrow.” It’s worth noting that Vito Mendez has had a release on STH before, which might be troubling since their first release is from someone in their pre-existing circle rather than an unknown talent that submitted a demo. That being said, the track is a very solid start to the label and sets the bar at a decent level for future tracks. The track is littered with samples I recognize from other tracks, but the original melody and execution of both of the breaks is a real stand-out feature. The drops are serviceable if not a bit on the weak side of things. Overall, it’s a decent track that really should be a free release following the standard set by the Revealed Community.
81/100
Slushii – WALLS
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Slushii is nothing if not dynamic. His sound has evolved from future bass to heavy dubstep and now we have his lo-fi album. There is still some of his bright, fruity elements interspersed throughout the album but the song I wanted to focus on is WALLS. It’s actually a rerelease of his track under his other alias, sapientdream, of the same name and is worth taking another look at. The whole album is essentially the combination of these two aliases and released under his more popular one. Given his history of singing on his own tracks, it would seem like these are his own vocals as well which would make the track even more potent given the lyrical content. The length and lack of lyrical diversity hold this track back from being something timeless. However, you shouldn’t notice that he’s repeating the same verse over and over due to the pacing. There is a very personal and intimate feel to this track due to the effects on the vocals and minimal elements. It’s peaceful, relaxing, and truly moving. Expect to see this and a lot of the other tracks on the album pop up in your “24/7 lo-fi chill study relax mix” on YouTube.
84/100
Jacknife – Code Black
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Midtempo bass music is quickly becoming one of the hottest genres being pioneered by 1788-L, REZZ, and Blanke to name a few. The last two also teamed up for a collab this week which was interesting but I wanted to focus instead on another artist who has been making waves in the genre, Jacknife. His roots lie in bass house tracks but his past few releases have all been in this midtempo style. “Code Black” starts off unremarkably, following in footsteps of what’s been done in the genre already and sticking with the dark atmosphere of the genre. The buildup features some spoken words about space and has a launch countdown leading into the drop. The drop is as heavy as you’d expect and recycles some of the sounds from his remix of “Zombie.” What I’m getting at is that we’re getting to the point in the genre where we’re getting more DJ tools to round out our mixes. I predict that this will be the genre to dominate 2019.
74/100
Seth Hills – Centipede
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After almost five months, we have another track from Seth Hills back on the label that started it all for him, Revealed Recordings. “Centipede” is a far cry from “Raise Your Hands” but it follows his new festival bass house direction. It’s almost a spiritual successor to his collaboration with Magnificence, “Fire” which has similar ethnic vibes. My issue with this track is how similar the drop is to Blinders’ style with that fairly distinctive airy lead featured in tracks like “Snakecharmer,” “Okami,” “Melt,” and recently “Fire” with TV Noise. Back to this track, the drop lacks the energy of Blinders’ tracks as well as Steven Vegas & Justin Prime’s track, more on that next. “Centipede” is certainly groovy and an interesting direction for Seth Hills, but here’s to hoping for a more original sound in the future.
75/100
Justin Prime & Steven Vegas – SMASH!
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Well after some exhaustion from the community about Steven Vegas’ sound, here we have something markedly different with Justin Prime. As mentioned in the Centipede review above, it’s weird to see two airy, Blinders-style tracks on Revealed in the span of one week. This is a bit further from Blinders and crosses into Olly Jame’s bass house style seen in his “Lambo” remix and “Bounce That” with Julian Jordan. You can hear Steven Vegas’ percussion underneath the synth and vocals. The layers in the drop make this much more energetic than Centipede and the percussions only elevate it further. I found my head bobbing and foot tapping while listening to this one. Excellent new direction for Steven Vegas while retaining enough of his old sound for you to know it’s him. Since no vocalist is credited, I’m sure the vocals are from a sample pack. Regardless of its inspirations, it’s still a fun track.
86/100
Curbi – Impossible
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First off, what an EP. Curbi’s iconic kick can truly carry him far and bring an incredible energy to any track and we got a whole bunch all at once. One noteworthy track was “Mriya” which was a notable departure from his sound and seemed to pay homage to the Deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner style tracks of old. I chose “Impossible” because it best combines Curbi’s bass house and future house side. The breakdowns have this evolving pluck synth complete with ornamentation and a remarkable sounding guitar to accompany it. The contrast between the somewhat emotional breakdown and heavy drop is not as stark as “Bruh” which shows his growth and grasp of pacing. The extended, evolving buildup helps prepare you for the changeup and cathartic drop. The drop relies on unique percussion and channeling some of the best parts of underground house with its heavy, hollow, driving sound. Truly the epitome of the incredible album.
88/100
Technotronic – Pump Up The Jam (Birthdayy Partyy Remix)
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Birthdayy Partyy is at it again, bringing classics into the modern era with their bass house twist. While this song has had its fair number of remixes over the years including one on Mixmash, this one is the most understated and easy-going. It stays true to the better parts of the original with the modern processing and mastering of today. My only wish would be to have been to use the iconic namesake a bit more effectively. Perhaps bringing it into the second drop instead of using the drop twice.
82/100
Juan Magan x Deorro x MAKJ – Munequita Linda (feat. YFN Lucci)
Deorro has been consistently putting out interesting tracks this year and I feel like I haven’t seen as much coverage of it as he deserves. He’s one of the artists who has been doing a fantastic job of carrying his signature sound into the current scene with enough modifications and diversity to stand out. For this track, we see him take his sound and pair it with some Latin flare with some original vocals from YFN Lucci. The pacing and number of fun elements in the track make for an excellent streaming song or a DJ tool to switch things up. Even the DJ intro and outro are pleasant to listen to in their entirety! It’s an enjoyable throwback to the brass Melbourne bounce era with a modern twist.
89/100
Florian Picasso – Hikari
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It’s been almost a year since we last heard Florian Picasso’s special take on progressive house and Hikari is a true return to form. The drop has fantastic rhythmic effects and a unique guitar motif throughout. The melody sees a combination of emotional chords with an Eastern influence. In typical progressive fashion, it’s just a single melody throughout the track in the breakdowns and drops alike. It’s not as interesting and not as rewarding in this higher energy atmosphere. The breakdowns also feel like they could have benefitted from a vocal to help fill up the space as the plucks are relatively muted, leaving an empty sounding mix.
84/100
We also have a special inclusion from the EDM Reviewer owner himself, who wanted to include his review of “Everybody!”
FONOLIZ – Everybody
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“Everybody” by FONOLIZ is that kind of deep/bass house that grinds your brain with a destructive dirty bassline and keeps an excellent dynamism. The vocal is slightly too repetitive for us, but the overall result is fresh, captivating and creative. Take a moment to enjoy the acid vibes present in “Everybody,” its most distinctive element.
80/100
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!
Will Sparks & Maddix – Mangalam
Martin Garrix & Julian Jordan – Glitch
Hardwell – How Do You Love Me (feat. Conor Maynard & Snoop Dogg)
This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs such as Seth Hills, SWACQ, SaberZ, Steven Vegas, Micah Martin, and Tom Wilson.
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