While the first week of the year might have been a pretty big disappointment, this second week has brought us some real gems. As always, 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.
Timmy Trumpet & Kastra feat. Chuck Roberts – Wassup (Listen to the Horns)
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Kastra is going to be one of the bridges between the Spotify and Soundcloud listeners. His music has the energy that will please “purists” while the sexy brass from Timmy Trumpet and original vocals from Chuck Roberts bring in more casual listeners. “Wassup” is just wholesome fun, plain and simple. It’s bouncy, filled with interesting melodies and loops, and that human element that makes it more than just your average EDM track. Kastra is one to watch and a fantastic pioneer in this new age of EDM.
88/100
RudeLies – On Fire
The future room phenomenon is upon us on this release on Warner only solidifies that. RudeLies, Debris, and Jonth are doing to future room what Brooks did to future bounce and it’s a beautiful thing. The track itself seems to be derived from RudeLies remix with Wahlstedt on “Close to You” as it has the same vocal processing tricks and synths in the drop. However, it’s such a strong sound that I don’t mind getting a second taste of it. The break has an excellent evolution of the classic piano chord breaks layered with some powerful leads. The ornamentation in the drop is a delight as is the dynamic energy. Had this been a collaboration with David Guetta as Brooks had done, I guarantee this would have captivated a massive audience. Until then, I’m sure all listeners will enjoy this fresh original from RudeLies.
86/100
IBRANOVSKI – MYNE
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Ever since ending his Ghetto Mainstream EP series, Ibranovski has been unstoppable, releasing MYNE less than a month after his last single, “THE ILLEST.” “MYNE” follows the same creative process of building a bouncy, bass house track around some old-school sounds. In a recent Q&A, Ibranovski stated that he finds inspiration by searching through old vinyl crates which is why some of his samples are so obscure. It’s the same mentality that has propelled hip-hop producers for decades and leads to some very interesting interpretations of hits from days past. “MYNE” is fast, sexy, and another fantastic addition to the Ibranovski discography without retreading ground.
84/100
Breathe Carolina & Robert Falcon – My Love (SLVR Remix)
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JAGGS? Is that you? I’ve previously praised SLVR for his powerful mixes and excellent sound design, but this remix of “My Love” has sounds that are identical to JAGGS’ remix of “Rafiki” and to make the comparison even more clear, they’re in the same key you can immediately see how close they resemble each other. SLVR still has his signature rhythm tricks in there that can be identified, but it’s baffling why he would abandon his signature sound for this Spinnin’ commissioned remix. Either way, similarities aside, the song, structure, and tone are very solid and stands out as the best remix of the pack.
73/100
Conor Ross – Sincerity (ft. Jodie Knight)
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Here we have the first track from TRIAD, a label run by Camille van Gurp of Encore Agency (who manages Conor Ross alongside RudeLies, Debris, and Foxa to name a few) and Rob Kuipers of One of Six. “Sincerity” sets a very high bar for the label as it features incredible original vocals from Jodie Knight and a fantastic melody and lead from Conor Ross. It’s reminiscent of Mesto’s “Chances” with hints of some bubbliness like you might hear from Osrin. Regardless, it’s a fantastic, bright, fresh sound. It’s clean and would fit perfectly on a slew of Spotify playlists in addition to future house radio shows. These are the types of tracks we need more of and we’re extremely exciting to see what’s coming next from this promising new label.
85/100
Dannic – Puma
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Seemingly out of the blue, Dannic released this big room track as a free download on his label, Fonk Recordings. While it sounds like some heavy old-school big room, it’s really a new sound for Dannic who has always infused a sense of groove into his tracks with the exception of some progressive sounds. “Puma” almost sounds like a collaborative effort with Row Rocka or Quintino with that pitch-bended, bass-heavy sound paired with a Bassjackers kick. In the third verse of the drop, you can really hear that Dannic sound. The breakdown has those old-school, 8-bit inspired melodies filled with enough complexity to stand out above other big room breaks. This was truly an interesting mix of old and new, here’s to hoping for an official collaboration with Dannic and more big room producers.
82/100
Alexander Popov & Arston feat.Vegas – In My Arms
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We finally have the full release of “In My Arms” after appearing on Alexander Popovs’ album, “Intention.” This also marks Arston’s first track in over half a year and it’s a remarkable evolution of sound. “In My Arms” is another great example of a way to take a beloved sound and genre and make it accessible to mainstream listeners. In this case, they smoothed out the trance sound, added some original vocals, and Arston but his signature melodic touch on things. The pacing is tighter than most trance tracks which I think is just the right length. The drop melody is simple but effective with its subtle effects and conveys the emotion very well. Overall, an extremely solid track and a template to be followed for other trance artists looking to find more commercial success.
86/100
Laidback Luke x Jewelz & Sparks feat. Pearl Andersson – We Are One (TYMEN Remix)
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On the next episode of “Who stole that sound,” we have TYMEN ripping of Magnificence’s sounds straight out of “Cobra.” While these are undoubtedly one-shots from somewhere. Magnificence definitely claimed them for their own and to combine those three distinct sounds in the same manner is no coincidence. There’s obviously some sort of favoritism going on at Mixmash as TYMEN, a producer with a relatively low following, only has releases on the label. Still, it’s hard to believe that Laidback Luke was comfortable letting this sound-alike get release for an official remix. Despite the similarities, it is a clean and enjoyable drop but the shadiness going on behind the scenes puts a damper on the whole track.
72/100
Padé & Murat Salman – Time Flies
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Here we have another pleasant collaboration from Padé & Murat Salman that creates a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. There’s some autotuning going on with the vocals which is inexplicably comforting due to the added reverb which blends into the pads in the background. For the drop, we have the typical muted percussion which feels well-integrated and gives it the modern, clean feeling we’ve come to expect. It’s been fantastic to watch both of these talented artist polish their sound over the years and “Time Flies” feels like the pinnacle of both of their abilities. This track also feels like the sound Dharma was meant to release as their releases can sometimes feel forced, like they were trying to release anything with an “ethnic” vibe to it, but this is a solid, confident offering from KSHMR’s label.
85/100
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!
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike x Armin van Buuren x W&W – Repeat After Me
Ryos – Identity (feat. Elle Vee)
Samlight & Stage Republic – Fire
This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs.
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