Heading into February, we’ve got the new EP of TV Noise covered along with some lackluster psy-trance tracks from Ummet Ozcan and Alok & Timmy Trumpet so let’s just jump into it. 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.
TV Noise – Rhythm
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While the primary focus of this section will be on “Rhythm,” I wanted to briefly cover the other two tracks from the EP first. “Ratata,” is by far the most fun track of the bunch. Unfortunately the flow is a bit too similar to Ibranovski’s track, “THE ILLEST” in the drops. It is such an infectious pattern though and you’d be hard-pressed to keep your body from moving to either track. “Bring it Back” sounds like what a TV Noise sample FLP would sound like as it brings in all of their most used samples and tricks. On its own, there is no distinctive features if you’ve heard the rest of their discography.
Back to the track at hand, “Rhythm,” here we have a really funky tech house track that is a stark departure from the TV Noise style. There are hints here and there that it is indeed their track. Hopefully this reaches its target market and gets played to an audience that will appreciate the what TV Noise brings to this sacred genre.
82/100
RudeLies & NEA – Ask You
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While this isn’t the first time that RudeLies has ventured outside of future house, this marks the first original track to do so. The track starts off with original vocals from the aspiring singer, NEA. The vocals oscillate up and down the major scale which isn’t the most original trick in the book. Then the midtempo drop hits with an incredibly boring melody which is such a disappointment coming from a such a talented composer who has been consistently releasing quality tracks over the past few years. None of those interesting and engaging effects from his future house tracks can be found here save for a few insignificant flourishes. Overall, it’s a disappointing turn for the promising young talent.
64/100
Ummet Ozcan – The Grid
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There’s a distinctly odd quality to a few of Ummet’s past releases like “Sentinal,” “Krypton,” “The Cell,” and even “Omnia” to a degree. What I mean is that some of the melodies are memorable and even moving, but it feels flat and lifeless at the same time. As we get to “The Grid,” which is his first foray into the uptempo big room movement, we get a track that follows the same progressive house structure as the aforementioned ones but bring in superb melodies that are reminiscent of “Megatron.” The drop is incredible similar but with a semi-modern psy element instead of the big room sound of 2012. In the end, I can’t quite qualify this track. The melodies seem powerful, but it feels like a DJ tool rather than something special or memorable. I can’t quite put on my finger on it.
80/100
Deorro – Wild like the Wind
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Over the past few months, Deorro has been back to his old bounce roots with some truly exceptional tracks like “Munequita Linda” and “Bring it Back.” Prior to that he took a mainstream turn with some interesting and successful tracks as well with Pitbull, Lesley Roy, and DyCy. Now with “Wild Like the Wind,” we have a midtempo pop track with serviceable vocals and the strangest drop. It’s just some sort of horn just assaulting the senses for the duration, drowning out the vocals and every other ounce of sense the listener has left. It’s a weird creative choice and for me, it doesn’t pay off. It would have been nice to see him take some of his bounce influence and infuse it into a new, creative, more melodic drop but alas we’re left with blaring horns and not much else.
51/100
Dirty Palm – Get Bounced
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After about four months, Dirty Palm is back in full force with another bounce hit on Nik Cooper. Unfortunately, the track starts off with a build right to the first drop, which is unlike his other tracks where he usually adds at least eight bars to get people into the track and set the mood. The drop is more spaced out than his other and lets the newest evolution of his signature sound come through clearly. There is also a fun segment with future house chording like Mesto which is a nice inclusion. The breakdown is a bit minimalistic with some syncopated percussion serving as the highlight along with a whiny party synth. The second drop is indiscernible from the first which is also a disappointment to see. Overall, it’s strange that this is the first track he releases in 2019 as it doesn’t bear any of the hallmarks or memorable aspects like some of his greatest hits like “Oblivion,” “So Sick,” or “Splash.” Here’s to hoping for more exceptional tracks from him in the future.
72/100
Alok & Timmy Trumpet – Metaphor
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Seeing Alok jump from genre to genre is quite something to behold. The most shocking of which was seeing him credited alongside Armin Van Buuren & Vini Vici with the psy-trance anthem, “United.” Now with “Metaphor,” he has gone back to the genre but with some terribly derivative melodies. The first and primary one is from some sample pack that I recognized from an old Sean & Bobo song, “Swing It.” The second is reminiscent of Timmy Trumpet’s past collaboration with KSHMR & Carnage, “Toca.” It’s an awkward blend between the two melodies that I suppose would be fun for someone unfamiliar with these two tracks, but as it stands, it’s just a horrible mashup between the two. There isn’t much else added aside from the classic psy sounds which everyone either loves or hates at this point. The structure is normal for the genre and is dynamic enough to hold the attention of someone passing by the song in a Spotify playlist. In the end, it’s a shame to hear such a derivative track from these two artists on such a renown label.
66/100
MAGE – Vortex
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There are a few notable up-and-comers with the potential to save big room and MAGE is one of them. The controlled yet sporadic nature at which he adds effects to his tracks and distorts melodies to create new beasts with his music can be stunning to behold at times. With “Vortex,” on Sativ Records, he’s really gone all out with his beautifully haunting melodies and knockout drops that take dark progressive to a whole new level. The breakdown is particularly fresh with a bubbly call and response that is so well-refined and sharp while maintaining a true melodic quality. There are two things that are holding this track back, the first is something that I frequently complain about and that’s the fact that the track starts off right with an eight bar build to the first drop which I feel is just plain lazy. The second is the similarities that the drops have with KEVU & Vendark’s track, “Castle” which is in the same key. “Vortex” borrows a lot of stabs and pitch-bended synths from there but does add enough fresh elements to make it original enough. Another minor complaint would be the lack of changes made to the second drop which feels like a wasted opportunity for MAGE to really flex his muscles. All in all, it’s absolutely an above-average track marred by arrangement choices and staying a little too close to reference materials.
78/100
Kygo & Sandro Cavazza – Happy Now (R3HAB Remix)
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We can’t have a weekly recap without checking in on our prolific friend, R3HAB. The reason we’re covering him today is because he’s debuting a new style! Or has a new ghost working for him, one of the two. As per usual with his remixes, not much is done in the breakdowns but the drops are now Brazilian bass flavored instead of the Siks style he’s been going with before. However there is a fill that brings that sound back in the mix which is interesting. Anyway, it’s by no means a track worth your time so you may as well read about it instead of spending the minute or two to hear what he’s doing now. We’ll definitely let you know if he makes anything worth checking out.
67/100
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!
Cuebrick & Jochen Miller – T-Shirt
Stoneface & Terminal – Culture Clash
This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs. Check out our interviews with Syzz, Jex Jordyn, Mikes Revenge, KAAZE, and Birthdayy Partyy.
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