There is so much to talk about this week! First off, we’ve got to talk about MOTi following the route of R3HAB and NGHTMRE teaming up with basketball superstar and dubstep DJ, Shaquille O’Neal. We also have Hexagon taking a risk with their new release and fantastic new faces on Monstercat and Dharma Worldwide. 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 post your suggestions in the comments!

KAAZE – I Should Have Walked Away (feat. Nino Lucarelli)

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Here for his second tune of the year, KAAZE has teamed up with Nino Lucarelli to bring what sounds like a follow-up to “End of the World.” It uses the same trick of combining the vocals alongside that signature KAAZE progressive house lead. This one doesn’t invoke the same goosebumps that I felt when I hear “End of the World” or the past song with Nino, “Satellites.” In place of those chills, there is a sense of funk and signature feeling of finality that KAAZE has – what I mean by that is that there is this climactic sensation when hearing this track as if everything was perfectly building towards that drop. It’s cathartic, euphoric, but ultimately a mashup of KAAZE’s greatest hits. If you want to learn more about the making of this track, go and check out The QR Network’s interview with the vocalist, Nino Lucarelli and you can also read their interview with KAAZE as well!

86/100

Aiobahn & RudeLies – Motivation (feat. Kris Kiss)

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This is one track that I just can’t stop listening to and talking about to people. While I’ve interviewed Kris Kiss and RudeLies in the past, I was never expecting them to team up on a song and I definitely wasn’t expecting to see that song pop up on the legacy label, Monstercat. To the song itself, I greatly appreciate that there are two unique breaks with new lyrics from the ever-talented Kris Kiss. There is that signature RudeLies future bounce lead in the drop that’s reminiscent of his collaboration with Jonth, “Never Right.” Aiobahn of course being the Monstercat alum and lending his vibe to elevate the track as a whole. In the end, it’s another great addition to the RudeLies discography but he better continue evolving his sound and not draw on too many of his past hits in future tracks.

83/100

Ryos – Identity (feat. Elle Vee) [Ryos VIP Mix]

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While Ryos has been a figurehead of the progressive house community for the past three years or more, with this VIP mix of his hit, “Identity,” he has returned to his big room roots and delivered an interesting yet simplistic spin on the track. The break has the same vibes as the original, but the drop has been changed to include his progressive synths but in a more limited range so as to emphasize the kicks. While it’s an interesting direction for Ryos, it feels lifeless and disappointing. For the first few seconds, the energy draws you in, but after it continues, you realize that it’s the same tricks you’ve been subject to for the past few years. Hopefully this remix is just testing the waters for more original big room tracks in the future, but for now we’re just going to have to live with this average spinoff of the original.

71/100

Mesto – Leyla

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One thing I will never understand about the EDM industry is the unwillingness to credit vocalist. Especially as listeners are becoming aware to sample pack vocals and their overuse, they have developed a skepticism when they don’t see one listed in a track containing vocals. While I had a hard time finding the source of these lyrics and no indication on social media as to the personal meaning of these lyrics to Mesto, I can only imagine that they are from some obscure sample pack. The instrumentals are interesting for Mesto as well as they mark a departure from house tempos and into more midtempo-pop territory. The drops have a nice future house flare and the inclusion of a string-like synth is really unique. “Leyla” is a serviceable track and could really brighten the mood given the right listening conditions.

76/100

Jaded x Black Caviar x Antony & Cleopatra – Slippin’

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Hexagon is really hitting the ground running this year with over 10 releases this year. While there have been some notable ones like Keanu Silva’s track and High ‘n’ Rich’s song on the Generation Hex EP, the label has largely stuck to familiar names and sounds. With this latest collaboration, we have something that is very distinguishable from other releases as it takes a risk with the quirky vocals and hypnotic house vibe. Looking through the comments section on Soundcloud and YouTube, this track as divided the Hexagon fanbase as expected. This track won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I admire Don Diablo for bringing on new talent to his label and taking a risk on this new sound.

79/100

Zedd, Katy Perry – 365 (Ellis Remix)

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Side note, you owe it to yourself to go and watch the music video for the original song as it’s like an awesome combination of a Black Mirror episode and Ex Machina. Anyway, while the original was the usual above average pop collab by Zedd that you’ll undoubtedly be hearing for the next year at least, Ellis as come in and made some edits to make it really funky and fresh. There’s a bit of Osrin and Axollo’s sound thrown in there with the percussion in the drop. Overall, it’s really clean, pop-pish without being overly bright, and perfectly laidback. As far as I’m concerned, this is the definitive version of the track for me.

86/100

MOTi – Bring it Back

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We need to talk about MOTi. We’re 8 weeks into the new year and he’s already release 9 tracks, remixes, and edits. This started picking up late 2018 with the start of his new label, ZERO COOL. While the tracks are a mix of simple future house with a bit of MOTi sound, they’re largely forgettable save for the edit of Domastic which was fairly fresh. Here with “Bring it Back,” we get some sample pack vocals with a piano house and a “Deep Down Low”-esque drop with a slight future house twinge. While I don’t think this is the same situation as R3HAB with the ghost producers and such, there is something unsavory going on and we don’t like it. However, kudos to MOTi for getting over five million monthly listeners on Spotify. I feel like this is the equivalents of comedians getting their own sitcoms where well-known producers just set up their label, get a few co-producers, and release new tracks every week and just reap the stream money. But where is the passion in that?

72/100

NGHTMRE & Shaquille O’Neal & Lil Jon – BANG

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I for one was very shocked to find out that the basketball superstar, Shaquille O’Neal was a dubstep DJ who played a massive set over at Excision’s festival, Lost Lands. Here we have his first track since the 90s when he was making old West Coast rap music. When he collaborated with the likes of Notorious B.I.G. before, now he has teamed up with NGHTMRE and Lil Jon. While its not surprising to see NGHTMRE carry another producer, as they helped make the Chainsmokers first dubstep track as well, it’s still quite a shock. I can’t tell if the net gain from the mainstream fans offset the potential die-hard fans who will be disappointed to see him use him platform to bring up mainstream talent. Either way, as for the track itself, it’s a bit more melodic than I would have thought, but it’s the headbanger fodder that you’d thought it’d be with that typical riddim sound and generic Lil Jon vocals. I will admit, I did have a blast listening to it. Here’s to hoping for more Shaq in EDM?

78/100

Krimsonn – Auburn Lullaby (feat. Iva Rii)

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Krimsonn has been one of my favorite producers for a while because of his knack for complex and emotional melodies in tracks like “Life Goes On” which gives me chills every time. Now with his first release on KSHMR’s Spinnin’ sublabel, Dharma, we have a midtempo track that pairs his melodic flare and even his progressive synth with original vocals. It’s one of those rare pop tracks that retains the artist’s true sound while appealing to a more mainstream audience. It’s a commendable feat and the violin section at the end gave me chills all over again. The one downside is the sax-like synth reminds me of Lookas and his remix of “Low” which was later taken and put into the popular Flo Rida song, “GDFR.”

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!

Discovering “Endemic II”, the new compilation from Tribal Trap

Sub Zero Project ft. Christina Novelli – The Contagion

Suyano feat. Mandy Jiroux – Should’ve Been Love

This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs. Check out their interviews with the owner of EDM Reviewer, Peter Rijkpema, Nino Lucarelli, Anikdote, and Herobust. 

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