We’ve got a lot to talk about this week including Jewelz & Sparks’ signature sound, what’s going on with Breathe Carolina, and checking in on the state of big room with Quintino. 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!

Afrojack x Jewelz & Sparks – Switch (feat. Emmalyn)

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By and large, I would consider myself a Jewelz & Sparks fan. I’ve enjoyed their signature sound that they’ve since the beginning of their career. I think it’s simple, effective, and fun. They also do a good job with evolving and fusing it in songs like “We Are One” and “All I See Is You.” However they’ve started to amass a few too many songs that rely on a one-note drop. Songs like “Safari,” “Reaction,” “Crank,” and “Drip.” Then lately we’ve gotten “Hard” and the abomination that was “Bring it Back” and I was about ready to give up on them, but then we got this pop collaboration with Afrojack and I’ve got to say, I was impressed. While the tempo is slowed, it reminds me of some of their best, melodic work in “I Can Fly” and “Need You.” Their liquid bass sound has been toned down just enough to fit the track, but enough to remind you that it’s a Jewelz & Sparks track. The original vocals are soft and lovely and the instrumentals are varied and dynamic. I only wish the drop melody was a bit more memorable, but the overall journey is very enjoyable. Let’s hope they take this dynamism into their house tracks going forward.

86/100

Magnificence – Control

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Here for the second track of their EP, Magnificence returns back to house tempo range with “Control.” This track has been known as their “Creamfields ID,” and has been in the works since 2015. There’s been multiple versions and I’m honestly surprised that this is the one they picked to release. While the overall flow has a very play-tested feel to it, making the most of their percussive breaks and hypnotic vocals, the drops just don’t have as much going on as their other tracks. Even some of their simpler tracks like “Out of My Mind” have some hi-hat effects in addition to a few complementary samples. “Control” just lays heavy into one bass and messes around with that for sixteen measures. This is by no means a bad song, but it feels much more like a DJ-Tool rather than something I could put on repeat.

77/100

Simen & Capturam – Higher

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Say what you will about Quartzo, but they do have some gems hidden in their constant barrage of releases. Before I talk about this track in particular, I did want to unpack this trend that I’ve noticed in big room. In my mind, around 2015-2016, hardstyle artists like Headhunterz, DBSTF, Crystal Lake, and Atmozfears crossed the tempo barrier and started making big room tracks. They injected a new sense of melody and inspired a new generation of producers like SaberZ, Maurice West, and Sick Individuals to carry on and evolve that sound. Each one of those three now has their own distinct sound and has in turn inspired another generation including OUTRAGE, TBR, G-Sus, VSNS, Stefan Bors, and many others. However, I’ve noticed that TBR, VSNS, and Declain have all gravitated more towards Maurice West’s more crunched, high frequency sound and here with Simen & Capturam’s track, they’ve done the same. Don’t get me wrong, I really love this track and think that the melody is very powerful, but these producers need to further refine their sound to truly brand it as their own. Until then, keep the quality melodies coming!

81/100

ZNZBR – Move Your Body

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I’ve thought about what I was going to write about this track for a while, on the one hand, it uses the exact same samples as Wiwek’s “So Hot” and pairs it with a TV Noise bassline, but on the other, it’s an enjoyable track. The second breakdown is quirky and groovy as hell, while the first one is about as barebones of a break as you can manage. Producers really need to step up their first break game, because that is what’ll grab listeners in when your track comes up in a playlist. Either way, here with this track, I wish that ZNZBR had put more effort into making the sounds his own because he obviously has a good sense for arrangement and flow, minus the first thirty seconds.

75/100

Zebbler Encanti Experience – Trance End

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There are some producers that are just next level, and Zebbler Encanti Experience is one of those groups. Their sound design has been some of the most memorable for me ever since hearing “Perceptronium.” I wasn’t a huge fan of their 2018 album, “Id.Entity” as I felt they tried too hard to incorporate mainstream trends at the expense of their more complex, unique tracks. But here with their latest EP, they’ve made a great return to form with some stellar new tracks. The one I wanted to talk about in particular is “Trance End” because they’ve incorporated some bass music trends but effectively put their own spin on it. It’s accessible to fans of the genre as well as their longtime followers. However, it’s a bit simpler than their other stuff, but far better than what they put out with their other album. It’s truly a trip through a decent pair of headphones and worth experiencing at least once if you haven’t heard their music before.

84/100

MATTN, KLAAS & Roland Clark – Children

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MATTN is often scrutinized for being the wife of Dimitri Vegas despite her career beginning before they even met. While her positioning on the top DJ polls given their relationship probably deserves that scrutiny given DV&LM’s past digressions, I feel that her music deserves a fair chance. I’m also not here to debate whether or not she uses ghost producers because regardless of if she does or doesn’t, the music she’s put out over the past years has been enjoyable. Not only that, but she names her collaborators and credits them properly, unlike some others in this industry. (Looking at you, DV&LM and Steve Aoki for “We Are Legend.”) So here with “Children,” these three producers have called on the Roland Clark to deliver another sermon for the break and then added some soft male vocals in the second break. The drops are surprisingly trance this time around and have that euphoric, end-of-set feeling when combined with the spoken word.

79/100

Malaa – Addiction (Jacknife Remix)

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I’ve been following Jacknife for a while ever since posting their remix of “Bad and Boujee” on my YouTube channel before it was rereleased as “Half House.” I’ve noted that he used to overuse a few presets that used to make up his signature, but he has since gone into the dark and fresh world of midtempo and found a new voice. Here with his “Addiction” remix, he’s combined these two genres in a fantastic piece of music with a midtempo first half and a psy-infused bass house second drop. It’s clean, powerful, and enjoyable. Hands-down the freshest remix of the pack and I’m honestly surprised he chose a remix to build this DJ’s dream song (to transition tempos) instead of an original. Regardless, I’m sure there are many acts out there who will be using this song as a crutch in their sets and I’m here for it.

86/100

Breathe Carolina & Jordan Jay – All I Need

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I would say that the only consistent Breathe Carolina sound is with their progressive tracks. Otherwise, they’re usually relying on their collaborators to bring a unique edge to their tracks. When I saw Jordan Jay on the track, I thought I was going to get some mildly fresh, oscillating future house track, instead I got Toby Green? Now this isn’t the first time that Toby’s sound has deviated from the original artist with John Christian implementing it in his remix of JRAFFE’s “California.” Now in “All I Need,” there’s some Jordan Jay flare in the fills which is a nice touch, but overall it does sound like a Jordan Jay & Toby Green track. It seriously bothers me when arguably distinct styles don’t fall in line with one artist. I feel like there should be a easy-to-follow trail for fans who are looking to find more music in a particular style. If someone was a fan of the Toby Green style and wanted more tracks than he’s already released, how would they be able to logically find John Christian’s remix or this track? (Other than our recaps of course!) Back on topic, the breaks revolve around a common sample, but the vocoder work sets it apart from the others. The track is remarkably short at 2:13 but I honestly can’t think of what else I would want in this track to meaningfully extend it. It’s certainly a result of the shift to Spotify and I think these producers succeeded in creating a short, easily replayable track, albeit drawing heavy influence from outside sources.

83/100

Nonsens & Juyen Sebulba – Short Notice

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This track is just quirky. It has a hardstyle break with some Crystal Lake-sounding leads and a competent melody and then is followed by a Crisis Era-esque drop. The second break is pretty much the same as the first and the second drop adds a few more layers into the mix. It’s bouncy, simple, and has a good kick. The structure is undeniably geared towards DJs since the full intro and outro are part of the version released to Spotify. Such is common with higher-tempo festival music but is still a bit striking as it starts and ends so abruptly. I’m a strong believer in proper intros and outros for streaming versions of songs because it allows playlists to flow smoothly without the aid of a DJ. Either way, this a short, cute little track that’s fun for a little bop or two when you need a pick-me-up. However I do wish there was a bit more content to bring some more life into the hardstyle breaks.

78/100

Quintino – TUTUTU

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The long debate of whether Big Room is dead or not has been bubbling under the surface of the scene for a while now and has become as tiring as the iPhone vs. Android discussion. Regardless of your stance on the matter, there are undeniably some artists that are still finding success in the genre even as they branch out into other types of tracks. Quintino has been playing both sides of the field for a while now, albeit with some pretty abhorrent tracks like “Brasil Connect.” But here with “TUTUTU,” I feel like he’s really struck a nice balance between new and old and the comments section would seem to agree. It’s also Spinnin’s most-viewed track on their YouTube channel since Tujamo’s “Candy on the Dancefloor.” For me, it’s just great to see some widespread positive response to a big room track from the fans. And as a critic, this track gets a favorable review from me as well. I think that it’s a nice playful romp with a memorable melody that can get stuck in your head for a while. It’s a nice blend between his melodic pop tracks and harder-hitting festival style. I do wish he had a melodic, festival breakdown in the first half instead of repeating the vocal for twenty-four measures with no culmination before the drop.

82/100

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 – Funky Sound

David Guetta & Nicky Romero – Ring The Alarm (Maximals Remix)

This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs. Check out their interviews with Tom & Jame, Maurice West, Declain, Adventure Club, and Magnificence. 

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