Lord. What a week for music. The KSHMR & KAAZE collaboration has finally dropped, Magnificence finished releasing their new EP, Enter Records has come out of nowhere with a bunch of surprising hits, and Revealed put out some suprisingly solid releases. We can’t even get into all of them in the recap because there’s simply too many, but you can read the ones we highlighted below and check out the rest of the notable tracks in our new Spotify Playlist. 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!
KSHMR & KAAZE – Devil Inside Me (feat. KARRA)
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One of the most highly anticipated collaborations of the year is finally here and so the question is: Does it live up to the hype? After listening to the track throughout the week, I would say it does. Both of these artists have such iconic discographies with excellent vocalists and “Devil Inside Me” is a worthy track from all these talented individuals. As I was looking back over KSHMR’s discography, I noticed that regardless of the chosen vocalist, all of his vocal melodies had a distinct airiness and mystery to them and that remains true in this latest track. KAAZE on the other hand goes for more of a cathartic experience, using the vocalists as a setup for his euphoric melodies and blending them together for a powerful experience based off of his penchant for rock music. Taking those both into consideration, I would say this track skews more towards KSHMR’s sound rather than KAAZE, especially with the sped-up tempo and bounce elements brought in from “Neverland.” (A fun sidenote, KAAZE has released one Melbourne bounce track with his remix of “Echo,” so the bounce elements could have been from him, but I wouldn’t put money on it.) None of this detracts from the enjoyability of the track, of course, as the melodies and chanting section in the second part of the track are both top-notch, but the critic inside me wanted more. I wish that KAAZE had injected some of his new rock-house sound into it. From a technical standpoint, I especially enjoyed the slight variations in the melody by KARRA which made the track feel dynamic while giving you something to hum along and remember the song by later.
I feel that something worth bringing up is the older KAAZE track, “Black Sahara,” which many people thought was a collaboration with KSHMR before it was revealed that Joey Dale was actually the other producer. That track, which is one of my all-time favorites, has both the mysterious elements that KSHMR is known for, incredible original vocals by Aloma Steele, and a unique synth reminiscent of a rock guitar. For me, “Black Sahara” is more of a representation of what fans would think of when they see KAAZE & KSHMR together on a track. Regardless, both of these tracks are next-level and the rating below is primarily based on the merits of the “Devil Inside Me” with a few points taken off based on the context provided.
88/100
High ‘n’ Rich – Twerk Team (ft. LexBlaze)
From a business standpoint, Enter Records has been one of the quickest to market of any new label I’ve ever seen. In under four months, they’ve formed a relationship with the ESL to provide them with original music for trailers, events, and so forth. Besides that, their music has been far from what you’d expect typical video game music would sound like. For instance, this track from High ‘N’ Rich is just a trip from start to finish. It starts with a circle-like intro followed by LexBlaze rapping over a trap segment before leading into a simply stunning drop. Up to this point, it’s a good track, but the second breakdown is what gave me goosebumps. The slower, midtempo section feels much better suited to LexBlaze’s vocals which just snatched me up and took me for a ride. I was slightly disappointed to hear that the second drop was fairly identical to the first, especially given that High ‘N’ Rich has proven he can make two fitting drops for a track, as seen in “Revenge.” Regardless, with original vocals, an amazing sense of flow, and more of that signature High ‘N’ Rich sound that doesn’t reuse too many old elements, this track is a winner for me.
85/100
Jonth – On Tour
The second track from Enter Records this week is from the traditionally future house producer, Jonth. The reason I’m covering him two weeks in a row is because this track marks his first public dubstep release. Now, as an American, I get wary when producers step out of their lane to try new genres when they’ve shown no public interest in it before as usually leads to a track which is out of touch with the scene. However, “On Tour” sounds like the lovechild of Teminite and Panda Eyes. The intro immediately starts with guitar-solo worthy melodies leading up to a heavy drop in Fm. It evolves in a meaningful manner for the first 24 measures, shifting every 8 measures, but then the build up to the second drop falls a bit flat as it doesn’t carry the momentum from before. The second breakdown reuses the same melodies from the intro, but they’re solid enough to hear twice. However, that’s where the journey ends for me, because the third and fourth drops are identical to the first half, adding nothing new of note. I think it would have been better if he had rearranged the track and split the first drop section into two drops for the first and second half of the track. It would have spread out the interesting elements and not led to the repetitions in the second half. For a first outing, there are many impressive parts of this track which would have made it worthy of a label like Monstercat, but it ultimately suffers from its own arrangement and duration. I am excited to hear what Jonth has in store next, whether it be dubstep, future house, or something else entirely.
78/100
WOXX, Gustaf Bjornberg & Eddie Ace – I Just Spent A Grand (ft. Atoms)
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Speaking of artists breaking out of character, Gustaf Bjornberg and his partner in crime, WOXX, have just released a straight-up rap track with Eddie Ace. WOXX & Eddie have collaborated before, but it doesn’t match up to this new track with Atoms and Gustaf. The flow in this track reminds me of Meek Mill or Big Sean from their heydays, and that’s a great thing. Not only that, but having Atoms, another aspiring rapper, drop some bars on the tracks gives it a polished, big-league feel. I’m all for having multiple vocalists on a track because it adds layers to appreciate. By no means would I call this an EDM track, but it’s a nice flex from WOXX and Gustaf as they show off their versatility. I would have liked to have seen some sort of nod to their past tracks or something to elevate this beyond a solid rap track. But to its credit, this track did get me pumped up as much as tracks from mainstream rappers, which is quite the feat.
76/100
Don Diablo with Jessie J – Brave (Don Diablo VIP Mix)
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I’ve got to say, I get excited when I see a Don Diablo VIP mix in my feed after absolutely loving what he did to his own track, “Survive.” It seems like these VIP mixes are where Don puts his more experimental sounds that don’t necessarily vibe with what he’s known for. The result is usually something super fun, a bit on the simple side, but an enjoyable experience. This new VIP seems to be his spin on the melodic groove sound that was a hallmark of house music a few years back. He’s taking that and added a bit of bass house to it while maintaining the levity of the source material. While this doesn’t compare to his Survive VIP, but it’s still a step above the original version of “Brave” who’s drop didn’t have many memorable aspects aside from complimenting the vocals from the pop singer, Jessie J.
79/100
Mike Williams – Wait For You (feat. Maia Wright) (VIP Mix)
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A few weeks back, I bashed the original version of this song for lacking any unique quality at all and being a disappointment to the Mike Williams’ discography. I’d like to think that scathing review led to this VIP version of the track, but that’s just wishful thinking. While this version is exponentially better than the original, the lazy melody and rhythmic patterns in the drop have me lusting over his older tracks where he put effort into catchy melodies and fun effects. This VIP does introduce a more bass-heavy side to Mike Williams’ sound with a tiny melodic fill from “Wait Another Day,” so it could be the gateway to the next evolution to his sound. To summarize, this remix isn’t as disappointing as the original, but it’s disappointing, nonetheless.
61/100
SICK INDIVIDUALS feat. April Bender – Humans (Let Me Love You)
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In that same review, I complimented Sick Individuals for at least putting a bit of heart into their pop tracks. This week, they’re back to their future house sound. I really enjoyed their first track of this style with “Writing on the Wall,” which I still find myself humming to this day. When “Symphony” was released, I was disappointed that they reused so many elements from that first song and it ultimately ruined the track for me, despite its merits. Here with “Humans,” they’ve stuck with the same percussion, synths, and bassline tricks which changing the key, rhythm, and melody. That being said, there are enough unique elements for the track to stand on its own without being overshadowed by its predecessors. Sick Individuals has such a knack for constructing emotional melodies and this track is no exception – it truly moved me which is more than I can say for most tracks. Hopefully they will evolve their signature synth in the future to further differentiate their tracks from one another, as they’ve been using the same one for breaks for the past three years or more.
83/100
Magnificence – Encore
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The II EP is finally here with two new tracks added to “Lights” and “Control.” The third track, “Remember” serves as a “Best Of” compilation of the Magnificence sound and is a solid offering to close out this chapter. However, the track I want to focus on is the fourth and bonus track, “Encore.” Robin of Magnificence posted that “Encore” is a product of life changes and spending time up in the mountains of France. He also said that the vocals in the track are his own, which I always find impressive. I would categorize this track as something close to lo-fi and not really representative of any aspect of the Magnificence sound aside from some of their more emotional progressive tracks from the past. The “drop” rhythm is a bit generic but the overall vibe and atmosphere of the track is what you’re here for. The string section in the second drop is very well done and carries on the flow of the track without being too repetitive. This six-and-a-half-minute long track is a breath of fresh air in a world of two-minute Spotify-bait productions. There’s so much breathing room and space for emotions to weave in and out of the mix. It’s also worth mentioning that while I can detect the emotion put into the track, that did not translate to me being moved by the track itself. The only thing holding the track back are first sections of the “drop,” which is unfortunate because otherwise, this would have been quite the masterpiece.
80/100
Syzz & Reggio – Afterlife
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Let me start off by saying Reggio is making way too many songs in F#m. Maybe it’s because all of his percussion and samples are tuned to that key, but since 2018, 7 out of 12 tracks have been in that key. Anyway, onto “Afterlife.” This collaboration between REGGIO and Syzz marks the first where they’ve both brought their new sound together for a track. You’ve got REGGIO’s future house sound with Syzz’s heavy house sound in a nice call and response structure. It reminded me a bit of JOYRYDE’s classic hit, “Hot Drum” but not to a worrisome degree. The breakdown is surprisingly cinematic in the vein of older big room tracks and I haven’t quite decided if the two sections really fit together. Overall, I don’t think this track will be remembered for years to come as it doesn’t break much new ground for either artist, but it is a decent offering to satisfy our craving until the next big hit.
77/100
Sofus Wiene – Infected
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I would like to conclude the recap with this engaging gem by Sofus Wiene, a future house track that nods its head to Hexagon’s releases and Zonderling in particular. Even if that wobbling lead is being used by many different producers, I still attribute its inception to him. Sofus Wiene added a certain aggressiveness to the mix which surprised me in a good way. There is a powerful bassline and a big room kick, resulting in an overall energetic vibe that’s impossible to ignore.
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!
Samlight & Stage Republic – Welcome
Still Young & Kosling ft. OMZ – When We Were Young
Beatmad & Arsen feat. Vyel – Today Is What I Live For
Maximals & PØP CULTUR – All Of Me
Quentyn & ASHWYN feat. Pikes – Rush
W&W vs Blasterjaxx – Let The Music Take Control
Fatum, Genix, Jaytech & Judah – All In
This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs. Check out their interviews with Retrovision, Maurice West, and Herobust.
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