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
Will Sparks & Luciana – My Spine Is Tingling
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It finally happened. After seven releases in seven months featuring either W&W or Maurice West, Rave Culture has released a track featuring a new face without either of the label heads. Will Sparks has teamed up with one of EDM’s most recognizable female rappers, Luciana, to deliver a new Dirty Dutch track. I think it’s worth mentioning that the legacy of Mainstage Music releases has allowed Rave Culture to flounder around as it tries to find its sound. The previous label featured a lot of fresh talent and iconic tracks that was groundbreaking for its time and has a plethora of songs that still stand out in my mind like “Rhythm of the Night,” “Heroic,” “Tarantella,” “Future,” “Temple,” and countless others. The reason that “My Spine is Tingling” is a letdown for me is that the drops are so unoriginal. Luciana killed the vocals as usual, she’s excellent, but the typical bounce instrumentals doesn’t elevate her performance. It sounds like a song you’d hear at a skating rink and forget about the second after it ends. Also, I find it disturbing that Will Sparks has been able to continue his career after admitting to misconduct back in February. Unfortunately we can only hold producers accountable for their sound, but the fans need to be holding them responsible for their behavior.
71/100
Jordan Jay – Ricochet (feat. Alex Hackett)
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Now this is a track that was quite a pleasant surprise. The production value behind this song is next level in the way it creates its soundstage and flows from section to section. It paints such a clear setting for the vocals to reverberate throughout. Unfortunately, the vocals are the weakest part of the track the way it keeps holding the tension with its melody. It feels like Alex was constantly straining through his verses to maintain that pitch. It just gives me anxiety when all I want is to get lost in the instrumentals. There are so many layers and ornaments scattered throughout the track, I picked up on something new with every listen. I hope that Jordan Jay continues forward with this style but maybe taps another vocalist to feature.
77/100
Dannic – Tell Me (If You Really Love Me) (Sunstars Remix)
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Another trend I’ve been watching is the rise of melodic electro future house. Yes I know that’s a mouthful but it’s a niche within a niche. The artists I’ve seen with this style are Blinders, Seth Hills, and Dyro with his latest track. Sunstars’ remix takes heavy inspiration from those artists but still builds on their previous signature sounds found in tracks like “You Know,” “Block,” and “Do It Right.” Their old groove motifs can be found in the breakdowns and really fits with the source material. This is definitely the stand-out track from the remix EP.
82/100
Siks – Back In Time (Mo Falk Remix)
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Another stunning remix can be found in Siks’ remix EP for “Back In Time.” Mo Falk has been on my radar for tracks like “Midnight Strike” and “Light It Up.” Both of which were aggressive and dynamic house tracks but lacked a sense of polish that would have make them excellent. It seems like he’s found something special here with his particularly juicy bassline that matches perfectly with the vocal chops in the drop. The same attention to detail is present in the break as well with a suitably lighter bassline. And for the cherry on top, he plays around with the second drop in fun and experimental ways. I don’t know how I feel about it starting off with the trap section, but I really appreciate the effort he put into making this remix his best track yet.
87/100
Ronko – Gaijin
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Prior to this track, Ronko hasn’t been on my radar and looking into him, he seems to be under Tiesto’s label umbrella while working in the studio on what I imagine are other project. Regardless, “Gaijin” caught my attention for its aggressive bassline and fusion of soul and ethnic vibes. Modernizing woodwind sounds seems to also be a notable trend bubbling through the cut after being popularized by Blinders. Since then we’ve seen artists like Seth Hills, Funk Machine, LMNTRX, Patrick Moreno, Sonny Bass, and Marc Benjamin doing their own take on the style. Ronko’s spin reminded me of Jonas Aden & Mesto’s track, “Melody” because of the percussion but is closest to Blinders’ style in my opinion especially after hearing “Higher Needs.” My point is that while this track isn’t the most original, it’s still fresh and a certifiably banger-material. The drop melody has been going through my head every since I first heard it. The piano-house chording in the second breakdown was a nice touch as well.
84/100
Made By Tsuki & JaySounds – 4U (feat. iDo)
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I’ve been a fan of JaySounds for quite some time. I first came across his big room tracks in 2016 and then lost track of him. Then I found him again making some seriously heavy bass house in 2018 and he’s been on that path ever since. He does a great job combining emotional lyrics with clean, dark drops. In “4U” it appears he’s teamed up with Made By Tsuki and iDo to fuse his bass house style with rock music. The result is quite unique. My biggest issue in the track is the percussion and atmosphere in the breakdown which is unpleasant and unsettling. EDM hinges on creating and releasing tension, but this makes me feel uncomfortable. I think JaySounds’ most cohesive and successful track with this sound was in “Legacy” where he paired up with rapper, Kwame. Either way, with under 20,000 monthly listeners, I hope JaySounds gets some more exposure as time goes on. He’s talented and has unique ideas that deserved to be heard.
76/100
Marshmello & Tynan – Earthquake
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So a new Marshmello album came out. Most of it is more of the same with a few exceptions like this track with Tynan and a house track with Bellacour. I wanted to cover this one because I don’t think I’ve talked about Tynan yet on this site. One of my favorite carnal tracks is “Extraterrestrial” by Tynan and Kompany which features a very repetitive drop but somehow it really gets me pumped up. “Earthquake” seems like a sequel to that track with a brighter, Marshmello-style breakdown instead of a dark and atmospheric one from the original. Honestly, I still like the first half on a carnal level, but it doesn’t have the same level of production prowess as its predecessor. The chosen acapella fits the track well but Marshmello’s style over-emphasizes the high frequencies at the expense of the low. Just looking at the waveforms of the two tracks and you’ll see the difference in the drops. The second drop of “Earthquake” overdoes it and loses me entirely whereas “Extraterrestrial” made me go apeshit. Of all the sequels to decent tracks, this could have been much worse and hopefully Marshmello fans who liked this collaboration will find their way to the original.
73/100
Whipped Cream & LICK – The Greatest
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When you see a track title like “The Greatest,” especially coming from one of the pioneers of the midtempo bass genre, you should have high expectations. I’ve been debating whether this is a masterpiece or not and I’ve decided that it is just another decent midtempo track. This isn’t a game-changer or something that’ll be iconic a few years from now. “The Greatest” features a particularly clean first drop and a fantastic second drop which plays around with familiar rhythms in a unique way. It gets a bit messy when the triplets class with the 4/4 percussion, but overall it’s a job well done. At face value, it’s an above-average track for the genre, but by no means “The Greatest.”
78/100
Jon Casey – Catharsis
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Jon Casey deserves way more than 4,000 monthly listeners. His superb sound design and hard-hitting beats are seriously next-level. They’re fresh, they’re danceable, they’re hard yet accessible (most of the time.) The future bass chords in the break are stunning and the way they rev up, layering on new elements leading up to the drop is expertly done. I wish there had been some raps over this like “Asteroid Boy” with Mezzo and Swisha as it is in a similar style. The lo-fi outro is a magnificent way to close things out. I’ll have to listen to this track many more times to fully follow along, but I know special when I see it, and this man is something special.
88/100
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!
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This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs. Check out their interviews with B3RROR, Folded Dragons, and. Kage.
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