This week, we’ve got Steve Aoki wasting another collab, Wildvibes returns to Revealed, Cheyenne Giles & Knock2 put out a killer mashup remix, and Quartzo releases a surprising gem!As always, we’ll be compiling 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!
Steve Aoki x Backstreet Boys – Let It Be Me
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As one of the most identifiable EDM producers to a worldwide audience, Steve Aoki gets to work with some truly outstanding names including K-Pop stars, American pop singers, and apparently longtime legends like the Backstreet Boys. Two weeks ago, we covered a similar situation where Breathe Carolina had the chance to introduce a new audience to the world of EDM but instead opted for generic tropical house fare. That’s almost exactly the case here where Steve Aoki could have shown off all that EDM had to offer with internationally recognized names like the Backstreet Boys. What we got was yet another tropical flop, with vocals that sound like they could have been made by any male vocalist for hire. It lacks any of the complex and emotional harmonies they’re known for and Steve Aoki settled for the most mundane horns for the drop. What makes this hurt even more is that Steve Aoki has some enjoyable and distinct collabs under his belt like the one with Monsta X and his remix of BTS’ “Mic Drop.” I just can’t comprehend why you wouldn’t want to inject more character when being introduced to a new and passionate audience who might not be familiar with you or EDM entirely. What a wasted opportunity.
29/100
Kura & Syzz – Lightspeed
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On a lighter note, KURA has just released his new EP with four collaborations with four different artists. It’s a nice blend between his older and newer stuff with two house tracks with Trobi and HIDDN and a nice progressive hit with veteran producer, Alvita. That last one was also noteworthy for combining some of the bass house elements from “Lambo” with an older but enjoyable progressive style. But the one I wanted to focus on was the reunion of Kura and Syzz for the titular track. Their last collaboration, “Calcutta,” was filled with energy but was clearly meant more for festivals than for streaming. “Lightspeed” finds the perfect balance between the two with Syzz lending the oldschool house vibes and Kura bringing the energy in the drop. The highlight for me is actually the lead used in the buildup that teases the melody. It’s reminiscent of the sound that put Kura on the radar for me in the first place and was used in “Calvera” and “Walk Away.” At any rate, despite its short runtime, it’s a highly enjoyable track with two unique breakdowns and drops which is always a plus for me.
81/100
AYOR & NOTO – Like That
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After the Magnificence EP, Axtone has returned back to slightly above average house music for the past few months. Now we’ve got a new EP from AYOR and it’s a solid addition to their fresh discography. Over the past year or so, there’s an undeniable movement to this sort of STMPD/Magnificence inspired music that isn’t quite bass house or future house, but full of percussive energy. “Like That” introduced me to NOTO, who is another producer working on this style. The song itself takes many notes from tracks like “Closer,” “Cobra,” and “Remember.” The initial “breakdown” does a good job setting the stage but the second fails to carry the momentum in an interesting way. The emptiness does lend itself to some live mashup potential, but that remains to be seen. Overall, the EP had the right direction but fell short of being anything more than an addition to the growing genre.
71/100
Husman, Corti Organ & Max Cameron – God’s Creation
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When I saw this three-way collaboration, I didn’t recognize the last name but he appears to be a producer of movie soundtracks and scores that have appeared in multiple triple-A productions including many of the Avenger movies. That immediately set my expectations high because of Husman’s past work in going for cinematic sounds with his Rise of the Mad King album. The track starts with Husman’s overcompressed psy-style while orchestral layers progressively get added in on top. The breakdown introduces Corti’s typical trance sounds to the chording built in the first drop. While the chords are powerful, I was disappointed to see the melody consist of primarily descending scales rather than something more intricate. The second drop doesn’t add anything new to those melodies either, settling for simply adding a kick and sidechain underneath it. You’d think with all the talent involved, we could have gotten something more unique, but I find myself going back to the beautiful breakdowns of “Warrior” or the fresh drops of “Blackhawk.”
76/100
David Guetta & Martin Solveig – Thing For You (Tom Staar Remix)
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Starting with “Flight of the Buzzard,” Tom Staar came across a sound he found really worked for him. He used it again in his remix for “This Feeling” and “Don’t Leave Me Alone” and his latest release (after this remix) “Hornet’s Nest.” That brings the tally up to five tracks with the same formula and sounds. In the past, Tom has diversified his discography with unique samples for the breakdowns and well-controlled percussion which was above average for his genre. However, it seems like we’re about to lose another talent to the lucrative business of EDM remixes. We’ve seen this happen with a few artists now, to the point where we are planning on writing a full article about the progression of this disease on the industry. For now, just keep this in mind and pray that Tom goes back to more original sounds in the future.
58/100
MGM – GO
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Musical Freedom is quite the enigma of a label. On the one hand, they release some really forward-thinking tracks from truly talented individuals, but on the other, they also release some absolute garbage. I’m talking about the worst tracks from TYNAN and Stoltenhoff not to mention signing the scammer GLDN. At any rate, MGM is back for his second release on the label. His first release, “Bass” was very simple but with a powerful kick that I guess could carry a track. I figured it was just an homage to old rave music and didn’t think much else of it. Then “GO” came across my feed and I had to ask myself, “How did this beat out the other demos they must have in their inbox?” It’s so basic, so lacking in any sense of character, and wholly unoriginal – like he just throw a few samples in a DAW and called it a day. There is undoubtedly some behind the scenes stuff going on with these resident DJs like MGM and Jeff Retro that get them spots on the label and it’s a shame that real talent is pushed aside to line those guys’ pockets.
11/100
David Guetta, Sia, Showtek, Ookay – Booyah Bounce (Cheyenne Giles & Knock2 Festival Flip)
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On the flipside of Musical Freedom, it introduced me to the amazing style of Cheyenne Giles whose release we praised called “Blow The Whistle.” Fortunately I looked into his other tracks and discovered he has a slew of mashup remixes that he’s done with classic EDM tracks. The latest of which is with his friend, Knock2, and combines David Guetta & Sia’s “Titanium” with Showtek’s “Booyah” with samples from “Bouncer” by Showtek and Ookay. It’s incredible to see him blend these three tracks with his signature style of bass house. The handling of “Titanium” is almost like a remaster from the dated original and mixed with the festival anthem, “Booyah,” it’s a verified festival smasher. He did the same thing with “Tremor” and combined it with the vocals of “Cinema.” I’m just surprised more DJs aren’t all over these golden mashups. Hopefully this will direct you to download some of these incredible refreshes and redefine what a remix can be. Big ups to Cheyenne Giles & Knock2 for pushing the boundaries with their work.
86/100
Wildvibes – All In My Head
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For progressive lovers, Wildvibes has always been a great name to root for because of his excellent melodies and great character. Now for his second release on Revealed, he’s smoothed out his sound away from the typical progressive stabs more towards big-room influenced one. The melodies are fantastic and emotional, as to be expected! The arp used reminded me a bit of “Greyhound” from Swedish House Mafia but it was a nice addition. You already know my main issue with the song, and that’s the use of the incredibly overused acapella. Also, the fact that the drop melody was used throughout the entire track without much variation was a bit of a downer. At any rate, it’s great to see Wildvibes continuing to thrive and grow as an artist!
72/100
SIZE-S & Haohinh – King Of The Fairies
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One fusion of genres that I think there should be more of is between Celtic music and EDM. We’ve seen in before, most notably by Jeff Retro in “Isle of Man” but other artists have made contributions here and there. Now, on Quartzo, Size-S and Haohinh have created something that really floored me. The intro features a stunning violin carrying a classic Celtic tune (seems to be close to “Scully’s Reel”) and then the melody only grows more stunning in the second breakdown. The first drop is pretty basic psy-trance fare, I wish that they had weaved in the string elements somehow, but it’s serviceable how it is now. In the second breakdown, they give it a festival break after the harmonies to set up the second drop. In terms of arrangement, “King of the Fairies” is everything I could have hoped for with each of the four sections of the track adding something new to the mix without reusing elements. Mad props to the Japanese and Vietnamese producers for creating the best Quartzo track in a while!
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!
Da Tweekaz & Crystal Lake – Keep On Rockin’
Chris Royal & RAITH – Nu Flava
Mark Knight vs Mr. Roy – Something About U
Skytters & Bangerific ft. Sam Knight – Miracles
This recap was provided by The QR Network which is a site for interviews with producers and DJs. Check out their interviews with Olly James, Todd Helder, Justin Mylo, Krimsonn, and Marauda.
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