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Mike Hawkins – Blackout

September 9, 20203 min read


• Uncredited singer with a marvellous performance
• Rock vibes subtly mixed with Trap elements
• Dynamic schematics, providing a constant flux of energy


Hey Mike, so much time has passed! Six years if I recount properly. I fell in love with the Hawkin’s Big Room signature back in the days, thanks to Spinnin’ bangers such as “Freedom” and “Soldiers” (which is a total recommendation)… And then time passed as the Danish creator kept a low-profile in the following period. That is until a few days ago, when he resurfaced with a top-quality composition on Lowly, named “Blackout”.

Now, pardon me Rock elitists for this undue comparison (if you might term it), but his Lowly release emanated Linkin Park vibes. It is something about the unnamed singer’s voice and the Rock-influenced structure, albeit me being not a devotee of the mentioned genre, it was an instant throwback for me (both LP and Hawkins’ respective tonalities). Addition of a polished production, with mixing aggressive Trap and an excellent guitar presence did the trick.

In this fast-moving industry, quantity has to be maintained with release schedule this days. But that would not be my suggestion for this producer, since if he embeds such meticulousness, surely one release shall do per year. “Blackout” gets into specific niches of the Rock spectrum, and brings just the amount of Electronic Trap elements for a release in Lowly. It is not mainstream EDM at this point, but more of an Indie/Alternative experiment. With support from grabby set of percussion, electric guitars and an EDM lead synth guiding over with a subtle hook in the background, the instrumental dynamically balances the nuances of each component adeptly. The drop is rather a quick, slightly more colorful riff that follows a similar mood than the rest of the portions; I usually prefer surprising twists from this parts with unanticipated blueprints, but “Blackout” maintains a vivid pace for the entirety of its playback, thus delivering a constant rate of energetic beat for over two and a half-minute, entertaining me without faults or clichés.

Conclusions? A solid ninety-plus for me.

What’s not to love? The vocal is amazing, and Hawkins managed to amalgamate Trap ensemble to a Rock outfit, with a melodic pattern exuding its passion. “Blackout” is in my top-list of songs from this year. A well-executed hybrid between two endeared genres, and a pinch of nostalgia, I couldn’t ask for more!

You can listen to “Blackout” here:

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