• Commendable minimal attributes
• Leaning towards deeper schematics
• Great companionship from the vocals
For a considerable period, one of the primary faces of Dance music’s frontier Martin Garrix seemed to have singularly diverge onto the popular standards of Electronic industry. Although he branched off his side interests with alternative pseudonyms such as AREA21 and YTRAM, the main alias became more and more reserved for radio-friendly records. Last Friday however, STMPD records unveiled their label-head’s latest creation “Pressure”. Featuring renowned Swedish songstress Tove Lo and upcoming talent Osrin, the outcome is a purely delectable and unanticipated experience.
Talking about YTRAM, it seems to be more active than in the preceding months. Last two singles from the leading act came out under the masked alias which he donned for performing live some time ago, heading for that darker signature that Garrix usually didn’t dabble much. Sharing synergies with the likes of Elderbrook and Citadelle, his fascination towards the underground Tech-infused House was clearly growing. To my surprise, “Pressure” didn’t embrace any moniker, and for the better. This is a welcome change for starters, as the usual productions in his discography either leaned to Progressive House (sounding mostly like Matisse & Sadko because of their involvement) or Future Bass to allure the preferred sentiments of vox populis.
Now, the composition. The immediate detail that seizes the attention is the minimalism and analogue approach in the instrumental, adding a flavour of the club-compatible Deep House schematics. Despite the few components it chooses to perform with, there is no compensation of dynamics because of adept sound-selection and mixing. Allow me to explain. The stars of this show are clearly the wide low-ends, droning and occupying as the majority. And then there is clever twist of a plucky synth that occurs later in the main chorus, almost pushed to the backdrop but keeping you mindful of its presence with a playful riff, with slight automations on the cutoff and its reverberation. Also, the percussion doesn’t open up entirely, relying on slick closed hi-hats and thinner claps to indulge you in its hypnotic afterhours groove. Tove Lo does a splendid effort in the vocal department as well, without overdoing in the process. Shorter duration, in my opinion, increases the replay value. From all angles, construction of this song is admirable for its brilliance.
Coming to a conclusion, it is undeniable to say that we have a clear contender for a massive summer hit. “Pressure” exhibits one-of-a-kind characteristic that overshadows whatever lesser flaws one could summon up; a bold and “less is more” attempt at a mainstream electronic track that needs to be more common than usual cash-grabs in the industry.
What do you think?
Show comments / Leave a comment