• A narrative opening by “Broken Mirror”
• Driving/peak time techno with “Into The Unknown”
• A step away from Big Room/Dirty Dutch

The reappearance of one of the most beloved artists of our audience has left most of us thrilled, although, on that basis, I cannot casually lean towards any favoritism. That being said, let’s talk about how much the Dutch music icon has impacted me in his first releases after many years.

There’s no mystery that the warehouse-arena Techno (if I had to label genres), popularized by the Future Rave branding, is the new direction taken by Hardwell. Without mincing any words, I want to declare that it hasn’t turned me into a huge admirer. Before you disagree hastily, let’s expand from my viewpoint: Techno isn’t my go-to genre, for it expands on far more repetitiveness than I could bear. Yet, this experiment certainly revamps his earlier version, wherein he freely blended between progressive, techno, and electro house (as heard in “Zero 76” or “Encoded”). I can see the late 2000s and early 2010s sound being channeled into his new project. Contrasting to Maddix, whose vague choice of a ‘Tribe’ project doesn’t involve a strong narrative, there’s a rationale resonated in the “Broken Mirror”.

To make a long story short, Hardwell had an epiphany and decided to create a persona that advocates him being a rebel, a standout. A courageous and bold choice that certainly earned my appreciation.

Onto what commences and tells us about the path taken, “Into The Unknown” symbolizes the leap into this uncharted terrain that the creator has taken. From one side, there is the recognizable saw synth lead with a darker and grungy twist, building up towards the climax for the drop. A female vocal assures the listener to have some faith, and embark further on the unexplored. Soon after, the saw synths thrust in with rumbling kick drums, greeted later by an assortment of synthesized hi-hats. The entire production doesn’t alienate far from the Berlin offshoot of Techno, which has emerged out of Berghain and gained a mainstream reputation with various headlining acts.

Thus, being a Big Room fanatic, I found the climax slightly weaker. I couldn’t stop keeping my thoughts about the melody, which is not as impressive and craved for a huge tonal kick to take over and add verve to the schematics. This is not something that will be on repeat for me, unfortunately.

So, I am curious to see how much this Techno-favoring signature will amaze me in the future. For now, I’ll keep my hype under check, and let the upcoming album make the final impression.

You can listen to “Into The Unknown” here:

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