Before we all move into the fifth month, this end-of-the-month Friday is bringing out top names the likes of Hardwell and Ummet Ozcan. Let’s go through this week’s picks for the roundup!

Hardwell – Black Magic
81/100

Tapping into his roots even further, the Breda-based heavyweight is molding together his techno and electro sounds, as seen in “Black Magic”.

A female vocal introduces to the experience, with melodic techno-influenced arp leading right up to a minimally built drop, powered only through a bassline and recognizable electro pluck sounds. It’s Hardwell alright, but with an updated and experimental take that ensures the audience remains engaged for what’s coming next from the album.

Ummet Ozcan – Manipulated
80/100

An amusing detail that is noticeable in the comments section of almost every song venturing into the driving techno/future rave genre these days, is people asking: “Is it because of the Hardwell effect”?

Whether Ummet Ozcan was inspired by his famous colleague can’t be said sure, but “Manipulated” contains the formulaic thudding techno kick and big room ingredients, although with an overall darker aesthetics reminding of his earlier productions such as “The Cube”. Decently enjoyable than the usual generic releases.

PSY – Everyday
Baffling/100

Before proceeding to this review, my throwback article on “Gangnam Style” (which may or may not be out by the time you are reading this) mentioned my curiosity about re-visiting the mastermind behind the viral song.

Inside the South Korean alias’ latest comeback album “PSY 9th”, lies “Everyday”. My first listen left me scratching my head. Knowing this would follow a trendy beat, my prediction seemed to hold until it dropped- and by “it”, I mean a full DVBBS style “Tsunami” style big room drop, right after a deep house-y start! Talk about being leftfield and experimental, so unexpected.

O.L.G.A., DJ Dennis Wisse – Invisible
77/100

Having launched her career quite recently, O.L.G.A. has steadily increased her skillsets and expanded on other genres under the moniker, with her efforts shining in the recent collaborative project with DJ Dennis Wisse, titled “Invisible”.

A delightful piano and vocal greet the breakdown, setting the mood, as the drop is introduced after a steady percussive riser. Following the good-old festival progressive house norms, the involved duo here delivered a melodic and catchy drop featuring bright saw-synths. Plain and effective schema, minus distracting frills.

Heri Iznaga – Insomnia
75/100

Talking further about indie electronic efforts, “Insomnia” would be another great inclusion to the list. Heri Iznaga, a talented singer/songwriting, and producer, adeptly provided an exquisite vocal performance!

The instrumental smoothly glides underneath, adhering to deep house rhythms that gently assist the aforementioned element of this track. Certainly, a recommendation if you’re looking for something soulful!

Perry Wayne – Embers
85/100

Ring the alarms, because there is enough incendiary coming your way thanks to “Embers”! Perry Wayne strikes with his meticulous sound design on this gut-punching dubstep production.

Starting on a lighter note, a distorted vocal slowly ramps up towards the drop, which in my humble opinion, is a complete bomber! Utilizing creative riff modulations, this section wreaks havoc with dominating snares and rampant synths. My goodness, absolute rampage going on this latest upload from Gud Vibrations imprint!

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