July has been inaugurated with passionate creations from various figures, notably and included in this installment of the roundup being Brooks, Oliver Heldens, Quintino, and so on. Let’s get to those records while they are fresh!

Bicep – Meli (II) & Saku
87/100

Hailing from London, the Irish duo Bicep has been making significant rounds around the underground music for their opulent and hypnotic productions. And my opportunity to feature them has come with the release of their Meli (II) EP, which consists of four tunes including the “Saku” (with Clara La San).

Spinning a web of melodic riffs, the title track ushers in a spacious and enthralling melodic techno (more of a slower trance, at this point), enriched with vocal harmonies and a smooth, flowing bassline. “Saku”, the closing track, sticks to a breakbeat format signature that propelled the duo to their current status, swaying to a soulful and dreamy vocal presence. Somber synths materialize halfway in, creating an intelligent and “lose yourself” atmosphere that resonates with 90s IDM and the classic breakbeat genre.

Brooks – Someday (ft. Isabél Usher)
84/100

Okay, I will admit this: I may have been slightly more critical of Brook’s discography, owing to the fact that he chose to mostly stick to his Future Bounce sound. But with “Someday”, featuring the songstress Isabél Usher, the Dutch producer has upped the ante to refreshing extents!

A heartfelt vocal accompanies the instrumental, already charged with the energy discharge awaiting in the drop. A minute later, there’s a hoover-ish electro lead greeting the climax, complimented further by the recognizable saw synths that carry the melodic timbre even in an aggressive setup. This record completely took me by a surprise, a superb approach!

Reinier Zonneveld, HI-LO – Flying Octopus
83/100

After the smashing collaboration “Saw of Olympus” and “String Theory”, comes the broody and hulking “Flying Octopus”! Created by the talented minds of Oliver Heldens donning his HI-LO alias and Reinier Zonneveld, the beast of a techno composition begins with a grumbling, hot, and squelching acid bassline, cooled by warbling chord synths. A kick-drum takes the supervising role right after this short intro, aided by the sinister bassline and dark stabs. All done tastefully in a minimal tone, with a straightforward and marching mentality ready to keep ravers laser-focused on the dance floors!

Quintino – Keep Moving
50/100

Maintaining an under-the-radar profile, Quintino has released music at a slower rate, mostly on his now-independent label “SupersoniQ Records” (which I believe was formerly under Spinnin’ Records).

“Keep Moving”, unfortunately, succumbs to a predictable arrangement that meanders anywhere from being an electro groove house to a big room track. While the first drop sticks to a plucky groove drop, of which the kickdrum kept creating a nuisance with its rather clicky transient. Later, the finale is supplemented with a tonal low-end. Altogether, a sluggish production.

Torres x Brucelee – Try Together
81/100

Boasting a gritty and industrial track is Torres and Brucelee, the upcoming pair masterfully engineered “Try Together”: a peak-time techno/future rave song that relies on a heavy, pummeling rhythm strutting through.

An off-beat bass and thudding kick manage to extend a dark and robust timbre, filled out with ricocheting percussions in the back and reverb-drenched saw synths. Playful placements of said things accentuate the linear groove, which later is followed by a suspenseful build-up of a breakdown. Cold, detached, and pulsating: this release packs a powerful punch!

NIVIRO – Holding Out For A Hero
84/100

Although I have quite the distaste for uninventive attempts that are being passed as covers and remixes for older hits these days, NIVIRO put out a vibrant and fun-packed old-school spin on the 80’s hit from Bonnie Tyler, titled “Holding Out For A Hero” (originally featured as a soundtrack for the blockbuster “Footloose”).

Taking full advantage of the uplifting mood resonating through the vocal, the Belgium act crafted hands-up/Eurodance schematics laced with euphoric hardstyle synths. The outcome moves gallantly, making full use of the anthemic melody and bounce-y bassline that will make most reminisce of the early 2000s dance music!

Bonus Review

Monta – This!
80/100

Monta is one of my favorite talents in the Intensity Recordings’ roster, and with “This!” I think he has achieved a unique style, ready to be developed and already capable of amazing the underground lovers.

The lead is a refreshing blast: it’s new, unexpected, fits well with a solid structure underneath, and adds a lot ot frenesy to the final outcome. I see some room for development since the result looks a bit raw when focusin on the details, but here we care about the idea. I’ve heard thousands of Big Room songs and I’ve never heard something like “This!”. Well done.

Mataio – Evolve
79/100

Dubstep is rarely our cup of tea, but there are names that can achieve great thins in this often underrated sub-genre. Mataio is one of them.

In his “Evolution EP” we can find “Evolve“, a mix of orchestral elements and Melodic/Hardcore Dubstep that entertained us for the entirety of its three minutes and half. There’s so much going on, from the elegant breakdown to the brutal growls of the first drop… Escalating into a sweeter and more melodic finale. Mataio really put a classy outfit on his aggressive Dubstep style, and the result is truly fascinating.

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