• Impressive and stunning twist in the finale
• The rest is clichè, but well made
• Hard-hitting kick on a minimal, reverberated bass

It makes me delighted to review this track, considering that I am not a fan of both of these artists. Aoki has jumped on the crypto-NFT bandwagon with doubtful results for his fans (remember that collab with the scammer Logan Paul?). When it comes to Showtek, they are not particularly revered by the Hardstyle community for their switch to commercial sounds. Nothing against Jem Cooke, who’s an outstanding singer/songwriter (CamelPhat, Pete Tong, Gorgon City). The four teamed up for “Mirror Mirror”, released on Skink Music.

And that was one hell of a surprise! Although with a mundane start, the classic techno-styled vocals try to be hypnotic (and work) despite being very conventional for 2023. Aoki and Showtek followed all the rules for the current Festival Techno trend: a dark bassline, hypnotic crescendo, and pummelling kicks with heavily reverberating bass. While it sounds good on paper, in reality, it was meh.

Then, Big Room influences come in the breakdown and a final drop around the last minute, bringing home an impressive touchdown. I felt that the perfect Aoki-Showtek tag team when a classic Aoki lead dropped (the one he’s been using for 15 years) blended with Showtek’s distinctive sound and a frenetic Techno bass. We can call it a good old dirty Acid Electro House to close “Mirror Mirror” with ten explosive final seconds.

This tune deserves a listen just for that final twist. Such a solid record with plenty of experience and skills hidden behind this short sequence. It’s clear that there was a desire to put effort into this synergy, and the difference is evident compared to other “lazier” releases from likewise artists. Hope to hear more collabs such as “Mirror Mirror”!

You can listen to “Mirror Mirror” here:

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