• Cyberpunk energy?
• Hybrid techno influence creeping in
• Experimental but still very Devin
A new style for Devin Wild and honestly I’ve been waiting for this. He has always sat on the melodic side of Hardstyle, sometimes euphoric, sometimes dreamy, but you could feel he wanted to break out and do something crazier. Lately his stuff has been moving into this cyberpunk territory and now “Among The Noise“, his new EP on SCANTRAXX, goes all in, mixing Hardstyle with a thick layer of hybrid techno.
My favorite track was a tough call between “Chaos“, a 165 BPM riot with a strong techno backbone, and “Dance With Madness“. I picked the latter because the kick and sound design are on another level.
I don’t know what is going on with the kicks on this EP. They hit in such a huge and thick way that they almost feel too phat for their own good. “Dance With Madness” starts with a straightforward vocal buildup and then suddenly slams you with this massive sequence of kicks that sets the tone instantly. Pure stamina. The sound design is insane and the techno flavor is everywhere, especially in the way the low end is shaped.
The euphoric buildup tricks you into thinking a melodic drop is coming but Devin goes the opposite way and throws in glitches, distortions and these gritty techno elements that keep the whole thing unstable in a good way. The first drop is an explosion of sounds, chaotic but controlled, and honestly pretty experimental for Hardstyle standards.
The final section goes even harder with more kick mutations and that hybrid techno attitude fully unleashed. Nothing feels recycled here. It is Devin pushing into territory that is loud, weird and very refreshing.
EPs like “Among The Noise” make me think Hardstyle is in the middle of a real shift. The genre followed the same formula for a long time and artists like Devin are raising the bar with impressive results.
What do you think?
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