• Crispy, punchy and lifelike drums
• Enchanting ethnic atmosphere as a supplementary
• Two styles fit into one song seamlessly

Monstercat has been on multiple streaks this year, and “Gumraah” is another fiery release from Dirtyphonics and More Plastic. Moreover, the main highlights can be heard on the drums and the ethnic atmosphere that both duos used and executed. Before commencing, I want to give a shout-out to More Plastic for kick-starting this track’s ideas courageously last year, which I appreciate very much.

“Fast forward to 8~9 years, and we sent them (Dirtyphonics) a demo. […] The collaboration is still unreal to us, and we are so proud to finally release it for people to enjoy.”
— More Plastic

The first impression I have is that the drum hits are very crispy and punchy throughout. For example, the loud kick transient, which is layered on top of the bassy electronic kick, gives it a realistic “drum set” feeling as if the drummer keeps hitting on the kick drum in real time. Besides, the tight snare that is layered with ample of white noise very much excites me alongside the intense hi-hat movements. In addition, the hitting sound of the sticks are also included as the count-in before the buildups, which I like as part of the plan that provides a stronger authentic Rock & Roll atmosphere that Dirtyphonics loves delivering for years. Nevertheless, even if the snare is slightly weaker than the one in “Burbank Nights” by Dirtyphonics, I still think it is relevant to show how lifelike it sounds every time it is hit in the drops.

Furthermore, the ethnic influences make this track much more pleasant to listen to. For instance, the Hindi vocals, the percussions, the string and the subtle riser fit excellently with the atmosphere and groove in the midsection, while other elements such as the laser crash and the call-and-respond leads in the drops make the track even more immersive. To me, these elements do not sound very forced because they act like good additions to the song, hence sounding charming. At the same time, this experimentation is an opportunity to combine unique influences while still under the same Drum & Bass structure, which is the main idea that keeps it driving and thriving, and this works fittingly. And so, not only do the elements bring out the distinctive South Asian flairs noticeably, but they also mix two similar styles surprisingly well.

In short, the mixdown and the intents of this track are balanced and clear respectively, and all parts are highly understandable, striking, entertaining and energetic. Also, the dynamic styles that both duos have are awesome and coherent. It is no wonder that Pitchin from Dirtyphonics stated that it “crushed during our set” on its release day which I feel reassured to know about as well.

Review written by Ready

You can listen to “Gumraah” here:

Appendix:

Photo:
Pitchin (1/2 of Dirtyphonics) stated that the Monstercat release “Gumraah” with More Plastic has been doing really well during their past live sets.

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