I'm back!
Dubstep:
Burial - Foster Care
Label : Hyperdub Records
Release : October 5th, 2009
Featured On : 5 Years of Hyperdub Compilation
Another track from Burial! It's been too long. I've been waiting for this release for quite awhile. Once again it is so amazingly smooth and downtempo with those altered vocals and haunting echo-like melodies. It's as ethereal as anything else I'd expect to come from him. It's beautiful and somehow dark like walking in a city at night time. You admire the lights and sounds but are suddenly startled by gunshots and screaming. An absolute beauty of a tune with simplicity and emotion walking you through.
Hardstyle:
Zany meets The Beholder - Do You Want Heavy?
Label : Fusion Records
Release : October 5th, 2009
Other Songs : The New God
The New God is rather forgettable and moreover; nu, so I won't review it. Do You Want Heavy on the other hand is in your face and aggressive just as Hardstyle SHOULD be. There's no cheese or uplifting melodies just immensely hard kicks (reminiscent of Hardstyle back in 2005-2007), loud and brash melodies, and fantastically over the top lyrics. "We don't give a ****! I have an announcement to make.. we've come here tonight to KICK YOUR ASS" It's perfect for working out, fighting, or playing on a peak hour Hardstyle set. This is what Hardstyle should be and to hear a song from such a prolific producer in this day and age of nu and pitched bass is quite inspiring.
Trance:
Ron van Den Beuken feat. Nicole Tyler - Faraway (Harry's Game)
Label : RR Recordings
Release : March 2nd, 2009
Other Versions : Maarten de Jong Vocal Mix, Maarten de Jong Dub Mix, Nils van Zandt Extended Mix
Now to go from something so aggressive as Do You Want Heavy I will go to extremely beautiful and euphoric from the amazing Ron van den Beuken. This song is, in essence, a revamped version of Chicane's huge hit Saltwater. Luckily he didn't change it much he only seemed to make it MORE euphoric which is always welcome in epic trance. The original is a beautiful tune in its own respect but this is incredible as well. The gorgeous vocals and melodies together sound so full and lush it's almost like all one thing. He may have tripped up on some rather forgettable tunes but Mr. Van den Beuken makes up for it with this incredible song.
Hard Tech:
Phil York - Phil York - Love (On My Mind) [Kidd Kaos Remix]
Label : Tranzlation Records
Release : September 28th, 2009
Other Versions : Original Mix, Luca Antolini & Andrea Montorsi Remix
Kidd Kaos has to be the most exciting artist in hard tech trance today. He incorporates heavy amounts of Techno, Hard Trance, and Hardstyle into one and the result? Hard punchy kicks, reverse bass, long buildups and breaks all leading to a huge payoff. This song in it's style is similar to Nu Religion in that it has all the things you could wish for in a hard tech trance song and more. The song starts out with a vocal that has a stutter effect and hard punchy kicks that set off the vocals in such a way that it almost creates a sense of euphoria from the amount of perfection. Of course I may be overstating it because I am of course a Kidd Kaos fanboy. Then it leads into a slightly more open vocal with reverse bass. It all culminates and then vanishes into a break that introduces a melody heavy with distortion. Kaos then tricks you into thinking the bass is about to be introduced that pulls the rug out from under you. Then when the melody is introduced he adds the reverse bass and makes the whole thing like an unstoppable thing of beauty.