Weekly Roundup XXII (with music from Chainsmokers, NWYR, Kura and more!)

One done, eleven to go! With January done and the approaching festival season (which hopefully will go according to plans), aliases are equipping their discogs with further explosive tunes. This roundup contains some of them, notably from Chainsmokers, NWYR, Kura and more.

Disclosure, Zedd – You’ve Got To Let It Go If You Want To Be Free
83/100

Being a highly anticipated synergy, house maestros Disclosure’s revelation of their get-together with Zedd got fans hyped.

The song chooses minimalism and micro house attire with soulful dub decor, led by a chirpy male vocal. Zedd’s presence is hard to pinpoint, as the American producer has recently been known for opting for commercial sounds. That aside, it has a pleasant sway and the UK duo’s unmistakable catchiness all over.

The Chainsmokers – High
78/100

Hammering their hiatus of over two years to pieces, The Chainsmokers have come up with “High”, continuing their strides towards the same electronic pop sound they helped establish years before.

Many fans have shown their resentment by stating the song originally belonged or involved the Kid Laroi (as we also speculated in an article beforehand). Despite that, the single does impress with its songwriting and vocal efforts, staying in the safe lane of populist future bass/melodic trap. I heavily preferred the closing ten seconds, the variated bassline rhythm reminding me of Jack Ü.

“High” does soar with its boisterous synths and rock guitars, but not in the most creative and artistic sense.

NWYR – The Lone Ranger
81/100

Sampling Jerry Lordan’s reputed guitar strumming from “Apache”, the Dutch big room titans W&W brought back NWYR, their side-alias just in time for their newest sub-imprint, Rave Culture Dystopia.

As its main label had forecast the darker soundscape they had in mind pre-launch, “The Lone Ranger” gallops on a tech-y bassline, inspired by Future Rave and Techno, in lieu of a dystopian set-up. Usual trademarks do appear that doesn’t alienate the track from RC’s branding.

There’s a lot of potential in this label if it gets the same treatment and marketing for inducting a promising roster.

Marcel Woods – Advanced (Maddix Remix)
82/100

Before I proceed any further, there’s a brilliant and analytical article from us that came out recently covering Maddix, which I refer to if you are further interested.

That being said, the Dutch alias gave his own spin on the 2006 trance classic by the veteran Marcel Woods. Embracing techno and rave to the fullest, introducing the memorable hook in the break and amalgamating it with the rest of the gritty underground components.

A job well executed, it is refreshing to see Maddix do remixes (as also demonstrated on his earlier take on “Squid Game” OST).

Kura, Vedenzo – Thinking About You
76/100

The Portuguese EDM luminary has been quietly supplying tracks, and coincidentally I happened to talk about him last time about his collaboration with Vedenzo. This time, the duo debuted on Nicky Romero’s Protocol Recs, and changed over to a more fitting genre and style to suit the music publisher.

“Thinking About You” is a far cry from their former team-up “In My House”, trading quirky bass house antics for future rave-esque groove, which does sound slightly more static compared to the former collab. Nonetheless, it redeems itself with its danceable riff and ear-candy break.

Husman, Lockdown – The Last Time
82/100

Re-entering Maxximize for his first release of this year, Husman summoned the frightening clown figure Lockdown for a sizzling tune titled “The Last Time”.

The schematics weirdly reminded me of the whole hard house (big room + hardstyle) movement that was peaking back in 2017 or so. Husman provided a brutal riff and sound selection, while Lockdown’s manic rhythms supplemented for plenty of energy. A soulful vocal performed before, providing for a charming touch to the otherwise aggressive instrumental. Great decision on Blasterjaxx’s side to sign and commend it!

Bonus Review
Tom Ferry x EMIAH – Don’t Tell Me Lies
77/100

Let’s conclude this episode with a funky creation by Tom Ferry. “Don’t Tell Me Lies” goes straight up to the truth: if Future House is well-executed, there’s no need to invent complex melodies or structures. The result is a refreshing, almost summerish tune, with a simple yet methodically clean bassline and EMIAH’s vocal going on and on. That was a fun experience!

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