Weekly Roundup XXIII (including Shouse, Swanky Tunes and Kavinsky)
The month for the lovebirds has come around, and Shouse, Swanky Tunes and Kavinsky and more have offered their latest tracks for the welcoming Friday. Let’s get into it!
Ummet Ozcan – Gargantua
84/100
Channeling his Tech-trance and progressive roots from the early days, Dutch heavyweight Ummet Ozcan has crafted “Gargantua”. And it is massive.
Hulking kick-drums with techno orientations tuned towards an old-school big room design reign over the beat, emphasised in the dark and cosmic timbre before exploding with a trance-y riff at the breakdown. A great throwback to Ozcan’s former trademarks, which hopefully will be pursued further by him.
Bleu Clair – Better Things
76/100
Featuring on esteemed imprints throughout the globe, the Indonesian alias Bleu Clair has devoted himself to the house scene with all zest.
“Better Things” takes off with Chicago/Detroit-influenced rave stabs, transitioning to a rolling tech house bassline. A soulful vocal livens the mix, although the conventional approach towards a trending sound slightly takes away from the otherwise creative aspect we’re used to from the said producer.
Shouse – Won’t Forget You
78/100
All I neeeedd….
Wait, don’t click off this article just yet. You and I have heard it many times over, as Shouse catapulted to a towering status in the industry right after their debut hit. And after some waiting, their following single “Won’t Forget You” came out.
Not diverting away from the classic house blueprint and vocal harmonies, this record employs the usual choir and occasional organic attachments such as the sax and a chiming harp. It’s an earworm-y and fuzzy experience if you ask me, although whether it will surpass the preceding track’s reputation remains to be seen.
Swanky Tunes – I Love The Way You Move
72/100
It’s been a hot minute since I indulged in anything from the Russian trio. “I Love The Way You Move” depends on a vocal sample that I heard on other instrumentals, and then on a relaxed tech house base, which seems rather far from the Swanky Tunes sound. Nonetheless, the “donk” bass pre-drop fill was a genuine addition, if I must add.
Kavinsky – Zenith
86/100
It is heartwarming to see the renowned French new wave producer being active again, after years. After “Renegade” (which I also talked about some roundups back), “Zenith” goes for a sentimental and glimmering ride.
Including vocoded but well-sung-out female vocals on heightened guitar riffing, this one is all for the feels. There’s also a male vocal in the chorus, while slower ballad-like pacing makes it a perfect companion, as you walk on a pleasant evening out in the shimmering neon city.
John Legend, Nas & Florian Picasso – Tomorrow
Ask me tomorrow/100
No, I swear I didn’t use the random collab generator. It is real.
In a fascinating turn of events, the “All Of Me” singer and rapper Nas got together with the French producer for a grungy hip-hop performance, a contrasting difference from what Florian Picasso usually does.
I am not the best critic of hip-hop, but the Boom-bap/90s influenced framework of the production and Nas’s aggressive rap flow does entertain to a good extent.
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