SaberZ & Bonka – Escape

• Presence of Bonka
• Abrupt mood switch between break and drop
• Generic piano that doesn’t convince

In the last few years, I am not been as committed to Revealed Recordings with the same passion as earlier, but occasionally there are standout releases that make me jump on my seat, like “Escape”. Thank god there is still some Big Room on Hardwell’s label, as RND’s ground zero is more oriented toward Techno and Tech House, genres that I rarely cover in my articles.

Bonka has become my favorite re-discoveries from this year: few releases, but with “Brakes On” (ft. Rave Republic), “Party Won’t Stop” (ft. REGGIO), and a couple of crazy Mashup Mixes, the duo has impressed me. Of course, they are from Australia: I could sense the noisy Melbourne Bounce influence in their unique panache!

“Escape” pursues the successful recipe adopted by Bonka in 2022, yet is less influenced by the more experienced SaberZ, who despite their stature in the domain have maintained a lower profile on this collaboration. More on this later. The drop is clearly from Bonka: brutal, hasty kicks, the familiar squeaky lead, and the near absence of a melody… Just pumping and rising as snappily as possible, in pure old-school Melbourne style! I can’t get enough of this schema, it’s charged with energy and entertainment.

The breakdown of “Escape”, then, starts in a conventional way (calm vocals and piano chords) but introduces a breakbeat set of percussions. I wonder if this is a contribution from the Hungarian duo, as it was a positive surprise… but the final drop doesn’t pick up this hint and presents the same climactic hook from MB again.

Bonka’s craft on the drop is praiseworthy, which is spectacularly bold yet the breakdown doesn’t blend together smoothly. The clashes between the two parts can be considered an artful strategy, but I personally found the conclusion wrapped up in a rush, without giving much notice to any of the SaberZ’s elements that I loved here.

“Escape” could have perhaps been even better, although it is an enjoyable release from the Dutch label, which luckily has not forgotten its origin at all, and shows a lot of potential for the future of Bounce. With Bonka and Will Sparks trying new things, I am greatly curious to see what these Australian figures can bring to the table in the coming year.

You can listen to “Escape” here:

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