Picks Of The Week (03.10.20

1. Wilkinson, Sub Focus - Portals [Universal Music]

Recommended if you like: Culture Shock, Dimension, Cyantific

Are you ready for dancefloor album month? I know I am.

Wait you don't know what I'm talking about? Okay let me fill you in. This month we're getting album releases by Sub Focus & Wilkinson, The Prototypes and Netsky. That might not sound like too much, but for me it is. These are pretty much the producers that got me into dnb (it's just missing Pendulum), so having new releases by all of them so close together is something special.

The first release of the dancefloor album month is Portals, by Sub Focus & Wilkinson. Apparently in the works since Take It Up in 2018, this is not an album that was quickly thrown together. Most of the production time was spent in Real World Studios in London, where even people like Kanye West or Jay-Z recorded their albums. With one of the biggest collections of instruments and some of the best technology available they set out to create an album that takes you to a different plane of reality. Not exactly the club bangers or festival anthems you'd expect from them, more like one of those where you can close your eyes and feel yourself drift away. Like if John Hopkins did dnb.

And that's exactly what we get on Portals. A portal to another dimension, so to speak. Man, this pun would have worked way better if Dimension was involved too.

It is literally one of my favorite albums of the year. If you can, listen to this release in one uninterrupted sitting, it deserves it. Tracks flow together super well, the production is superb, most of the sounds you hear are produced from real instruments that you don't find in any normal production. I just love the whole vibe of the album. Fair warning, not all of the tracks are dnb, but they are still very much influenced by it, of course.

Let's get to my highlights of the album, which are probably going to be nearly every song. As is tradition. My first and probably biggest highlight is Enter Night. A lovely piano, a lovely metallic drum thingy, lovely vocals, just absolutely lovely all around. I actually like the vocals so much I specifically have to mention the vocalist by name here. Cameron Hayes, known from Dimension's Devotion, smashed it out of the park. Honestly.

Freedom and Turn The Lights Off are my second big highlight. Why did I mention them as one highlight you ask? Because they're one of the best examples of one track flowing into another one. You don't even really notice the subtle change from the uplifting Freedom to the naughty Turn The Lights Off until the drop of the latter hits you in your face. I absolutely need to hear that on a system at some point.

Time features Tom Cane, who you might know from Wilkinson's Half Light, on the vocals and is just beautiful, man. I cannot get enough of those vocals from him. Speaking of beautiful. The pure beauty that is Alone has to be mentioned too, even though it isn't drum and bass. Literally getting close to tears when I listen to it.

Last but absolutely not least I want to mention In Bloom, the closing track of the album. It starts off with those metallic drums that I adore but whose names I constantly forget and sets the "it's over" mood perfectly. Then the vocals come in. And you just forget all of your problems. It's once again a close your eyes and fly away kind of vibe. Towards the end you can even hear birds chirping, which just emphasizes the slowly waking up feeling that you get when you realise that the dream that is this album is now over.

One of my favorite albums of the year for sure.

Other similar recommended releases:

the more energetic parts of the album
- Freaks & Geeks, Ruth Royall - Discovery (!!!)
- Grafix, Chrissie Huntley - Onyx
- Justin OH, Feint, Mazare - She's a Killer Part 2
- Sound In Noise - Shapes, Pt. 3
- Disaszt, TREi - Danger Time / Shape The Future
- Justin Hawkes - Blow Off The Roof
the more liquid parts of the album
- Machinedrum - A View Of U (especially the Sub Focus collaboration)
- Bert H, Hiraeth, Rhode - Stuck In Time
- René Lavice, The Melody Men - Through The Fire

2. Waeys - Critical Presents Binary VOL. 21 [Critical Music]

Recommended if you like: Skylark, Was A Be, Wingz, DLR

Let's go into deeper territory. With one of the most promising newcomers of the last few years: Waeys!

The young Dutch producer has released on a variety of labels at this point, with each releases getting better and better. At this point he has released on Delta9, DIVIDID, Overview and now Critical.

His newest EP is part of the Critical Binary series, a digital only series of releases aimed at showcasing some of the up-and-comers of the scene. Not going to lie, I expected we'd get some of his usual foghorn-y (t o o t) deeper style that he has kind of become known for at this point. Instead, we got some of his best material to date. Don't get me wrong, I love the toots and horns, Mapper is one of my favorite tunes by him. But that doesn't change the fact that this is a great release.

Also, the toots aren't completely gone. They're just wrapped in a nice little Critical Music sound design bow that makes them way more unique than I make it sound. Ephemeral, This Tune and the collaboration with Was A Be Bullying are all great in their own ways. They convey the "evil" creepy feeling of the genre very well. But the standout for me has got to be Mist. Quick rolling drums (I might be a bit biased because I love those), melodies going on left and right, a perfectly used atmospheric piano, a second drop that is just incredible. It might not be for everyone, but I eat this kind of stuff up.

Great EP!

Wow, I went all those paragraphs without a single way/waeys joke. Was waeys too hard to hold it back to be honest.

Other similar recommended releases

SiLi - Peak 1
Malsum - Artificial Evolution EP (very interesting)
Various Artist - Terra Rising (Terra Firma)
Nemy - Always Think Negative / Hill
Sustance, Charli Brix - Break The Habit

3. Picota & Kumbh, Marianna Ray - Run [Play Me Too Records]

Recommended if you like: AnnGree, Dieselboy (i think), old Rregula & Dementia

Let's continue the journey into the darker parts of dnb. But this time, we enter neurofunk territory.

One of the neuro artists I've grown to love the most this year are Picota & Kumbh. The Sevilla based duo are clearly influenced by old-school neuro, but they always find a way to inject some creativity into it. Whether it's jazz influences on Bass Flow or Egyptian vibes on Ancient Egypt, it's always worth checking out. This goes double for this new one.

Run, a feature with the amazing Marianna Ray, who continues to be one of my favorite vocalists for neurofunk and dancefloor tracks, is the newest single by them. As is appropriate for spooky season, the intro is as haunting as can be. The atmospheric piano paired with Marianna's vocals just create the perfect tension. Then comes the neurofunk. Slowly creeping up, teasing the drop. Until it starts rolling into this great old-school neuro drop with variations all over. What a vibe. Same goes for the second drop. You'd think after the first one you'd know what to expect, but it still hits you just as hard.

Big recommendation for fans of old school neuro.

Other similar(ish) releases:

Quadrant, Iris - Twenty-Two: Is This Now
TRILO - Sion
Rido - Inner Balance
Xeomi, Kaiza - Raven EP
Liveon - Stutter EP

4. Finalfix - Tremors EP [Hanzom Music]

Recommended if you like: Gydra, Billain

I don't know how this keeps happening. How did Hanzom end up in here again? This is already the second week in a row and probably the fourth or fifth time I feature them on here. But what can I do? They just release too many good EPs! I swear I'm not paid by them, even though I feel like they pay me already. Not in money, just in awesome releases.

The newest Hanzom Music blessing comes from belgian producer Finalfix and is my Hidden Gem Of The Week™. 2020 has been an incredible year for the up-and-comer. First, he released a double single on Rustout Records after a few years of hiding in the shadows, then he participated in the Katharsys Metallicity remix competition and won first place, allowing him to be part of the Metallicity remix album coming out on Othercide Records later this year. Now, an EP on Hanzom!

Oh yeah, I don't think I have to introduce Hanzom Music anymore at this point. Short version: Awesome neuro label from Cologne, Germany. Big big fan. Alright, back to the EP.

The Tremors EP starts off with the title track, a tune that immediately shows what a unique piece of music this release is. It's probably not even dnb. All I know is that it's quite unique, from the sound design to the overall rhythm of it all. Next up we go into more well-known neurofunk territory with Under My Skin. Big Gydra vibes on this. And I mean that in a good way. Lastly, the belgian producer presents us one final fix for our neuro addiction: Tempest. What a journey of a track. Don't let yourself be fooled by the intro of this one. It might start off slow and chill, but it gets bigger and bigger as time goes on. That last minute is amazing. The last 30 seconds are somehow even better. Unique vibes the whole way through.

Highly recommended!

Other Hidden Gems this week:

Freaks & Geeks, Ruth Royall - Discovery (Doctor P's new dnb duo alias, technically not a newcomer, but it's their first ever release under this name, that should count for something)
Various Artists - Constellations - Pegasus (Diascope)
Nemy - Always Think Negative / Hill
Liveon - Stutter EP
Drifter, The Kompany - Sunken
Threyedens - Sacura