Picks Of The Week (05.09.20

1. ShockOne - Follow Me [UKF]

Recommended if you like: TREi, Ekko & Sidetrack, Mob Tactics

Our weekly releases journey starts in Perth, Australia.

I think we've already established that I love a good computer generated voice sample. Whether it's Pendulum, MUZZ or Jayline, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll like the track if it has Microsoft Sam saying random stuff in it.

The newest addition to this list is ShockOne's newest track Follow Me. It's not quite Microsoft Sam, but the rule still applies. What a stonker of a track. Released through his newly founded Dark Machine Records label and UKF, this one continues the hot streaks of both. But can we quickly talk about how good the 2020 UKF series is? Honestly, every time they release a track it instantly ends up in my favorites list of the week. Same goes for Dark Machine Records. Even though they only released Lee Mvvthews's Turning Back so far, that track alone should speak for the quality of the barely a few months old label.

Back to Follow Me though. The aforementioned computer voice is catchily describing all the ways you are supposed to follow her online. She's the alpha, omega, beginning, the end, after all. It feels weird to mention Knife Party the second week in a row, but this is giving me serious Internet Friends vibes, which is awesome, because I love that track. The drop is hitting just as hard too, maybe even harder. Faster at least. A perfect mix between "foghorns" (I guess) and dancefloor. Will destroy dancefloors around the world, wherever there are still dancefloors left at least. Update from me a few days later: It indeed destroyed the Rampage dancefloor in Cologne.

But that isn't the only dancefloor release this week! This week has been pretty incredible for my beloved subgenre and I feel like I have to mention a few other releases real quick. Liquicity titans Feint and Andromedik released their collaboration I'll Be There, featuring vocals by Cammie Robinson. As expected for the talents involved, it's a straight-up uplifting dancefloor anthem. Fun fact: it's part of the third installation of Liquicity's Alchemy compilation series, fully released on September 2nd.

Speaking of Feint, his contribution to Monstercat's Rocket League Soundtrack "Outbreak" just got the remix treatment by none other than Fox Stevenson. Definitely a Fox Stevenson-y song, really reminiscent of some of his older Stan SB releases too. Watch out for that second drop. We also have a great collab between Friction, Flowidus and Raphaella called By Your Side. Dancefloor summer anthem if I ever heard one. Last but not least we got a new offering by new Viper signing Madface, named after Borderlands' best/worst Character: Claptrap.

All in all a great week for dancefloor!

2. Redeyes - Selfportraits LP [The North Quarter]

Recommended if you like: Lenzman, FD, Submorphics, Satl

Next stop: France.

Redeyes is one of France's finest liquid drum and bass producers. Since he started producing in 2006, he has released on Fokuz, Vandal, Spearhead and The North Quarter. A few years ago he also founded the Vandal sublabel Vandal LTD with fellow frenchman SKS. As the list of labels might already tell you, he is very fond of the hiphop, soulful liquid sound. And as fate would have it, I love that sound too.

This latest album of the Toulouse - based producer was released on Lenzman's The North Quarter. It's safe to say that the Dutch liquid forge has once again put out another gem of an album. Let me give you a quick review before I dive deeper: if you like soulful piano-driven liquid, you will absolutely love this one.

Alright, time to dive deep.

Selfportraits starts off with an intro that sets the mood perfectly. But the old school hiphop instrumental intro is just the prelude to A Thousand Times, a dreamy piano-driven liquid tune to drift away to. The blissful production is combined with the soulful voice of Manchester singer [ K S R ], creating a truly beautiful journey, which is also catchy as hell. The song doesn't end there though. Just like Submorphics and probably many others before on The North Quarter, Redeyes added an extra lyrical performance at the end of the intro, in this case performed by Abnormal Sleepz. This won't be the last time this happens. It might be a bit irritating when listening to a song on its own, but it makes for a really special album listening experience.

Let's carry on to Carry Me Home. What a lovely piano man, oh my. That's literally all my notes have to say for this one. Maybe a bit short, but true nonetheless. The latter half of the track is a hiphop performance by Juga-Naut, which kinda makes me crave a hiphop album by Redeyes. Really great old-school stuff. Next up: Belong, a collab with fellow frenchman Monty, someone I'm also a big fan of. What can I say, my high expectations were definitely met, maybe even surpassed. The vibe throughout this track is just amazing. Lush, soulful, all of it. This time, the outro teases the following track Outside with snippets of the vocal sample, definitely slowed down though. Said vocal is my favorite part of Outside, but the production is of course also superb. Just so very lovely. I will keep using this word, because it just fits so well. It also features one of the many DRS vocals in its outro!

Delicate is a real dreamer. A lush piano, sparsely used vocal samples, some ambient sounds, too good. He's definitely a master of piano-focused soulful liquid. Speaking of piano, Low Key is probably the first track that doesn't feature a "standard" piano. That doesn't mean it's any less lovely though, the vibes are still out in full force. The track ends with another emotional DRS lyrical performance. Change.Illusion is one of happier tracks on the album, the vocal sample just puts a smile on my face. In contrast, the DRS feature in the tracks' outro pulls you back into the dreamy state of the album. Just in time for the funkiest and most energetic track of the LP: Glowin'! Very much old school vibes. As always, the outro gives us a small breather before the next track starts up.

Nearly at the end. All The Reason to keep carrying on! That's also the next track title, just in case the title case formatting didn't give it away. Once more Redeyes delivers some happy soulful vibes, this time with the help of a elegantly performed vocal by Lovescene. We've arrived at the last track of the album: Slow Pace. Dreamy piano, syncopated drums, you know the drill. The last outro is performed by none other than the now-infamous DJ Flight. Instead of spitting a sick hiphop verse, she is just talking her heart out. About racism, sexism, love, peace and unity. She's absolutely on point with that message. Love for everyone man.

Very very lovely album. If you like soulful liquid at all, listen to this.

P.S.: For you liquid lovers there's also the new BCee & Charlotte Haining album, which I wholeheartedly recommend. If you like her vocals, you will love that album too. Also, Artificial Intelligence also has a new EP out. That one is slightly heavier, but I'd still recommend it.

3. Save The Rave - Sevilla [Save The Rave]

*Recommended if you like: Disphonia, Redpill, oldschool (?) Neurofunk *

Next stop: Spain!

First off, even though the EP is simply titled Sevilla, it's actually a remix EP of said song. Not sure what happened there.

We're not talking Save The Rave, the Scooter song, but Save The Rave, the group of mostly neurofunk producers based in, you guessed it, Seville. Even though I'd love to talk about the Scooter song too, this is neither the place nor the time for it. Together with Dub Elements and a few others they are an integral part of the Spanish dnb scene. For this remix EP they recruited a bunch of other producers from around the area, with Pikota & Kumbh probably being the most well-known.

I'm actually not sure what the original Sevilla track sounds like, because it's not on Spotify, but one thing is for sure: it has a computer generated voice, talking about drum and bass in Seville. Awww yiss. It's a good week for my favorite subsubsubgenre.

Pikota & Kumbh start the remix EP off with their trademark old-school neurofunk sound they've already presented to the world on tracks like Déja vu and Ancient Egypt. Variations all over the place, a super dark atmosphere and drums as fast as the train I'm writing this in (it's a very fast train). I just love that sound. Next up we got a producer named Frannabik, smashing out a more modern Neurofunk interpretation of the song. While their remix could be described as more of a rolling neurofunk tune, Tumare's remix is the more step-y version of that. The way the latter one switches gears halfway through the drop is just perfect. The last remix was done by JottaFrank and is not drum and bass, so I'll just elegantly ignore it.

All in all, this is a really well put-together neurofunk remix EP. Even though it's the same song four times, but slightly different, it doesn't get boring at all. All producers bring their own touch to the project. Great stuff!

4. EiZO - Bipolar / Hysteria [Music Squad]

*Recommended if you like: Koax, Ripple, Fuck About! *

Next stop: France! ...again!

I actually wanted to do another country for the Hidden Gem Of The Week™️, but all my favorite options were from France. Marseille to be specific. I guess it's just a good day for French drum and bass.

Marseille-based newcomer EiZO's latest double single Bipolar / Hysteria shows yet again that good drum and bass can be found anywhere. Released on Music Squad, also known as the label that was awarded "worst name for a label so far" on Noisia Radio, both tracks are another great addition to the techy, innovative, IMANU-esque (I guess) sound that has become popular over the last few years. Bipolar's different creepy sounds flying in and out of the drop keep you interested the whole way through, while Hysteria's addictive main synth rhythm just wants to make you move. Or at least move your head up and down a bit. If you like your dnb techy, you will probably enjoy this one!

Hidden Gem

BRK, Bacon - Obsession / Broken Flute
MAE917 - Signs
Dedman - Chimes EP
AIRGLO, Stash The Groove Bug, CXC - Something