Picks Of The Week (03.07.21

Привет, priwét, hello there!

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Russian DnB in all its forms. I don't even know why exactly, but whenever I listen to Russian Neurofunk it seems like they really have something figured out that the rest of the world hasn't.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me show you a few examples from just last week! Yes, it's a Russian DnB Special!

1. Vecster - Another Dimension EP 💎 [High Resistance]

Recommended if you like: Despersion, Traced, Merikan

Let's start with some heavy dancefloor-neuro courtesy of Sergey Kandakov, probably better known as Vecster, which is also my Hidden Gem Of The Week™!

Vecster is a Saint Petersburg based usually-Neurofunk producer, but some of you might know him from his work as a Designer. Since 2008 he's active in the Microstocks business, i.e. he's creating vector graphics for designers all over the world. Now you know where he got the name from! While he has been a fan of DnB for a long time, even citing it as one of his main sources of creative energy, it wasn't until 2016 that he started creating DnB himself. His very first (public) release was his entry to Koven's remix competition for Get This Right, which was actually released on the remix EP on Viper Recordings! This was followed by releases on popular Russian labels like Live History Records, Invasion Recordings and TON Records. Between these, he has also put out a lot of excellent Free Downloads that are way too good to be free, if I'm being honest here. If you like to mix Neuro and are looking for some fresh tunes, I recommend checking out his SoundCloud, a real goldmine. After various features on the infamous Neuropunk Podcast by Gydra's Bes, he eventually landed a release on the emerging label High Resistance with his mate Brain Wave a few months ago. And that's exactly where this new EP is being released on!

Wait, you don't know about High Resistance yet? The label founded by 2Whales, who you might know from releases on various different labels like Red Lights Records or You So Fat Records? Alright, I can understand how that happens to be honest, they've only been founded in 2020 after all. Since then they've been incredibly productive though. They've used their new platform to promote some of the best newcomers that the Neurofunk community has to offer, like Cyntax, Despersion or Confusion. Much like 2Whales themselves, the label isn't 100% bound to the Neurofunk parts of DnB, they release everything from the deep and techy end of the spectrum, like the recent EPs by Senpai, Maykors, Brain Crisis or Synestika (which was featured here), to some extremely lovely uplifting Dancefloor, like the top notch EP by Maztra last year (which was also featured here!) and the double single by the founders a few weeks ago. Not only have they put out 27 releases since being founded, they somehow also managed to keep the quality high throughout. Honestly, I am constantly looking forward to what they have cooked up, because I always know that even if one particular release might not be my favourite style of DnB, it's still always interesting to listen to. And if a release is my favourite style of DnB, it very often ends up being one of my top picks for that particular week and sometimes even year. What I'm trying to say is that I really like the label. I've found countless new interesting artists through them and one of them is the one we're talking about today: Vecster!

And man, what a release this one is!

On this new Another Dimension EP Vecster continues the trend of dancefloor-destroying Neurofunk that most of his other releases, especially the free downloads, have also been a part of. It kicks off, or rather kicks the door down, with the opener Alarm, which immediately sets the bar for the rest of the EP quite high. Simple yet catchy vocals, nasty bass rhythms, fast yet hard-hitting drums, in short: a banger! A description that could probably fit for the title track Another Dimension too, maybe even more so. I was already very much headbanging to Alarm, but Another Dimension was a whole 'nother five steps upwards on the Banger Scale. In addition to the titular vocal sample, Vecster also worked in an omg and a repeated hey! sample, which might sound simple, but each of them honestly tremendously adds to my already quite high enjoyment of the nasty guitar-laden rhythms and rolling drums. Each of the drop's sections bangs harder than the last, it's one of those where if I heard it live, I would probably be like "damn this is awesome" every 16 bars.

Just when I thought I had reached peak-banger on this EP, Vecster comes along with Close My Eyes. My god. The drop starts innocent enough, with a really catchy call-and-response between a loop of the titular vocal sample increasing in pitch and a short but sick ominous melody, while the guitar-heavy bass and the punchy drums push you to dance more and more. Then you realise: this rising pitch is building up to something. And what a something that is. In the second 16-er of the drop the vocal sample is replaced by a series of insanely face-contorting "what the hell is going on here" type of relentless high-pitched machine gun fire notes. Just wow. I wouldn't even know how to respond to that part live. While that was definitely peak-banger for me, the EP closer The Devil is still very high up on the scale. Catchy melody, slamming drums, a rhythm so funky my feet just have to start dancing a little, even if I'm sitting in my office, and most importantly: that little fast part coming in every now and then in the second 16 bar block of the drop. Great EP closer to a great EP.

Absolute carnage straight out of another dimension. Wall-to-wall bangers.

Other (not necessarily Russian) Neurofunk stuff from this week:

Agressor Bunx - Eternal Frost
Various Artists - Oxygen LP [Neurofunk, What Else?] 💎
Armodine - My Daily Meal (Teddy Killerz Remix)
MEWONE! - Zhu
Cyntax - Show Time / Overlord VIP
Red Hood Squad, BLVCK CROWZ - On The Run

2. Nelver - Time Forward [Live History Records]

Recommended if you like: Mage, Edlan, Telomic

Even though Russia has a lot of great producers in the hard-hitting realms of Neurofunk, there's nevertheless also quite a few that are really pushing the boundaries in the Liquid sector too. Or should I say Nelver-theless?

Yes, today's second pick comes from the Russian Liquid maestro himself: Nelver, also known as Eugene. While he didn't get much exposure to DnB in the small provincial town in central Russia that he was born and raised in, that quickly changed when he moved to Orel. It didn't take long for young Nelver to start producing his own, more relaxed and melodic style of DnB, which lead to his debut release on the Kiev-based liquid label Intelligent Recordings in 2010, which quickly lead to him releasing on Offworld Recordings and to the start of his long-lasting and still ongoing deep relationship with the legendary Fokuz Recordings family of labels in 2011. Since then, he has been extremely prolific, and I'm not just saying that. According to his current SoundCloud artist bio, he has released on forty-seven (yes, 47) labels in total. It might even be more by now. Don't believe me? If you really want to count for yourself, there's a whole list of labels right below that on his SoundCloud. Beside the aforementioned Celsius Recordings, where he also relatively recently released his Green Colours LP, his talent for uniquely beautiful rolling liquid has landed him releases on labels like Liquicity (and their sister label Galacy), RAM Records, Terra Firma, SLK Records and Live History Records. Not just that though, he has also been running his weekly Proud Eagle podcast since 2012 (nearly 10 years!) alongside the monthly Celsius Recordings Podcast he has been doing since 2014. I told you there's loads of Nelver content. Even though I might not have consumed it all, the music he's been putting out is so damn good I'm very much inclined to believe that the rest of it is quality stuff too.

This newest single was released on Live History Records, pretty much the leading liquid-focused label in Russia. Since it was founded in 2016, the label based in Saint Petersburg has been a great platform for all kinds of great Russian liquid artists, including Nuvertal, Command Strange, Cnof, Nic ZigZag, and, hey, Vecster too! As one of the most well-known artists in that category, Nelver has of course also been featured on it before, but this new single is actually his first non-compilation release on the label!

Alright, let's talk a bit about it then, shall we? Time Forward is the new single we're talking about today and, in traditional Nelver fashion, it is beautiful. The track fittingly starts with a quickly ticking clock, before introducing us to an extremely lovely piano melody that guides us while we drift away into the ethereal atmosphere that Time Forward is building. I've declared my love for piano in DnB a few times already, so this is probably not much of a surprise for the regulars here. But it just bears repeating. I love the piano in this man. I've even listened to the Piano Cover companion piece Nelver uploaded on his YouTube channel a few times, it's just way too damn beautiful. With his signature rolling drums as the common thread throughout these great 5 and a half minutes, he then takes us on a journey through all kinds of different beautiful settings. It's not just the great piano that lulls you in though, it's the comfy, warm bass, it's all the other little sublime elements, the whole composition just feels like a little journey through some remote beautiful corner of the world.

Pure bliss.

Other (not necessarily Russian) liquid stuff from this week:

Various Artists - Liquicity Escapism 5 (<33333, 100% great, special shout-out to Berlin though)
Simon Splice - Dance With Me 💎 (technically last week, but only just found out about it)
Winslow - Sandalwood Nights
Dezza, Dan Soleil - My Breath (Matt View Remix)
Various Artists - Atlas / 1 [1985 Music]
Mage - Her Dreams / The Voice Of The Siren
Conspiracy - Metamorphosis + Slow Down 💎
Sub:liminal - Entropy EP
BCee, [ K S R ] - Life, Money

3. Gydra - Frostbolt EP [Neuropunk Records]

Recommended if you like: Mizo, Audio, Killbox

We haven't had one of those in a while, have we? Every now and then, a release from Bes's and Garud's excellent label Neuropunk Records comes along and makes me want to write a story about the universe the music transports me to. This new Frostbolt EP by Neurofunk veteran duo Gydra is one such release. And I thought, since we're doing the Russian special today, it would be a great opportunity to revive this type of review once more. If you only care about my quick thoughts about the music itself, there's a summary at the end. Hope you enjoy!

"Welcome to Frostify Incorporated™, I'll be your tour guide for today! We're very happy so many of you have taken an interest in investing in our company. To convince you even more we thought we could give you an exclusive look into what exactly it is that gives our products that distinct long-lasting coldness that our competitors only dream of achieving. Alright, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer, let's just get right to it. Simply follow me into the changing room, I'm afraid your normal jackets won't cut it inside our cooling room!"

"Everyone got their cold suits on? Great! I know it's uncomfortable, but trust me, you will need them. Just step through this door and see our special formula in action with your own eyes." The group of investors steps through a sealed door into a bright room. Once their eyes have acclimated to the new environment, they see they're in a massive cave-like complex, with meter-long stalactites hanging from above. Everything that isn't protected from the cold is frozen in mere minutes, from vegetables to meat to a tourist's water bottle. "Impressive, isn't it? Unlike our competitors, we aren't creating our frost by electricity or with chemicals, we only use naturally occurring sources. Look, there!", exclaims the tour guide as he points at the stalactites. "Say hello to our employee of the month for fifty months running, FROSTBOLT!"

"You might think, 'oh, that giant three-headed icy wyrm looks dangerous', and you'd think right. His massive presence alone generates enough coldness to keep this whole construct at less than -40°C, which plays a huge part in our production. However, thanks to our patented MUZZLE technology you don't have to be afraid of him at all. As you can probably see, since we entered this compound he has been trying to breathe his deadly ice towards us, but its force gets lessened so much it just feels like a light breeze for us. You'd only ever be in danger if you brought in something like, let's say, a lighter. They really don't like heat here."

As the group continues following the guide around, one particularly jet-lagged individual is so close to falling asleep that he decides he needs coffee. He reaches into his bag to pull out an insulated container of coffee, which the extreme cold has of course frozen at this point. No problem at all though, this container also has a heating function after all! A few moments after he has initiated the process, a loud screech erupts from above. "Huh, what's going on?", asks the guide while turning around to the group. "Oh you got to be kidding me, you absolute CHUMP! Did you not hear what I just told you?! Everyone, run! The muzzle won't hold it back much longer now!"

As the ice breathe of Frostbolt becomes more and more noticeable, the group scrambles to get back as fast as they can. Some taking a, for them, unexpectedly slippery shortcut and struggling to stay upright, some taking the longer, less icy road. "Leave that container behind, once it is taken out, the muzzle should work again!", screams the guide to the panicky and sleep-deprived investor, who wastes no time and immediately throws it as far as he can in these cold suits. A few seconds later, Frostbolt's icy breath bursts through the barrier towards the container. Just as the shockwave was about to hit the group, the last few jump through the door to safety. "Well", the guide breathlessly admits, "I should probably mention the muzzle is still in ALPHA stage. That concludes our tour for today, thank you for your time."

Alright, welcome back in our dimension again! To talk a little about the music too: The EP is Gydra through and through. A little more minimal than usual maybe, but the whole EP still has all the same hallmarks one has come to expect from them: catchy basslines, great horror-esque atmosphere, all the good stuff. Especially the title track Frostbolt hits hard.