Picks Of The Week (24.07.21

1. Teddy Killerz - Landing Capsule EP [RAM Records]

Recommended if you like: Gydra, The Clamps, Prolix

I had this whole transition from last week's TZ review to this one planned out, but then I didn't manage to finish this piece in time so I had to move it to this week. Truly a nightmare. Speaking of nightmares, let's talk about some night-terror-causing Neurofunk!

Some night-terror-causing Russian-Ukrainian Neurofunk, to be specific! This review about the legendary trio inferneuroale Teddy Killerz's new EP on RAM is now my second unintentional continuation of my Russian DnB Special Week from a while back, at this point I might as well just call it a spotlight month or something. Well, what can I do when there are just so many great releases coming out from over there? Anton Mashevsky's and Oleg Cholovskii's collaborative productions as Place 2b and Paimon (respectively) had already caused quite the stirs in the underground scene since their first tune together in around 2012, but once they rebranded themselves as Teddy Killerz in the same year, everything changed. They were already making their mark with releases on Bad Taste Recordings and 720 Bass Ltd, but it was their banger of an entry in Skrillex's Bun Dem Remix Contest that pulled them into the big spotlight. Since they were already an established artist they couldn't win the contest, but Skrillex liked what he heard so much that he signed them to his label OWSLA instead! Very soon after this, the duo was joined by Grigory Cherekaev, better known as Garud, to form one of the best electronic music groups out there. In my opinion at least. After two multi-genre EPs on OWSLA, the trio went on to release their three-part Machine Room EP series on Bad Taste and an EP on RAM Records' sister label ProgRAM, the latter directly leading to a full signing on RAM Records in 2015.

To say they've earned the title "Legends" since then would be an understatement. Countless RAM EPs and their debut album in 2017, followed by releases on labels like Blackout Music, Viper Recordings, Circus Records, GET HYPE, Eatbrain and UKF, all in 2018 by the way, Korsakov Music, Disciple, VISION, Bassrush Records, Monstercat and even Souped Up. Not to forget their huge involvement with the bastion of Russian Neurofunk, Neuropunk Records! In short: Goddamnit, have they been insanely productive. And it's all so damn good too! Honestly, every single year they bring out multiple tracks that land straight in my favourite of the year playlists. I love their productions to death is what I'm saying.

Spoiler alert: They've knocked it out of the park once again.

The EP kicks off with a truly signature-style Teddy Killerz banger: Frightmare. Chock-full of Horror-inspired sound design, both in the instrumental and the choice of vocal sample, this one is truly worthy of its title. It's like you've entered a secret chamber, where crazy scientists experiment on human-animal hybrids. You enter through the door and the lab-wide alarm lets you know you're not welcome here. While the head scientist of the lab menacingly asks you whether you want to see something scary, the large equipment is slowly being fired up, preparing to unleash the unknown monster. The frightening chaos the monster brings about in the lab is only topped by the absolute destruction the drop creates. Just wow. The thing is, if you continue listening you'll see I wow'd too soon. The second drop is like a full VIP of the first half, everything has its elements changed around a bit to create a whole new, even more hard-hitting flurry of drums and basses. Outstanding stuff.

After this burst of energy we are taking it a little slower on Landing Capsule. Well, relatively speaking. If Frightmare was a beast escaping from a secret lab and causing chaos, Landing Capsule is its more secretive brother following in the shadows behind you, ready to strike. In true Gydra-esque fashion, the track almost swings left and right with its addictive bassline and steppy rhythm provided by the metallic drums. During both drops, the at first relatively simple schema of the call and response of the forward-creeping bass melody and a heavier equivalent quickly evolves into more aggressive versions of itself, with the second drop going all-in. Honestly, that last little bit will cause some earthquakes, I'm sure of it.

Moving on to a different Horror story with Stuck Inside! With the catchy yet scary vocal melody in the buildup the Teddy Killerz have gone into the Freddy Krueger territory. Said high-pitched vocal is already quite unsettling during the buildup, but when they transform it into the drop's bass, it becomes truly horrific, in a good way. 20 octaves deeper and distorted to hell and beyond, it immediately makes you think of some deformed killer following you. The Killerz supplement this honestly insanely effectively designed melody with some great drumwork, which goes from steppy to rolling and back effortlessly. Right when you think you've got the gist of the track, they shift the whole structure into a different, somehow even more banging form for the second drop. It cuts back and forth between the distorted Stuck Inside vocals and an honestly insane array of foghorns, for lack of a better word. The track does this so quickly and effectively that my face doesn't even know what to do anymore and just gets stuck in the biggest bassface ever. This would completely destroy me at a rave. Hell, it even destroys me sitting in my office at work. Just wow.

Last but not least we've got Pie! To quote the track, this is motherfucking heat boii. For the whole first half it rolls along mercilessly, steamrolling everything in its way, with the occasional atmospheric extra melody or single stab coming in. Towards the second half the track slows down a bit and gives in to its melodic tendencies more. The second drop switches from the more "raw" drums to more "modern" ones, while the sci-fi melodies give the whole thing a really great ending feeling.

Unsurprisingly, another insane EP by the Teddies. They can honestly do no wrong at this point in my eyes.

Other great neuro from this week:

Despersion, Mindset - Do It / December (holy fuck December is so good)
Esym, Dead Zodiac - Cybernetics EP 💎
REAPER, Bella Renee - IMY
A.M.C - Triggers
Oddko - Disobey (Zardonic Remix)
Maker - Terrorblade 💎
Ozma - Dark Squad EP

2. Cream Blade, ENROSA - The Way I See You / Overdose [Ridmic]

Recommended if you like: T & Sugah, Itro, BMotion

Now for something completely different!

My second pick for this week comes from Spanish producer Cream Blade! Even though he has only been producing for two years so far and even though this is only my second exposure to his great work, his NoCopyrightSounds track Daydream a few weeks ago being the first one, he's not even close to being a Hidden Gem anymore. His humble beginnings were his debut release Liberosis on Cracking Records in 2019... or so you'd think! Right in the middle of writing this sentence I discovered that he used to go by the multi-genre EDM alias AFRIK! Shortly after being brought into the world towards the end of 2016, he went on an honestly impressive spree of awesomely uplifting dancefloor DnB releases. Impressive not necessarily in the sense of quantity or something, but in the sense that I kinda love all of them. The magnificently cute self-released 2017 debut Kaeru, the really quite vibey Haramgunbi on Groove Street, his City Stories EP on El Royo in 2018, all of them honestly great! Not to forget his countless great remixes on his SoundCloud though! Even though DnB seemed to be his main passion, he constantly dabbled in other subgenres, from Hardtek to Dubstep to Future Bass. However, after a few years of jumping around from subgenre to subgenre he decided to start anew. Enter Cream Blade, his brand new DnB alias! Very soon after the aforementioned debut release, he gained the attention of T & Sugah's High Tea Music and the EDM behemoth NoCopyrightSounds, where he returned a few months ago. After another (way too good) return to SUPRMODE with Wiguez and a remix appearance on DOPE SQVAD, he now ventures into even more new territory: His first EP since the reband, on no other label than the brand new Liquicity off-shoot Ridmic!

The triple single starts off with the piano-powered uplifting dancefloor anthem The Way I See You, featuring the beautiful vocals of ENROSA, also known as Nilka. After the incredibly emotive piano lead melody guides us into the track, ENROSA fires up her gorgeous vocals. In the leadup to the drop the piano disappears, but soon enough you'll hear it coming it back, stronger than ever before. Also it's a very lovely synth instead of a piano now. It makes a lot of sense that I love this track, since it has all the main ingredients for an uplifting dancefloor track that I love: Great vocals, catchy melodies and even pianos! However, Cream Blade really went above and beyond with the arrangement of these already great ingredients. The synth melody paired with the hugely punchy drums just gives me such a burst of energy each and every time and the vocals get better with every listen. The thing that catapults the track to the highest heights for me though is the Acoustic version. In its essence it's not that different from the original: Instead of the piano transforming into a synth, the piano stays with us the whole time, and the lack of "drop" makes the whole thing a little shorter. However, the piano isn't just a copy-paste job from the original. During the chorus, it is injected with so much energy it becomes a goosebump-triggering machine. Especially during the second half, when the player puts every ounce of emotion in their body into it, I can barely contain the tears coming out. It's just so damn beautiful goddamnit.

Okay yes, The Way I See You is pretty much my favourite of the release. However, the second track Overdose is an excellent piece of dancefloor slappage in its own right. A catchy vocal sample, an even more catchy synthy melody, an arrangement that just pushes you forward with every single drum hit, in short: A great uplifting dancefloor banger with some excellent early 2010s vibes that make me dance in my chair with a huge smile on my face.

If you enjoy the uplifting dancefloor side of DnB, this release and Cream Blade in general are both definitely worth checking out. Also don't even dare skip that Acoustic version or I'll show up at your house at night. Well, probably not, but still, it's extremely good and should be paid full attention to.

Other uplifting dancefloor stuff from this week:

Feint, Leah Rye - Starseed
Subsonic, Natalie Holmes - Paradox
Justin Hawkes - That Look
Egzod, Maestro Chives - Royalty (Wiguez & Alltair Remix)
MEWONE! - Paradise
Rameses B - Have Fun
Sub Focus - Reworks I
Neuromonakh Feofan - Акустика, Ч.2 (well, in a more Russian folk kind of way. The vibe fits enough though lol)
Mage - Fall For You (This Time)