Ripple

Welcome to my seventh album write-up! I apologize in advance for the wall of text that is about to follow. Well, this time it's not quite as big, there's still going to be a TL;DR on the LP down below though.

Background

A lot of the artists I've covered on these big album threads have huge back catalogues or are, simply put, huge names in the scene. Today I want to showcase an album by a relatively new artist that I simply think deserves more attention: Ripple! While I would very much enjoy it if they were a trio, because then I could make a T-Ripple threat pun, they are actually a Czech-Slovakian duo, comprised of Spill and DJ PmdR. Let's talk about their backgrounds a little bit more before we delve into the music, shall we?

Spill

We kick this review off with the Czech half of the duo: Spill! Jiri started his journey into the scary realms of production around 2011, at least that's the earliest track I could find on YouTube of all places. Back then he was still a bit more into producing slower tempoed electronic genres, starting with Dubstep and eventually leading to his House remix competition entry for Stafford Brothers's "This Girl" in 2014. Speaking of remixes, what followed were a whole boatload (it's funny because Ripple are regularly organising boat parties) of bootlegs (more like boatlegs amirite) and remix competition entries, including but not limited to edits of Midnight Tyrannosaurus' "Basement Bitches", Datsik's "Katana", Trampa's "Rise Up" and KSHMR's "Touch". It wasn't until 2016 that the first Spill DnB production surfaced: his collaboration with M-CX called LOL. Despite the name, the production wasn't one bit laughable, for a first try at the genre it was actually already quite solid. Well, the followup Youth was the opposite of that: Liquid. Hehehehe.

On the following few releases Jiri showcased the many very different facets of his DnB productions, from some very uniquely produced liquid to some heavier jump up even. While there's no official "How the found each other" story for Ripple available (yet), I assume the success of Spill's menacing low-frequency 2017 wobbler Crash had something to do with it. For someone like me who really enjoys a good artist background story, it was a real hard pill to swallow (or should I say S-pill?) that I couldn't find any interviews mentioning more of that pivotal moment, but the timing lines up well enough for me to accept it as canon.

Wait, before we continue on into the adventures of Ripple, let's talk a bit more about the duo's other, easier googleable half: PmdR!

DJ PmdR

More specifically, DJ PmdR! Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. Since at least 2012, Peter Rajci, as he's known in real life, has been involved with the local scene's event organisation in the Slovakian capital Bratislava. Some time in 2013 he started venturing out into the scary world of DJing, joining the other local talents on the club lineups he was promoting and organising. In mid-2014 he got tired of the big city and instead moved to another big city: Prague! In the beautiful capital of the Czech Republic Peter wasted no time in expanding his network inside the bubbling local scenes. He took bartending jobs at Cross Club, Flying Dutchman Bar, Radosť and Nu Spirit Club, he soon joined the Drumbassterds.cz crew as both a DJ and a promoter and once people saw the skills he had acquired in action, it didn't take long for the Let It Roll Booking team to notice and sign him to their team. While he had very much found a steady new home for his DnB shenanigans at this point, he still kept in touch with the scene in his hometown Bratislava by joining the Slovakian MÄSOKOMBINÁT crew in 2016.

Then, on one faithful day in the 2016-2017 era, the two opposing forces, the well-connected blends-crafting DJ PmdR and the multi-faceted DnB producer Spill met each other at a party in Prague and it just clicked. With each passing day they were spending time in the studio together, it became clearer and clearer that a rebrand into a new, combined alias would make sense. That's right, that alias was Ripple!

Well, they didn't land on Ripple just yet. When they formally fused their talents together at the end of 2017, they actually chose to go by Crippleffect at first. However, the only remaining artifacts you can find about that name are a (probably) defunct e-mail, a few now non-existant tracks and maybe an outdated artist bio or two on czech forums. A little bit later, in 2018, they rebranded into the duo we know them as today: Ripple!

After their 2018 debut single Portal / Infinite River on none other than the legendary Skankandbass, their 2019 followup Crypto EP on James Marvel's Space Pirate Recordings and their excellent contribution to the 17 Years Of Mainframe anniversary compilation, they started causing even more waves by releasing their music on their very own label, Ripple Music, later known as Ripple LTD. Their very unique yet diverse and just front-to-back clean production style quickly earned them the attention of Leipzig natives Neonlight, which lead to not just one, but two releases (so far) on their still quite new label Diascope in 2020. Throughout the rest of 2020 and a little bit of 2021, they have also been trickling out remixes of their first self-released EP, the Falling Sky EP, featuring the likes of Phibes Manta, Matzet and Honey T.

Not to mention the sheer volume of big events the two have been playing at together. From the infamous Prague-ian venues Storm Club and Roxy, to one-day events by scene giants Neuropunk and Liquicity, to the slew of huge festivals around the area, including multiple Darkshire and Let It Roll festivals and the Trident Festival, it is safe to they have been slaying dancefloors left and right these past few years.

Oh one more very important thing, Ripple's favourite Red Bull flavour is either Sugarfree or Tropical. Or should I say, T-ripple-ical?

That's not quite all though! While the two were absolutely smashing it on both the production and the DJing side, PmdR has been running some side projects too. In 2018 he became the owner of NERespect, a hip-hop event series at the Ixel in Bratislava. A year later he became the Owner/CEO of the Pulsation event organisation, through which the aforementioned boat parties are organised. Finally, through Pulsation, he has also been involved in the organisation of the Heart Studios venture in the Czechian city Ostrava. In short: Both Spill and PmdR have been busy!

Before we actually get to the album, which is aptly titled Effect (I'm kinda sad I didn't get to use this pun myself), I'd like to get rid of my other unused Ripple puns that I simply didn't know how to insert in the above text. Enjoy:

peripheral -> pe-ripple-heral
description -> desc-ripple-tion
jack the rippler (lol)
certainly not a ripple-off
gripping -> g-ripple-ing
dripping -> d-ripple-ing

Resources

Track Breakdown

Congrats, you've made it to the Track Breakdown!

1. Always (Intro)

If you're an oldschool fan of Spill, you'll recognize this intro. Always is one of the earliest never-released works of the producer from way back in 2016, ever so slightly updated to the modern era. Not only am I glad the incredibly unique track can now finally get the attention it deserves, it also serves as a great way to introduce us into the world of Ripple. With some weirdly satisfying snares that evoke images of water dripping (or should I drippleing? Ha, got to use it in the end!), interestingly processed high-octave guitar plucks and some plain beautiful synthwork, you as the listener instantly know to expect some clean yet unique-as-hell production from this album. Towards the end we slow down into half-time, giving the now incoming pianos some space to carry us to the next track.

2. Without You (feat. Sammie Hall)

Without You smoothly carries that dreamy feeling of the intro on. For this they have recruited the up-and-coming Brighton-based vocalist Sammie Hall, whose voice you might recognize from various collaborations with Wingz, SiLi Sola, Cranium and AIRGLO. Fun fact: These collaborations have all happened just since last year. She's been mad productive is what I'm trying to say.

The track starts off with a very reverberated, almost muffled piano-driven melody that makes you feel like you're right outside wherever the melody is actually being played in. My ear is not good enough to actually spot the type of reverb used, but considering the Sammie Hall feature I kinda hope they used hall reverb. While the piano plays on, Sammie introduces us into the track's themes of relationships, and more specifically breakups, with a beautiful vocal performance that anyone who is familiar with her work lately has just come to expect from her. Rather than bringing back the vocals for more, the duo decided to let the emotionally-charged instrumentals do the talking for the remainder of the track. The combination of the warm bass, the pianos peaking through the previously muffling walls during the drops and the distant voices echoing in the background makes for a simply serene atmosphere. Not sure if that's just me, but I immediately felt like I was floating underwater. Beautiful stuff.

3. Stranger 2.0 (feat. James Marvel)

Next up on the collaboration extravaganza: Brussels-based Space Pirate Recordings owner and Ripple's dear long-time friend James Marvel! Stranger numéro deux, the spiritual continuation of their Mainframe single Stranger, kicks things up a notch on the energy scale, without straying too far off the established sound design universe of the previous two tracks. During the atmospheric intro James provides some ethereal vocoded background vocals, reminiscent of Pendulum's Streamline, and I mean that in the best way possible. Compared to its predecessor, Stranger 2.0 opted for a bouncier, funkier and all-around heavier rhythm. Every so often one or more elements will fade out for a short bit to give the rest of the composition more space to fill, creating a super unique feeling to the whole drop. It's honestly hard to describe, but one thing's for sure: It'll make your head bounce up and down. If you're familiar with their discography, which you definitely should be, you can hear probably also spot some sound design similarities to their summer anthem Violet. This one has a way bigger emphasis on the contrast between the summery happiness of Violet and the bassy heaviness of the funky stepper rhythm. Super interesting track!

4. Summer Lights (feat. Eviya)

Speaking of summer feelings, let's talk about Summer Lights! Picture this: You are at Let It Roll Renegade Festival (totally not projecting my own weekend plans here), sunbathing at the lake, dozing off. In your half-awake state you can hear birds chirping with the occasional small wave caused by swimmers and animals gently crashing on the shore. Summer is here!

After this dreamy intro, none other than Eviya, up-and-coming vocalist from Berlin most notably known for her various features with Millbrook, takes us on a relaxing summer cruise with her signature smooth and silky vocals. I really hope Eviya becomes a regular feature in the DnB scene, her vocal performances have all been perfect so far and this one is no exception. The more time goes on, the more the summery synth rhythm pushes itself to the front, until Eviya's excellently vibey lyrics arrive at the track title for the drop, where the synths take over completely. The beautiful synth pluck melody flows along continuously and is at first only interrupted by the strong yet delightful synth stabs coming in, creating a catchy call-and-response structure. During this you can already hear Eviya's echoes™ lurking in the background, which culminates in her vocals being brought in fully for the second third of the drop. The last bit of each drop keeps things fresh, just like the lake at Renegade Festival (no I'm not distracted, what do you mean), by introducing a delightful variation on the main melody. Just lovely all around by everyone involved, I could listen to this on repeat all day probably.

5. (So) Sweet (feat. Notequal)

Alright, it's time for a collaboration with Slovakia's hottest new DnB export: Notequal! In the last year Absu, Proxer and Longman have become one of the fastest rising names in the techy DnB scene. I mean, in just that one year, the trio straight out of Košice have released their forward-thinking music on SINFUL MAZE, Watchout Music, Delta9 Recordings, Hyperactivity Music and my dear favourite Hanzom Music. Given their track record, it seemed like only a matter of time until they would collaborate with their fellow Czech/Slovakian mates Ripple!

On (So) Sweet you can definitely feel the influences of both producer groups. The way the melodic elements of the track, like the catchy vocal sample and the almost melancholic background melodies, integrate into the track's remaining more heavily-techy instrumental seems like it would come from the Ripple camp, while the quick-firing shuffling drums and the bassy heaviness are more of a Notequal thing to do. There's even loads of differently structured sections all throughout, you've got a pounding 4x4 buildup on the first drop, you've got a short but sweet half-time broken beat section in the second half, even the drop sections are all slightly different to each other. As a fan of both (in case you couldn't tell from the countless reviews), this track really feels like the perfect blend between the two sounds. Catchy yet headnod-causing, exactly what I was hoping for here!

6. RAVE

Come join me, as we listen to the rave weapon of the LP, fittingly-titled RAVE! Right from the get-go the nearly continuously rolling drum loop that will guide you through the rave madness and the straight-up Reggae stabs are introduced, letting you know that these two won't hold back for their first rave back. An ever-growing chorus of claps brings us to the bubbly drop that just makes you want to pull out them finger guns. Seems like they knew the kind of reaction it would cause, since they even inserted a little gun-firing sound every so often. All throughout the track, the heavy and bubbly bass melody keeps firing, but with all its little rhythmic switchups it manages to keep things interesting the whole way through. Can't wait to hear this one at a rave.

7. Paradise (feat. IO)

Alright, how about we go a bit more melodic again now? Don't worry, it will still be very much danceable. On Paradise, featuring a short but great vocal performance by IO, who is my nomination for the most ungoogleable artist name award this year, the duo go for a straight dancefloor bouncer type track. No dark techiness, no liquid, just straight melodic dancefloor, with a large dose of that unmistakable Ripple Touch™ to it. While Paradise probably won't win any innovation awards, it does what it's aiming for with a precision and directness that will just make your feet move, whether you want to or not. Both extremely cleanly produced and way too damn catchy.

8. Waiting

Speaking of bouncy rave weapons: Let's talk about Waiting! Imagine its predecessor, Paradise, but with a cheeky Belgian Jump Up spin to it. Even though this is like the fourth subgenre the duo has been tackling on this LP so far, you can still very much hear their signature Ripple sound shine through. If you've followed my reviews you'll have noticed that it's not often I review anything Jump Up, not because I hate the whole subgenre or anything, but it certainly isn't at the top of my list. However, I must admit that I have a real soft spot for the melodic type of Jump Up that drills its bright and happy melody straight into your head, without being too screechy, if that makes sense. And you know what? Ripple managed to hit exactly that sweet spot that hasn't been hit in quite some time now. One could say, I've been waiting for someone to come along and release a track like this again. It's not only extremely fun to dance to in my living room (will post an update in the comments if I hear it at Renegade), it's also so catchy I need to listen to something else right after or it'll just follow me around for the rest of the day. Bouncy, fun, awesome.

9. Forever (feat. Sovryn)

Remember Sovryn, from a few weeks ago? You know, the brand new Korsakov Music shooting star, formerly known as Barely Royal? Well, if that still doesn't ring a bell, you'll get to know him now, on this dancefloor banger of a collaboration called Forever! The trio eases us into this melodic banger with a short but catchy vocal sample loop, which they creatively manipulate a few octaves down and then later back up again, creating the feeling of a duet without the need for multiple samples or vocalists. This fun little vocal leads us into the catchy, almost floaty melodic synth drop, with Ripple's signature bass structured into a dancefloor rhythm providing the headnod-causing energy. While it might not be as energetic as Waiting, it is definitely just as danceable and definitely just as catchy. Also, that little main melody just makes me smile. It's hard to explain, but it's kind of... cute, in a way? You'll see when you listen. Or not. Anyway, it makes me happy, that's all that counts, right?

10. Goin' Hard (feat. Neonlight)

Alright, enough happy feelings, let's go a little darker! On the tenth track of the album, Goin' Hard, we've got a collaboration with none other than Neonlight! Not only is this feature a nice "full circle" moment to Ripple's releases on Neonlight's Diascope label last year, it's also quite the banger, if I may say so myself! As expected from nearly any track that the legendary Neurofunk duo from Leipzig, Germany (oioi!) touches, the track's buildup is exceptionally moody and creepy in a classic horror sense, like you're in Castlevania. However, usually one might expect a straight-forward Neuro banger when they're involved, especially considering the track title, but not this time. Instead, we're treated to a more techy yet still banging roller of a tune. In other words, the track title is still very much fitting, just in a different way one might expect at first. As the quick-firing techy bass stabs relentlessly drill into your head, Neonlight and Ripple still manage to use the little space they have between the stabs to add more melodic elements, my favourite being the uniquely sounding second third of the drop(s). Put together with that metallic snare of theirs, and boom, you've got a banger.

11. Talking

Let's talk about Talking, probably the techiest tune of the LP. While not techy in the quick-firing newschool neurofunk sense, its heavily techno-inspired sound still squarely puts it in the techy section in my book. Even the intro sounds like you're descending into a Berlin techno bunker, with the sound starting out muffled but becoming clearer and clearer the closer we get to the drop. In said drop we're treated to a signature swirling Ripple bass rhythm that is somehow super catchy, but right before you think you've got them all figured out, they pull out the pounding 4x4 174bpm techno beat. It's a switchup so satisfying that you can't help but go "OIOII" when you hear it live. By the way, Talking is not just a random name or anything, Ripple actually used various different heavily processed snippets of people talking throughout the track, allowing you to actually sing along to the techy madness. Well, as much as one can sing along to "dadada da da da". Talking is yet another example of why I thoroughly enjoy Ripple's productions so much. Every track sounds different, while still staying extremely clean all throughout. Definitely a tune that gets the people talking. Hehehe.

12. Construction Yard

Aaaand we've already arrived at the final tune, Construction Yard! For the final track of this diverse LP, the duo decided to go for a more relaxing, yet still forward-pushing vibe. While the laid-back main melody is certainly something to drift away to at the beach, the quickly flying techy drum loops will probably keep you awake through the last four minutes of the album. It's a contrast you don't hear often and pretty much combines both extremes of the Ripple Sound™ into one coherent roller of a tune. Even though this is the last track for now, the track title Construction Yard makes me think that this is just the beginning. While they might be done with this chapter of their music now, they're already laying the groundworks for the next chapter, whatever that might entail. Even the constrasting vibe of the feels fitting for that. On the one hand they can finally relax, now that the album is finished, on the other hand they are already pushing for the next big thing. Or maybe I'm just reading into it too much, who knows! Either way, it's a great ending to an awesome album!

Conclusion

Well, well, well, so what are we thinking?

I'm thinking this whole album is some Grade A stuff! Who would have thought? No, but really, this album is exactly what I was hoping for when I heard the LP announcement by the Czech-Slovakian duo. Diverse as hell, while still sounding unmistakably Ripple all throughout, with a production level so high that it blows my mind that they're not more well-known. I was already fully convinced that they deserve more attention before starting this review, and working on this only further cemented this belief. If you enjoy techno-inspired dancefloor, which is the shortest description (or should I say desc-ripple-tion?) I could find for their sound, you will enjoy this one a lot. I believe there's something for everyone on here though, so just give it a shot, will ya?

While I enjoyed every track on this album thoroughly, I still got my personal favourites: Talking, because it's not only an extremely cleanly produced techy tune, but also a super fun one to mix with, Summer Lights, because its summer vibe is just too damn perfect, and (So) Sweet, because I love fast techy business tunes and that track is the fastest techiest of the bunch on here!

All in all, a phenomenal debut album by a newcomer you should definitely keep an eye on going forward!