Picks Of The Week (08.10.22

It's not really a secret that DnB can be a bit of a sausage fest sometimes. However, compared to a few years ago, the scene has really taken a lot of big steps towards fairer representation of womxn. Considering initiatives like EQ50 or Onyx Recordings' Balance compilation series, the rise of inclusion riders and, of course, the emergence of a huge number of new talents like Nia Archives, pyxis or gyrofield, things are really starting to look better nowadays. To celebrate that, let's take a moment and shine a spotlight on two amazing women crushing it right now, shall we?

1. CaitC - Losing Control / Here and Now [LUX Music]

Recommended if you like: METHOD, Artino, Netsky

First, let's talk about Dutch shooting star CaitC!

21-(nearly-22)-year-old Caitlin Celie actually discovered our lovely genre only a couple of years ago. She was working at a local supermarket and a coworker of hers invited her to a Delta Heavy gig. She didn't go to that one, but the next time she was invited, for an event with Netsky, she said something like "ehh yeah whatever let's give it a try" and bam, she was hooked. After a while of going to raves and seeing how much fun her friends were having while DJing, she started getting more deeply into the whole game and bought some decks for herself. Wouldn't you know it, she was hooked once more. Around late 2019 she started DJing on livestream platforms like Homebass Productions, Skankout and Limitless DNB and uploading promo mixes and mix competition entries on her SoundCloud, eventually landing her very first proper gig this way! You all know it wasn't a great time for events though. Which is why she started taking production lessons in late 2020! First once a week, but since the lockdowns persisted and she was taking a gap year to recover from a knee injury anyway, she had so much time to kill that she started producing almost every day in March 2021.

Just a couple months later and she already celebrated her debut release, Shooting Star / Reaching on the up-and-coming Dutch label and subsidiary of NOX Events, LUX Music! I've already gushed about them a couple times here, and for good reason. Obviously I'm a huge fan of all things Dancefloor and their eye for exciting new talents in that area of DnB really is something to behold. Anyway, back to Caitlin! As clubs opened back up again and open airs started popping up everywhere for the summer of 2021, she started appearing on all kinds of lineups, from NOX to Agora, even opening for Fox Stevenson's live band show. Things started becoming even crazier after that though. Not only did she sign to the fantastic Geo Agency, alongside great talents like Alora, Dustkey, Leniz and Styke, 2022 saw her jumping from one insanity to the next: First playing at the Sportpaleis in March for Rampage's return to the arena, then playing in Alkmaar for Liquicity's Summer Festival, then Rampage Open Air, then Liquicity Antwerp. She even played at the REIAL x Explicit event! That one might not be as huge as the other ones in the list, but I'll take any chance I can get to shout-out the EIA gang.

While the DJing thing was obviously going amazing, the production wasn't slacking in any way either. She kept appearing on LUX, first on their Aurora compilations and later with her very own remix EP, but also branched out to other big labels like Liquicity's platform for newcomers Ridmic and label of the year winner Onyx Recordings, as part of the aforementioned Balance compilation. This week she returns to her home label LUX though, with her new double single Losing Control / Here and Now!

Caitlin kicks things off with Losing Control, featuring none other than the voice behind all my favourite tunes coming out of New Zealand right now, Christina Harrison! Apparently I have expand that to "all my favourites tunes coming out of countries starting with N" now. While Christina is providing backstory about the titular loss of control she is experiencing, Caitlin keeps the instrumental light and breezy, but soon enough, both initiate their hyperdrive modes. While this part is already building up quite some hype, it is the masterfully executed delayed drop that really gets me. You would think the high point of the vocal, the "out of controool" would immediately flow into the drop, but then she just keeps the note going and going and going, while the instrumental holds back a little, before playing into it even further with these extremely satisfying drum rolls leading us straight into the rest of the drop. While that moment is certainly my highlight, there is still so much to love after it. We are immediately treated to a delightful uplifting synth melody, powerful Dancefloor drums and some incredible vocal chop work layered on top of Christina's already stunning vocals. Probably my favourite CaitC tune out of everything she has done so far.

We continue the good vibes with Here And Now, this time featuring regular LUX collaborator and up-and-coming Belgian vocal talent Marge! As with the previous track, our featured vocalist here starts building up a lovely atmosphere with another sublime vocal performance, whose lyrics funnily enough are also about losing control, but takes us into more of a Carpe Diem type direction with it. Meanwhile Caitlin channels the energy of the person that made her a DnB fan in the first place. No, not the friend from work, Netsky of course! Inspired by the super-fast shooting signature synth style of the Belgian genre pioneer, we are treated to a true firework of an uplifting melody.

Two most wonderful Dancefloor anthems full of uplifting vibes and amazing vocals that I simply can't get enough of. LUX Music strikes again!

2. Skellytn - Boom [Play Me Records]

Recommended if you like: Nuvertal, Zombie Cats, Screamarts

My second pick for this special edition of the weekly reviews is Cyberneuro enthusiast Skellytn! (just in time for spooky season!)

Surely you will remember me talking at length about her, back when I covered her insane contribution to Eatbrain's Divergence IV compilation, but for those who have only just tuned in: Kaley Czerwonka is a Los Angeles based Neurofunk producer, who has made her mark on the scene with countless banging releases on the Play Me family of labels, where she also released her debut album Neurocomputer and the accompanying remix album earlier this year. While she also sometimes branches out to labels like Drama Club Recordings, Space Yacht and, as I mentioned, Eatbrain, her new single Boom now sees her returning to Reid Speed's and Alexander Rosson's label, Play Me!

With a dramatic string melody that would make a great basis for a classic old-school Hip hop beat, Skellytn slowly eases us into this episode's Cyberneuro aesthetic. Shortly after, a entirely too catchy, or dare I say enchanting, chant going back-and-forth between the titular boom-boom-boom and the more fast-paced da-de-da-de-da joins in on the fun. A few moments later, this tribal mantra's rhythm becomes the blueprint for the absolute carnage that will transpire in the drop. The chanting was already chill-inducing, but the way she converted each chant into this absolutely nasty, bassface-causing, extremely distorted bass stab is something else entirely. Before we can even begin to recover from what we're witnessing here, the chanting jumps back in on top of the bass stabs, probably resulting in a ton of headphones exploding, from too much epicness at once. In the second half she combines it all, from the booming stabs to the chanting booms, and pits it against some great drum work creating a glorious call and response.

I kind of feel the urge to join a cult after listening to this this many times. What I want to do even more than that though, is turning my boombox up as far as possible. Truly hypnotizing.

Other Neurofunk from this week:

Noisia - The Resonance IV
Enei - The Hammer
Liveon - Crucial / Rapido
2Whales - Bad Trip EP
NO QVLT - Neomorph 💎
Griffyn, Blanke, Eyelar - Colors (REAPER Remix)
Going Quantum, hayve - Double Tap
Various Artists - Welcome Presents Little Comp Of Horrors Vol. 4