Picks Of The Week (26.11.22

1. Finalfix - Hope Is Lost EP [Blackout Music]

Recommended if you like: Merikan, Burr Oak, Black Sun Empire

It has been a while since I have been this hyped for a release.

Not only am I extremely hyped that my favourite Belgian supertalent Shant "Finalfix" Madenjian is finally getting the label attention he deserves with a full four-track EP on none other than Blackout Music, the music he is presenting on here is also just so ridiculously good that I'm becoming giddy just thinking about it. After beginning his long-form exposé on the devil and his antics a couple months back, which you might remember being covered on here, he has now dedicated himself to the ways of the apocalypse on the Hope Is Lost EP. Sorry, I would say more about all this, but I genuinely just want to fanboi about the tracks already. So I'm gonna do just that!

We start our little view into a not-so-unlikely future with Apocalypse. Audio crackles, melodies straight out of the silent movie era, all the tiny parts in the short intro let us know that everything is fine. Or rather, was. Soon after that, in fact, the evil started creeping in, represented by an anxiety-inducing triplet melody inching closer and closer, until, bam, the earth begins to shake. Everything was silent. A wonderful end-of-times choir chimes in, just before you start hearing bombs being dropped in the distance. It's now starting to sink in, the end is near. The explosions come faster and faster, until all hell breaks loose and we are treated to an all-out assault of some of the finest Neuro sound design there currently is. Underneath the aforementioned anxiety melody, now back in full force, Finalfix treats us some seriously sadistic basses and clean as hell syncopated drums, before the response to our initial call flips it all on its head and supercharges everything from the now increasingly aggressive melody to the additionally introduced quick-firing new-school stabs to the now more straight-forward drums. With this formula in place, Finalfix takes us on a journey through a plethora of variations, each more hauntingly beautiful and forward-pushing than the previous one. What an absolute banger of a start.

Speaking of, next up we've got the End Of Days to look forward to. There is no nostalgia left, we are just in the thick of it now. Apocalyptic choirs lead us right into the madness, where we are violently thrown back and forth between heinous Half-Time syncopation full of hard-hitting snares and, what can I say, epicness and a high-speed chase down the rabbit hole of Neurofunk insanity. In a span of maybe five seconds, Finalfix hits us with a flurry of even more mini call-and-responses between incredibly sick basses and triplets, before topping that little section off with a frantic return of the choir. And that's just the first couple seconds of the drop. He could've just looped that part for a bit and I would still love it, but if there's one thing you can count on in a Finalfix tune, it's that he's never satisfied with just one banger section, no matter how insanely good it is. There are always switchups, variations, new melodies and other good stuff coming in and out, and this tune is a prime example of this. With each variation crazier than the one before, it just keeps going, with these short synth interjections, and going, with the drums going absolutely mad, and going, with all these tempo and rhythm switchups, and going oh my god I can't cope with this amount of awesomeness. Uh, sorry, got lost in it a bit there.

After two consecutive Neurofunk bombardments, it is only plausible that all the remaining Hope Is now irrevocably Lost. Not long after we come to this conclusion that despair is basically the only choice we have left, the spiral of doom begins. Right on cue, a Castlevania-esque melody that I can only describe as intoxicating slowly enters the stage, along with a hype-inducing drumroll. Just that little bit alone was enough to raise my hype levels quite a bit, but I was not prepared for how much what followed slaps. I mean, the main melody itself is already just perfection, from the goosebump-inducing horror-esque atmosphere it exudes to the sheer catchiness of it all, but that's just the tip of this dystopian iceberg. Not only does the bassline shake you to your very core, the drumwork is simply impeccable.

First off, that snare. Usually I don't care much for overly metallic snares, but Finalfix managed to work it so perfectly into the mix that I can't help but be in awe. Then, those little drumroll flourishes that line up with some parts of the wonderful main melody. Then, those clappy drums performing their little dance at the end of each block. Just so so good. After two blocks of high-octane action, we slow down a little with a longer Half-Time section. However, if you think you will be able to get some rest during this, you are sorely mistaken. Of course, Finalfix continues to finalflex his skills in all departments, from the drums roaming freely doing all kinds of awesome stuff to all those oh so wonderful atmospheric sounds and melodies, until we are launched right back into the madness with one final(fix) full-time showdown. I adore this tune.

Even though our hope is basically all emptied out at this point, there is one thing that inspires the remaining parts of humanity: The Prophecy. However, after a hopeful beginning, with probably the most uplifting vibes on the whole EP, relatively speaking, the apocalypse makes a spectacular return. One last time, Finalfix presents us with a slice of pure carnage, before the previously seemingly never-ending apocalypse slowly begins its retreat. Fear not though, the drums are still as, if not more, hard-hitting and the bass stabs are still ridiculous, but the longer we are part of this fight, the more the melodic elements begin to overtake the composition, while the drums become more and more erratic. After a captivatingly beautiful breakdown, the latter trend continues on in the second drop, where the drums are now completely off the leash, leaving utter destruction in its wake. Once we are fully broken down, we return to the more straight-forward havoc of the first drop, before the light slowly but surely fades away.

As long as I've got this absolutely incredible EP as my soundtrack, the apocalypse can't be that bad. No but seriously, Finalfix knocked it out of the park on every single track here, from the wonderfully cinematic ideas to the devilishly precise execution. Maybe it's because I love this type of cinematic Neurofunk a lot, but I honestly think this is one of those "once in a blue moon" releases, where every single thing just lines up perfectly. An actual milestone of the genre, a must-listen for everyone who has any kind of interest in Neurofunk, simply one of the absolute best releases of the past few years.

Other Neurofunk from this week:

Malux - Jericho
Tremr - Disturbance EP 💎
ChaseR, Malstrom - Space Quest LP
Prolix, Ethan Cronin - In Your Head
Sindicate - Nexus 💎
Gexan - Immortals EP 💎