Picks Of The Week (27.08.22

1. VIRO - Who We Are 💎 [Simplify Recordings]

Recommended if you like: Andromedik, Feint, Cartoon

You know what I haven't had on here in a while? A feel-good uplifting Dancefloor anthem.

Good thing we've got VIRO supplying the goods this week! Wait, VI-who? Okay, I see what's happening here, this is another one of those Hidden Gems Of The Week™️, isn't it? Technically, yes! However, Christiaan De Ridder and Olivier De Hous are by no means new names in the electronic music. Since joining forces in 2012, the bubbly Belgian duo have had quite a few successes on their hands. If you're wondering why it is that you've never heard of them, it's because they simply weren't active in DnB-related spheres before this week! From the euphoric Avicii-esque Progressive House banger Together in 2013 to the bouncing Big Room belter Ace in 2014, these two really embodied the EDM trends of the time. With that big sound came attention by the big bois of the scene, including premieres on Hardwell On Air, support by Martin Garrix and a release on Spinnin' Records' sub-label Oxygen. So much nostalgia in one sentence.

After releasing another few tracks on their own, however, they came to the realisation that they wanted to go their separate ways, musically speaking. So in 2016 they split up VIRO into VIRO and CDR, for Olivier and Christiaan respectively. Considering they were still DJing out together, this made things just a tad confusing. A few years later, in 2019, Olivier decided to abandon the name in favour of his new solo alias Bluze. This didn't mean they were done with the VIRO name though, quite the opposite in fact. In 2020 they announced their big return to the scene! With refreshed motivation for producing fresh new sounds, they have now spread said sounds across labels like Metanoia Music, Argofox and, as of this week, Simplify! You remember them, right? Multi-genre label, very uplifting in their sound, regularly featuring some great DnB artists like Boxplot, D-Sabber and Mage? Nothing? Well, you can read more about them in my previous review of Crash Comet's Infatuation, you silly forgetful reader you!

Now that you know who they are, let's talk about their new track, Who We Are! Get those cheese forks out everyone, you're going to need them. After a brief instrumental intro featuring the track's catchy piano melody, with heavy crackling sounds and an old-timey filter evoking melancholic feelings of the past, the wonderfully optimistic-sounding vocal bursts onto the scene, blowing away the nostalgic filters in the process. That old stuff was not who we are, after all! This upwards trajectory of feel-good vibes is amplified further and further, first by VIRO adding in an Indie Pop-esque clapping rhythm building the energy up, followed by an acoustic guitar that makes you feel like you're cruising along the shoreline watching the sunset as another layer on top of the piano, topped off with some ohhh's from the vocal. It makes you feel like you're in a Coca Cola commercial basically. Young and free. Or something. Anyway! This blissfully beautiful buildup culminates into one big explosion of high-energy, smile-inducing and, most importantly, trumpet-powered uplifting Dancefloor goodness. Seriously, brass instruments are so underrated for these types of tracks in DnB, they always put a huge smile on my face. It's not just the sound itself that I'm loving though, it's also all just so gloriously catchy. You won't believe how often I've been singing this drop melody in my apartment these last few days, even when I wasn't even listening to the track!

VIRO's years of experience in "making electronic bleeps" pay off tremendously with one hell of a disarmingly delightful Dancefloor DnB debut. I love it.

Other Dancefloor from this week:

Subsonic, K Motionz - Silverlined
Tokyo Machine - Last Summer (Feint Remix)
Junk Mail - Hold You Now
Tengu - Toxic / Out Of The Way

2. Son, Enliza - Shaped To You 💎 [BeatsBassLife]

Recommended if you like: Hybrid Minds, Telomic, Technimatic

While we're at it, let's continue with another Hidden Gem Of The Week™️!

From Belgium we jump right into Bath in the UK, where our protagonist resides. That protagonist? The devilishly delightful Directory of Photography Dominic Döring, also quite recently known as the soothing sound shaper Son. Okay I'm gonna cool it with all-too-alluring alliterations. Also, I am very much aware that I literally just used delightful in the previous review's alliteration. I need a better thesaurus. Anyway. Even though Dominic has been producing everything from Deep House to Garage to DnB since way back when he was still in school, with my personal highlight being a DnB bootleg of Katy Perry's Roar in 2014, he mostly kept to himself on that front for most of his adult life. Since emerging from school, he has been building up his portfolio by shooting commercials for companies like Expedia or Urban Creative, being involved in the occasional short film and co-founding the wedding film & photography company Oak & Blossom.

However, he was also continuously furthering his involvement with the DnB scene during all of this. How? By shooting gigs for artists! Over the years this direct connection to the scene lead to him coming in contact with none other than Hospital Records themselves, who soon asked him to shoot some music videos for them. After having created wonderful videos for tracks by Danny Byrd, Degs, Fred V and Watch The Ride, it's safe to say he has now established himself as the go-to video guy for the label.

His creativity wasn't just limited to the videographic parts of art though, as you might recall he was also always experimenting with music production. While it had become quite quiet around this particular area of his creative repertoire for a few years, he never stopped honing his skills. In 2021 the time had finally come: He debuted his very first track as Son on the fourth entry of Hospital's Future Symptoms EP series! Now, a bit under a year later, the journey continues with Shaped To You, on BeatsBassLife.

Oh, you don't know BeatsBassLife? It is the continuation, or rather a relaunch, of Sigma's very own Life Recordings! Way back in 2009, when Cam and Joe first founded the label, it was mostly an avenue to freely release Sigma VIPs and originals on. As time went on, however, other artists like Break and Bladerunner joined in on the fun. The label also gave life (hehe) to then-newcomer DJ Limited's career, by releasing his very first single back in the day. As seems to be standard for this week's reviews, they took a hiatus in 2016, before bursting back into the scene by rebranding everything into BeatsBassLife in 2022. In their short life (hehe) as a new label so far, they have already put out some seriously strong releases by the likes of BCee, Bare Up, S9 and Night Shift and it doesn't seem like they're slowing down any time soon. In fact, they're just getting started, son!

For this debut single of his, Son enlisted the help of an expert in heartbreaking, emotional liquid DnB: Enliza, perhaps best known from her previous collaborations with Hybrid Minds, Monrroe and Aperio under her real name, Emily Jones. On top of an ethereal atmospheric backdrop, Emily performs her heart out with an incredibly soulful, emotionally-charged performance, once again proving why she is one of the best. However, Son is also doing his very best to elevate her stunning vocals even further. It all starts with the already wonderful aforementioend blanket of reverberated synths, but what really convinced me this is going to be great are the lush piano chords underneath the vocal, strongly tugging at my heartstrings only 30 seconds into the track. Just as I expected from the exquisite intro, the drop doesn't disappoint either. Right as the drop hits, you are wrapped up in a now even more calming blanket of bass, while a continuous stream of relaxing drums washes over you. Of course, the piano chords and Emily's angelic voice are still part of the mix, rounding everything up to one incredible liquid anthem.

Did I already mention this only his second ever released track?! I urge you to check this one out and keep an eye on this man, because if he's already at such godlike levels of liquid lushness now, who knows where he'll be at in the future? Not only is he an amazing producer, he even used his filmmaking expertise to direct his very own beautiful music video for the track. My brain can't comprehend the levels of talent involved in all of this!

Other liquid tunes from this week:

Edlan, Cooper Stites - I Don't Need You
Dawn Wall - Hyperstone EP
Winslow - Thinking Of You EP
Rameses B - Signal