Picks Of The Week (23.09.23

1. Howlan - Our Secret [Selfreleased]

Recommended if you like: Pirapus, Protostar, hayve

Sometimes, I talk about an up-and-coming artist on here and they just disappear right after, or fail to reach the same heights again. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, if it was easy to just pump out incredible tunes everybody would do it, and those bangers would probably cease to be considered incredible at that point. That's why it's particularly noteworthy when someone comes along, who just keeps upping the ante somehow!

In this case I'm referring to Finnish talent and High Tea Ceylon alumnus Eetu Onikki, better known as Howlan! As I vaguely alluded to in this review's opening, we've already talked about him and his journey back when I reviewed said High Tea compilation, so let's just quickly recap what happened since then: he put out the delightful Better Off Alone, he made it the top spots of In The Mix's production contest with his wonderful tune Empty Promises, and he was one of the most hyped-up contestants of production YouTube sensation and multi-genre DJ/producer MOONBOY's latest production competition, in which the contestants had to build a track with their brand new Exodus Production Suite. While he was fully robbed on that one and should have won the whole thing in my completely objective, totally not genre-biased opinion, there is a silver lining for us all here: He took matters into his own hands and just self-released the tune! And that's exactly what we're here for! So let's take a look at the wild production Eetu has come up with this time, on Our Secret.

Channelling his biggest musical influences to the fullest degree, Howlan opens up this newest and brightest world of his with a brief excursion into Halftime tempo, where stuttery, upbeat synths combine the intricate weirdness of Future Bass with the uplifting joy of Y2K Trance, contrasted with a haunting, pitched-down vocal. While this already points towards a clear sonic destination, you are absolutely not ready for what's to come. We switch over to full tempo DnB, with the beautiful vocal now clear as day and a distant full-speed instrumentalisation rapidly approaching. Like a freight train, Howlan hits us with a synth lead that is so majestically multi-layered, so exhilaratingly euphoric and so guaranteed-to-be-goosebump-causing that you cannot help but stop whatever you were doing and start paying attention. As if that lead wasn't already enough of a selling point by itself, he pits it against the one-two punch of captivatingly chopped-up vocals and dangerously speedy machine gun fire synths, even further emphasised by the drums briefly switching over to a rapidly ratata-ing rhythm. My personal highlight has got to be the delayed drop in the second half though, where the stunning lead is given full reign to fill out every little crook and nanny of your ears, before switching back to the assault on the senses that is the full instrumentalisation.

I can't decide which of my puns to use for the conclusion, so in honour of the incredible catchiness, the mind-boggling production and just the sheer quality of it, I'll just use all of them:

Howlan really putting the How into his own name with this kind of production!
At first wasn't sure if he was gonna meet the high expectations set by his previous releases, but he really managed to stuck the (how)-landing!
With this honestly insane tune he proves that, despite his nationality, he's not even close to being finnished, he's just getting started!

Other dancefloor tunes from this week:

ILLENIUM, American Teeth - Insanity (Mazare Remix)
Various Artists - Galaxy Of Dreams 4 (❤️)
Pirapus, Indy Skies - STAR MVCHINE
Montiix - Same Thing
Jrace - Dance With Me
Metanoia, Marge - Need This

2. Archangel - Eden EP [Fokuz Recording]

Recommended if you like: KALOA, Majestim, TZ

Thanks to the likes of Dawn Wall and Mohican Sun, mysterious, sonically themed aliases aren't necessarily anything new, especially in the liquid realm. However, most of the time the people inspired by the aforementioned tribal bois also tend to go for a similar, Integral-esque sound. Last year, a new anonymous artist emerged that, while certainly also playing around with some of that signature sound, takes it into a way more Mediterranean direction. What is that supposed to mean, you ask? Soulful, exotic vocals, Spanish guitar strumming, just relaxing summer vibes en masse - everything about their production makes me want to book a holiday somewhere down south! Who is responsible for this fresh take on the liquid genre, you continue to ask? Well, I don't know. All I know is that they go by the name of Archangel.

With this deeply soothing sound, an art direction inspired by the powerful imagery that Christian lore has to offer, presented as a series of beautifully illuminated, classical and colourful stained glass windows, and a work ethic that might as well be described as relentless, the anonymous newcomer has been causing a proper storm in the underground scene ever since their debut in 2022, sparking countless discussions about who might be hiding behind the mask with every new EP they drop. Of which they are 6 already, in less than a year! Since they have made sure to leave no trace that could even remotely hint at the person(s) behind the project, I'll just move on to talking about their newest brilliant offering, the Eden EP on the one and only Fokuz Recordings!

If you've never listened to anything Archangel before, the opener Jubali would make for a great introduction. Heartfelt vocals in a language I don't quite understand, working together with some Spanish guitar strumming so well it's making me suspect the language is Spanish, layered with wonderful background vocals, with a bass so warm and ominously atmospheric yet sometimes aggressively outbursting, it's just all so perfect. Like stumbling upon a really good street musician on holiday, but DnB. On said holiday, we wander off from the beaten path, away from all too touristy spots, where we eventually stumble upon the perfect little spot, Eden. Exactly as your rose-coloured glass memory might remember the random spot in the wild that your parents used to bring you to on hot days, next to a little creek, with the gentle water stream glistening in the sun. That's the exact feeling I get from the title track and this second wonderful part of the five-track saga. A zephyr of pleasant vocals, samples either straight out of the 60s and 70s or simply processed to sound like those eras, soft yet surfy guitar riffs, a harmonica player reminiscing about the good old days, it's a bit of a nostalgic paradise really.

We decide to stay the night in this oasis of joy, eventually becoming witnesses to the majestic Blue Moon illuminating the night sky. With whimsical yet mysterious night time feelings evoking xylophone melodies, various sounds emulating the songs produced by the fauna residing in our little paradise, and, my personal highlight, incredibly soulful, multi-layered, wonderfully orchestrated, all-around sublime vocals, Archangel once again nails the vibe perfectly. In this uniquely serene setting, there is only one thing missing for the average dnb enjoyer: a little rave, a Garden Dance so to speak! Built upon a similar foundation as its predecessor, with another wonderful arrangement of multiple delightful little sounds, including but not limited to some suave guitar bits, little vocals bops and excellent xylophone bodangles, but with an extra-cronchy bassline to give everything that extra pinch of cheek you need for a rave in your gaff.

While we're busy nursing our collective hangover, none other than Heidelbergian liquid maestro Minos himself takes it upon himself to bring us over the finish line, with a remix of the title track of Archangel's second ever EP, Nightline. Following in the footsteps of Cnof and Hiraeth, the German gem of an artist takes the original and gives it the ol' smooth operator treatment. Relaxingly rolling drums, smooth and understated bass, pianos echoing in the background, it's an incredible vibe. However, Minos of course didn't leave it at just that. Later on in the track, we get these dark, mysterious stabs shaking us awake from our slumber, and to top it off, he ends on an all-encompassing vibe, with truly thick bass rearing its head all over the place and all sorts of additional vocal melodies filling in the blanks.

If you're into unique, soothing liquid drum and bass, look no further and just listen to Archangel already. Eden? More like e-damn! Michael? More like my-cal-oric expenditure is rising to crazy levels whenever I hear Archangel at a rave! That's the kind of nonsense that comes out when I decide I need a pun, but just calling the EP "angelic" is too easy.

Other liquid things from this week:

Charlotte Plank, Hybrid Minds - Lights
Charlotte Haining, goddard. - High Hopes
Alix Perez, GLXY - Green Lane