[Album Review] Varia - Skyline EP

Hakim Barka, aka Varia, is another in a long string of young producers popping up these days. At just 18 years old, he has already got a firm grasp on production and promotion. Heavily influenced by Monstercat artists such as Tristam, Rogue, Pegboard Nerds, Tut Tut Child, and Stephen Walking, Barka's productions can be jump-up dubstep bangers while still carrying a whole lot of melody.

As far as styles go, Skyline seems to be working to explore what the Varia name can do.

Just a month ago, Varia released a small EP for Halloween with Bedtime Stories / Candy Zombie. And even since then, there's still a noticeable increase in production skill with Skyline. With an insane, bouncy bassline dominating each track, it's the little things that are able to really stand out. For instance, I really dig the horns in Junkyard Superstars. Electro Jelly on the other hand, has some sick growls along with a really sweet melody carried by the keyboard.

When we get to the title track, Skyline, we get a taste of a track that's a little more subdued and downtempo. I really like this choice since it makes the melody so much more salient - and I love me a tempo change, so the second half is just gold. I could've even gone for an even faster tempo after the first switch up, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Then again, Skyline is followed up by Cracks (which is essentially Skyline Pt. 2) and what do I get? A faster tempo!! I can't sit still as I'm writing because of how supercharged this track is. And in the meantime, the melody is still salient - even after the breakdown.

Finally, we get to Hexahedron. Way more downtempo than even Skyline, you get that lingering kick-snare and flighty synth that go all too well together. It reminds me almost of a lullaby at certain points, just how calming and innocent it is. Varia's production is again commendable as the bouncy bassline in the second half stays in theme with the rest of the EP. A strong finish to a very enjoyable EP.




Producers are getting younger and younger each year, with production software becoming more and more available. Porter Robinson was touring with Tiesto when he was 18. Xxyyxx has been getting massive play from top producers. And many of the producers on Monstercat and other labels are in their very early twenties. With such a strong start and definable sound, I wouldn't be surprised to see Varia playing a festival in a year or two, without a doubt. Please support the artists by purchasing their work - they do it for us, after all.

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[Album Review] Au5 & Fractal - Secret Weapon EP

Au5 & Fractal - two of Monstercat's most notable producers - have finally released their debut EP titled Secret Weapon.

If the title is any indication of what they've been hiding from us for the past two years, I'd say it's pretty apt. The combination of Au5 & Fractal is a stunning trancestep experience. Lingering basslines and vocals give it a very relaxing trance feel - somewhat similar to Seven Lions. But the dubstep, the hard hitting bass, those kicks, go so much harder.

Since there are only four tracks on this EP, and I have some time on my hands, let's go ahead and go through each track one by one, shall we?

1. Blue
The first track of the album, setting the tone for the whole thing. Honestly, the first thing I notice is the over-processed snares (though, the more I listen to it the less I care). The main drum pattern kicks in at about 0:55, right around where a typical dubstep drop would be - this is the first trance element I notice: the extended intro. The drop is well-balanced with a variety of synths that don't overpower one another. The second drop is where Blue really gets me though. The drums come in again, same pattern. Same build-up. But that drawn-out wobble right there hits so damn hard, I'm actually a little sad that they didn't draw it out just a bit longer. After that, the track continues the same as before. For such a good track, a little disappointing in execution. Melody is still the high point for me though, so I'm set.

2. Dreaming
My second favorite track on Secret Weapon. Synths come in, sounding almost like a Deadmau5-esque trance tune, until that little arpeggio, whereupon I'm convinced that's not what I'm gonna get. Ohhhhhh, white noise in the build-up. But damn is that voice sultry smooth! The track drops at about 2:00, and it's got such an uplifting house beat that I can manage to forgive the fact that it's house. It gets a little glitch, adding in some scratched wobbles and high-pitched synths. The vocals carry most of the melody for the song, but that second drop got me fist-pumping.


3. Secret Weapon
The weakest track on the EP, in my opinion. Vocals make a second appearance, though the general progression on the track is relatively weak. Personally, I'm a fan of crescendos so I was loving that section, but there was much less melody compared to the other tracks on the EP. The breakdown seemed like it was empty space, in that it could have been used to better effect - possibly with some kind of piano solo carrying into the next build-up? The second half follows the same formula as the first, giving a very cyclic feeling to the track, as if it never really went anywhere. A little disappointing.


4. Smoke
The final track on Secret Weapon, and hands-down my favorite. Right in the beginning - atmospheric and dark, just the way I like it. The kicks jump in and the melody finds its bassline. The snares come in, the melody evolves; small chimes, ethereal synths. The volume intensifies. I feel myself becoming ready. KICK KICK KICK KICK. SNARE SNARE SNARE SNARE. Boom, drop. This track is so gloriously electrohouse and I love it. Taking elements from glitch, arpeggios all over the place, it's extremely well put together and produced.

Final thoughts - my opinions of this EP have changed a great deal with every listen. The first time through, I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the deep bass feel, the melodic progression and trance/glitch fusion with Au5 & Fractal's distinct sound. As I continued to listen to it, however, I realized that (to me, at least) Secret Weapon has very limited replayability. The tracks soon became tired as I realized the very noticeable formula to every track - build-up, drop, breakdown, build-up, drop. In addition, something I only realized just now, all the tracks have very similar lengths, which subconsciously puts some limit on how I enjoyed the tracks. I like diversity - one song is super hard, sweet and short; the next is a musical, melodic ballad that takes me deep into my own psyche - and this EP seems to lack that.

In its own right, Secret Weapon is Au5 & Fractal's best work. And as with all of the artists I review, I am truly honestly excited to see what they have in store for us next.

[Album Review] Kredo - Cells LP

I'm honestly trying to remember where I happened upon Switzerland-born producer Philipp Gerber, aka Kredo, but for the life of me I can't. I suppose it's more important still to pay attention to where he's going. Kredo has been producing for nearly three years, but has been playing piano for more than fourteen - this is the kind of characteristic that I find so important when looking for new artists. More than anything, producers with previous knowledge of music, rhythm and instrumentation are far and away better producers. Kredo has a few releases under his belt, including his Limitless EP and Agony EP. His newest release, Cells, came out about a month ago, and demonstrates the diversity a producer can hope to accomplish when they set their mind to it.



With Kredo's Cells LP, we get a taste for all the different styles Gerber can pull out.
The track 'Cells' for instance hugely reminds me of Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy soundtrack. It's got that nearly chiptune sound with a spacey, ambient melody. Plus, it's got that Hans Zimmer-esque "BWOOOM" sound which everyone loves so dearly.
With 'Amuse Me,' we get this amazingly upbeat and gritty electroswing number. With the trumpets carrying much of the rhythm during the breakdowns, along with an almost glitch hop beat, 'Amuse Me' is one super fun dance number.
'Freefall' brings the tempo down a bit. Vocals by Songdreamer give it a very ethereal sounds, with percussive bass and soaring highs, and the piano track carrying the melody, it's a very beautiful track in its own right.
I'm not even really sure what to call 'Chimp.' It's got that bouncy electro feel with a gritty bassline, and what sounds like a kazoo synth. It even has an almost reggae breakdown. Perhaps the lyrics say it best, "...I don't really know what I'm supposed to do."

What I'm trying to get at with all of this, is that Kredo has tremendous talent for a variety of genres and Cells is a perfect representation of that. Without sticking to one genre, an artist is able to more broadly explore the plethora of emotions and insights that each genre can afford. It's truly a wonder how he doesn't have a major label backing him yet - I could definitely see him with a group like Pretty Lights Music or even OWSLA. His gritty sound backed by intense chord progression and melody would make him a sure-fire hit with the more discerning listeners. His dubstep bangers would make him an immediate hit with clubs all throughout the U.S.

Cells is free to download, so enjoy it all you like! And be sure to check out Kredo's other works while you're at it.

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[Album Review] Muzzy - The Takeover EP

I've known of the Monstercat label for a while now; artists like Stephen Walking, Rogue, and Ephixa. But only recently have I started to go into their entire catalogue of artists - Droptek, 7 Minutes Dead, and others.

For now, I'm taking a look at Muzzy - drum and bass phenom. His style really brings me back to classic drum and bass sounds, though not quite jungle. In comparison, Muzzy's sound is more modernized and polished, and now that he's released his The Takeover EP, I'm very excited to see what he has coming next.



Fortunately, we have been provided some insight into the motivations behind each of the tracks on his new EP.

Each track has a different reasoning behind it, while still sounding relatively thematic - and that's extremely important when defining your sound as a producer. 'Draining Atlantic,' for instance, has a very ethereal feel to it, alluding to longing and interrupted love. On the other hand, as Muzzy himself wrote, 'The Phantom' was written with High Maintenance as a track that would go down well live. With a drop that immediately puts emphasis on the high synths and rolling bass line, it's got a quality jump-up feel to it. 'The Phantom' wouldn't be out of place, at all, in a Chase & Status or Drumsound & Bassline Smith set. Even the crowd samples in the background give it a live set feel.

Other tracks 'Timberwolf' and 'Rave Through The Apocalypse' draw on more natural themes. Plenty of, relatively, natural sounds - drums, synths - with a dark and demented bass line give 'Timberwolf' a more worldwide quality. As Muzzy puts it, "...kinda how I would imagine flying across the globe would feel like." Finally, 'Rave Through The Apocalypse,' Muzzy says, is influenced by his love for horror/thriller film scores (not unlike Figure). The snares hit noticeably harder; the melody is more subtle, beneath the surface; the vocal samples are foreboding and terrifying. With the build-up, you get the sense that something terrible is about to happen; and I believe that's what's most important in a horror score - that feeling of imminent danger. So for that, at least, Muzzy has hit the nail on the head.

What I look for in each of the artists and albums that I review are talent and room to grow, and that's no different with Muzzy. If this is the best he's got, I'd be very disappointed, because there's no way he doesn't have more up his sleeve. For what it's worth, I'd love to hear a whole hour set from the man featuring his favorite drum and bass tracks - at the very least, I'd get an hour of Muzzy.

[Album Review] Clyde Machine - Je Peux. EP

Joseph Greene, aka Clyde Machine, is another one of those producers whom I've been following, thanks to reddit, for almost a year and a half. Since his first release, Now Drop The Bass, I've been keeping tabs on him and checking out his SoundCloud or Facebook whenever he has some new material. His style in the past has been largely dubstep and heavily bass-centric. This newest release, however, really gets me excited. My favorite thing in the world is seeing a producer surpass his past accomplishments, and that's exactly what Clyde Machine has done here.

Je Peux. EP is a conceptual masterstroke. The whole concept behind it is available through the Clyde Machine Facebook page, but I'll try to summarize it here -

In the rain, a man faces his own emotions - doubt, emptiness, sorrow - and in the process is swept up by the environment around him. Rain is pattering down, and it seems like it will never let up. The only thing keeping him from complete desolation is his own rationality - he looks toward the future. As he does, he thinks less of the past and is able to see past the clouds toward a horizon that looks just a little less bleak. He was alone. He is now just an individual. He was desolate. He is now hopeful. He does not forget the past; he yearns for the future.

Reading the concept and listening to the EP, it's wonderful how accurately they portray each other. I can't even really begin to describe the feelings that I get when I listen to it - Greene has translated emotion into music so acutely that it astounds me. For one, Greene's production has soared in quality. The depth of the bass and the timbre of the drums, how real they sound, makes everything about this EP sparkle. These are tracks that you would listen to when you want to make something beautiful. Second, there is real life embedded in the very heart of this release. It is the direct result of an event in the producer's life - not a run-of-the-mill "club banger."

The tracks - I Can. I Don't Want You To Go. When It Rains In The Night. - form such a wonderful sound that I find it's something that I'm going to be coming back to again and again in the future, for a long time.

Please support Clyde Machine by visiting his -

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Artist Intro: Invader!

My friend turned me onto Alejo Gonzáles, aka Invader!, in May last year when he released his Alive EP. Since then, I've been voraciously awaiting each and every track he puts out.

I believe Gonzáles' greatest strength lies in his ability to just not give a fuck, while simultaneously caring deeply about music and his fans. He regularly responds to submissions on his Facebook and often strikes up controversial conversations that lead to a greater understanding of what he's all about.

I believe there is a war waging between the side of fans who just want the next Big Room House hit like the ones that Feed Me reviewed for Beatport not too long ago. And then there's the side that desperately wants innovation in their music. The side that is tired of the same bland VSTs and synths; tired of the same directionless productions put out by label-bound DJs. I believe that Invader! is the hero that we need.

His unique spin on electro, trap, dubstep and more makes me excited whenever he posts a new track. My favorite of all time has to be his remix of Goldman - Closer.



With such a fantastic house base, Gonzáles re-imagined the track as a gritty electro banger complete with growls and snarls that would make Kill The Noise shit his pants. With the sultry sweet voice of Hayley Daviss, the track lends itself to remixing - between the bubbly breakdown and the second filthy drop, this track is a classic dancefloor banger sure to get anyone to bang their heads along. Punchy kicks and restrained use of the laser-like synths in the second half show the skill that Invader! can bring to the table when he has the right motivation.

But Gonzáles isn't all about serious business. He's also done some off-the-wall remixes of pop artists like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus (both available for free download).




Putting his talent to making both trap and drum & bass, the Invader! name is not about avoiding disappointing fans - I really think it's about finding a way through all the bullshit that finds itself associated with EDM these days. Producers find themselves pigeon holed into a genre - I know that I've done it to acts like Camo & Krooked who came out with an absurdly out-of-character minimal album Zeitgest at the end of September.

Invader! has taken that possibility away by being unpredictable and always on top of his game. Just like the track below, when he hears something he likes, he tries it out himself (often to great effect, I might add).



What I think I like most about Invader! is how easy it is to relate to him. He's never too far removed from his fan base and always posts what he has on his mind. A lot of it is controversial and not everyone likes what he says, but it's cool that he has these feelings. He's only a year older than I am, and it's always incredible to see what everyone else is doing. There is very little about Invader! that isn't out in the open. Now, Gonzáles himself, that may be a whole other story. We'll just have to find out.

Keep in touch with Invader!, I'm sure he'll appreciate it.
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[Album Review] David Toma - Analog

Finally - I get to do some more work to promote the little guys. Just a little over two weeks ago, I did a review for Mosh. I found out about him through reddit, and that seems to be a fine place to look for new producers who want to get their music out there. Today, I'm writing about David Toma, a musician/producer from Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Toma has been writing/producing electronic music for only the past year and it looks like it's really starting to pay off. Analog is Toma's first LP, featuring chiptune and 8-bit tracks, released just earlier this week. As a beginning producer, it's difficult to really understand the way that these programs can make sounds (I assume). I've heard theories about "side-chaining" and "DAWs" and I'm nowhere close to even knowing what these things are. So when I hear something like Analog, it really reminds me that artists aren't made famous in a day. Despite producers like Xxyyxx or Madeon making it big at seventeen and eighteen, others take a little more time to blossom.

I believe the best indicator of whether a producer has the talent to make it or not is melody. If you have a fantastic sound, you can add little things like synths, drum patterns and such later. Toma has been playing piano for the past 10 years, and that sound really comes through on tracks like "Some Assembly Required" and "Not Responding." Using your strengths to your advantage is a required skill when venturing into uncharted territory.

Overall, Analog needs work. It was addressed in the original reddit post and Toma has acknowledged it (very humble, I like that already). The drums are a little repetitive and bland, and at times misplaced or distorted by synths. However, it is a highly enjoyable album to listen to. It's got some R&B, some funk, some glitch, but with an overall chippy tune. The distortion and noise added to the synths and piano really help to define that sound, and the drums are super plucky and upbeat. At just under an hour long, and with 16 awesome tracks, I can't see why you wouldn't pick Analog up and help a brother out. I see this man going places if he keeps it up. You can stream the whole album on his bandcamp below.




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