Madeon | Adventure

My second favorite album ever, coming in only behind "Worlds" by Porter Robinson.

Background

Madeon, the French protégé of tasty house music at only 21, actually got his start producing hands-up under the name "Daemon," which is an anagram of his current name.  He became slightly popular through various remixes, and he even won a remix competition for "The Island" by Pendulum.  However, his big break came when he uploaded a video to YouTube of him mashing up 39 pop songs live, called "Pop Culture."  Since then, he's released a handful of singles, an EP, and most recently, his debut album, "Adventure."

Review

Listen to "Adventure"

It's safe to say it'd be a challenge to find another record that brings such a genuinely head-bobbing, toe-tapping, pop-esque experience as "Adventure."  With his debut album, Madeon twists synthpop, french house, electro, and more into his own unique style that he's stuck with and refined since he moved away from hands up and dove head-first into the world of house music.  "Isometric" starts off the album as an intro track.  It begins with a plucky arp that's joined by floaty chords, which both make way for the signature big, tight, dissonant chord stabs that define Madeon's sound.  "Isometric" transitions perfectly into "You're On (feat. Kyan)," the record's first full-length song.  Later, "Beings" also transitions perfectly into "Imperium," and so does "Innocence (feat. Aquilo)" into "Pixel Empire."  It's little details like these that make "Adventure" feel that much more like a single idea and a coherent album than just an average, run-of-the-mill release.  With the intro out of the way, Madeon chose to fill his record with two very distinct styles: first; bright, fluffy synthpop reminiscent of 2012 Passion Pit, who, coincidentally, is one of many vocal features studding these poppy tracks, and second; the harder, the awed, powerful french electro tracks in the same vein as his earlier releases.  In the first category, tracks like "Pay No Mind (feat. Passion Pit)," "You're On (feat. Kyan)," and "Nonsense (feat. Mark Foster)" create a carefree, innocent soundscape using tight drums, glistening arps and crisp chords.  On the slower side of pop are "La Lune (feat. Dan Smith)" and "Innocence (feat. Aquilo)," which are a little more chilled but still come with those awe-inspiring chords that are expected of Madeon.  Additionally, Madeon makes his vocal debut on the tracks "Beings," "Zephyr," and "Home," the last of which closes off the regular album.  For his first vocal work, it's clean and professional, and I hope to hear more of his voice in his future songs.  Second, and complimenting the rest of the album are the harder, instrumental tracks that feel similar to his previous work.  "Imperium" right from the start has some heavy grit to its groove, and while it still has flowing arpeggios and spaced out chords, there's no question it belongs on a dancefloor.  "Pixel Empire" demands the same attention with its overdriven beat and heavy sidechaining, but brief moments of that signature, fluttering arpeggio can be heard at times.

Adventure (Deluxe)

Released alongside "Adventure" was a deluxe version of the album, featuring new artwork and some of Madeon's original tracks from years past.  Included is "Icarus," "Finale (feat. Nicholas Petriccia)," "The City," "Cut the Kid," "Technicolor," and "Only Way Out (feat. Vancouver Sleep Clinic)," the last of which is an original song just for the deluxe edition of the record.  Each of these songs, while most of them are older, definitely have a home on the album, as they fit very well into the style of the record as a whole.  In a Madeon fashion, they all feature big, powerful chords, arpeggios that almost fly away, punchy drums, and the funky, glitchy grooves that define french house.  Ending the deluxe edition of "Adventure" is "Only Way Out (feat. Vancouver Sleep Clinic)."  It's a chill, reflective piece that nicely finishes a fantastic album.

Madeon knows what he's doing, and there's no one to do it better than him.  "Adventure" is a collection of songs that are meaningful to him, and his work definitely payed off.  "Adventure" is a vast soundscape of vibrant pop spanning many genres and pulling sounds from every end of the electronic spectrum.  If Madeon continues on like this, I can't complain.  9.5/10

Notable Remixes

You're On (feat. Kyan) Remixes

There's not one, not two, but three official remixes on the "You're On (feat. Kyan) Remixes" remix EP.  Gramatik brings a similar, funky house feel to the track, while Alex Metric brings his signature deep/tech house style.  Oliver's remix is the most distant from the original, with a disco vibe straight out of the 80's.  While they're not wildly different from the original, they're still pretty great.

Innocence (feat. Aquilo) (Daydreamer Remix)

Using Madeon's signature chord style to his advantage, Daydreamer turns the jazzy, tight chords that define Madeon's production to produce a fantastic future bass remix of "Innocence (feat. Aquilo)."  The intros and verses are ethereal and chilled, but the chorus never fails to inspire awe.  For anyone who enjoys the recent trend in music towards nostalgia and away from club bangers, this is a track for you.

Sources

Wikipedia | Madeon
Wikipedia | Adventure (Madeon Album)

monovoir | Vibrance

And we're back to the chill music.  At the end of the day, it's my favorite anyway.

Background

monovoir is an almost completely unknown artist, amassing only 3 tracks (this album) and 64 followers in over a year. But in this case, quality over quantity is good.  "Vibrance" sounds like Porter Robinson and Madeon had a musical child, and the result is a very peaceful 10 minute album.  The beautiful album artwork is the icing on the cake.

Review

Listen to "Vibrance"

Living up to its name, "Vibrance" is an album that paints a vibrant image, the same way Porter Robinson did with "Worlds."  While much shorter than its spiritual counterpart, monovoir wastes no time in delivering the same nostalgic feeling, even stating on his BandCamp page that "Vibrance" came from his "recent foray into [his] childhood," and that he tried to capture the old sounds from video games in this album.  The songs definitely sound nostalgic, and are filled to the brim with emotion.  "Drift Apart," the first track on the album, begins with a peaceful flute and piano duet, and adds a toybox arpeggio and some color notes from some strings.  The song's climax adds some chilled drums to the already peaceful mix, but the extra reverb drowns out the power of the chords a little bit.  "Somewhere," the record's next track, starts off very similarly to "Sea of Voices" by Porter Robinson, but monovoir is quick to make it his own with a lo-fi harp arpeggio.  The chorus features some tasty sidechained synths, and a sweet voice brings the track back to sweeping violin chords before bringing the chorus back with some 80's synth drums.  The tracks comes to a close with a pretty piano part.  "Limerence," the final track and easily the best produced, ends the album with a style very similar to Madeon's.  Big, thumping drums, fluttering arpeggios, and open, fuzzy melodies in a french house style with some chilled plucks and pianos in between make up "Limerence" and finish off the album on an inspirational note.

"Vibrance," while definitely not lacking in creativity and talent, falls a bit short on the mixing and mastering.  Additionally, it's rather short to be called an album, and I wish that monovoir had put out a few more tracks before disappearing for over a year.  What he has put out so far is still promising, however, and the ideas he presents are absolutely stunning.  If monovior ever makes a return, I'll be happy to see how he's progressed in a year.  6/10

Notable Remixes

Surprisingly, even though this album's been out for over a year, I can't find any remixes.  Be the first!

Jamyang | Perisher EP

I'm cheating a little bit, as "Perisher EP" isn't exactly electronic music (although technically, it is).  I'm going to review it anyway, though, as it's a fantastic EP.

Background

Jamyang is a relatively unknown name as far as the music scene goes, as he only has one EP released right now, and only 400 followers.  The first two tracks off of "Perisher EP" were released two years ago, and only within the past couple months were the remaining songs, and the EP with them, released.

Review

Listen to "Perisher EP"

While "Perisher EP" doesn't remotely resemble any form of traditional electronic music, bar "Desire," it is still by all means a fantastic EP.  Jamyang's usage of intense harmonies and slower beats give "Perisher EP" a R&B and Pop fusion feel that delivers an engaging listening experience.  The shining star of this EP is Jamyang's soothing, soulful voice.  For someone with no known background, his voice is incredibly refined and professional.  The intricate harmonies that he uses for his hooks on "Perisher" and "Things We Ought to Say" are absolutely stunning.  The actual vocals and lyrics on all the tracks are the same way.  "Riches," the first song on the EP, is a slow, smooth track featuring lots of strings and electronic organs on top of a laid-back, lo-fi beat.  "Desire" is probably the most electronic-sounding track on the EP.  The heavy sidechained supersaws and wobbly saw basses give this track a future bass feel, especially when the tempo slows and the trap beat comes in.  "Change and Feeling," the start of the newer releases, is a wonderful upbeat track that, for the first time on this EP, features piano and guitar in the chorus.  This makes "Change and Feeling" feel like a classic rock ballad, but, of course, the strings and electronic organ make an appearance too.  "Things We Ought to Say," probably my favorite track on the EP, the most played track on SoundCloud, and also how I found out about this EP, is a melancholy masterpiece.  The lo-fi groove and the signature electronic organ meshes perfectly with Jamyang's wistful voice to create a song that seeps sadness.  And finally, "Perisher," the title track, is the closer to the EP, and definitely a memorable one.  "Perisher" is stylistically similar to "Things We Ought to Say," featuring the same organ, driving beat and beautiful harmonious hooks, but this song is definitely more energetic, in an almost inspirational way.  It's a perfect way to end the EP.

Overall, the songs on "Perisher EP" feel a little short to me, but I suspect that making them longer would draw them out and pull short their musicality.  In other words, they're just as long as they need to be.  Jamyang's debut EP is a fresh release, as evident from the complex chords that he weaves that other producers wouldn't even touch in an era of four-chord Pop hits.  With a voice like his, I wouldn't be surprised to see him make a name for himself in the coming years.  I'm so lucky to have found his music on his first release, and I'm excited to be able to follow him as he develops his sound.  I'm waiting to see what he releases next.  9/10

Future Plans

In an interview with PileRats, Jamyang said that he's got a couple of shows lined up, mostly as an EP launch kinda deal.  He also hints that he's interested in releasing an album.  Consider me excited!

Notable Remixes

Even though this album has been out for a couple of months, there are no remixes I can find.  Be the first!

Flux Pavilion | Tesla

Background

Anyone who was in early on the electronic music craze has heard of Flux Pavilion.  The English DJ was a forefather of the dubstep scene and is known for his heavy melodic drops.  His name defines the 2010 dubstep scene, and his releases on UKF, probably the most prominent dubstep promotion channel, have garnered over 140 million views combined.  And now, after various releases and EP's, this icon finally has finally released a debut album in "Tesla."

Review

Listen to "Tesla"

For a name so ingrained into dubstep culture, there's a surprising lack of dubstep on this album.  There's certainly more than a fair share of classic Flux Pavilion, but it's clear he also left plenty of room for experimentation, which is definitely welcome.  Songs like "International Anthem (feat. Doctor)" and "Vibrate" are reminiscent of Flux Pavilion's bass-filled heyday.  Both feature that heavy, multi-layered synth crunch that define his signature sound, but again, it's the lack of this sound that makes this album interesting.  Take the title track, for example.  "Tesla Theme" is nothing but the sound of a tesla coil, harsh, grating, yet strangely beautiful electronic grit, playing haunting harmonies.  If anything, it's more of an intro than a track, and it's a nice lead in to the album and ties together the album title and artwork with the music.  The rest of the tracks cover a wide variety of genres, from the flittery, flowing future bass of "Emotional," through the syncopated moombah vibes of "Who Wants to Rock (feat. Riff Raff)," to the impossible to genre tracks like "I Got Something" and "We Are Creators (feat. Soulsonic Force)" and everything in between.  One thing this album did perfectly was balancing hard and soft.  Songs like "What You Gonna Do About It," "Never See the Light (feat. Andrea Martin)," and "Pogo People" are, while not typical Flux Pavilion, still very complex, energetic tracks that still feel distinctly his.  Meanwhile, other songs take on a more unique style.  "Emotional," as mentioned earlier, is a wonderfully melodic future bass track featuring vocals from Matthew Koma, who has worked with artists like Zedd on similar tracks.  "Shoot Me (feat. Jakkcity)" is a funky collaboration between Flux Pavilion and Big Voyage, with saxophones driving a floaty, spacey beat with some deep house elements thrown in.  "Feels Good (feat. Tom Cane)" features pop-like, artfully detuned vocals on top of a faster, chord-driven breakdown.  And finally, "Ironhearted (feat. BullySongs)," probably the farthest from Flux Pavilion's old style, feels like something straight off a pop album.  It's a fantastic emotional track to end a diverse album.

For his debut album, Flux Pavilion took the time to fully flush out his thoughts and ideas and was able to put them together into a coherent album that speaks volumes.  With this album, he has taken an important leap from EDM producer superstar towards being a musician.  This album ins't a production masterpiece, but it's not unclean either and the creativity that Flux Pavilion gets across turns "Tesla" into a great debut album, and I couldn't have asked for more.  8/10

Notable Remixes

This album is still new, so there aren't any notable remixes yet.  Be the first!

Virtual Riot | Machinery EP

More bass music, woot.

Background

Following in the same vein as his "Nightmare EP," Virtual Riot, a heavy-hitter on Disciple Recordings and a maker of "dreamy wubwub music," just today released his latest compilation, "Machinery EP."  The German DJ, in addition to releasing music, is also studying production in university.

Review

Listen to "Machinery EP"

Once again, Virtual Riot proves his mastery of production with "Machinery EP," blending wobble basses with beautiful melodies that stir the soul.  This EP is just fun to listen to; it's Virtual Riot at his best.  "Rise of the Robots," the first track off the EP, is guitar-driven dubstep with punchy drums and catchy vocals from Messinain.  The song is chock-full of wobble basses and tasty rhythm guitar riffs, but the most notable thing is the breakdown straight from a teenage heartthrob alternative band.  It's fantastic, and I wish it was a little more fleshed out.  Maybe for a VIP?  Next up is "Machinery," and even though it's the EP's title track, it feels a little bland.  There's nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't do anything to stand out, and it feels a little dull next to the other three tracks.  Luckily, "Running From the Cops," the next track, is immediately interesting.  Featuring hip-hop-esque vocals from Armani Reign, who has also worked with the likes of Eliminate and Zomboy, "Running From the Cops" is a toe-tapping trap-dubstep hybrid that makes you feel like doing just that, running from cops.  It's a high energy track with a clean mixdown, and that's all it has to be.  And, in a similar fashion to his previous "Nightmare EP" and "We're Not Alone EP," Virtual Riot ends his EP with a chilled melodic dubstep track "Time Stops," featuring the dreamy vocals from Danyka Nadeau, a known name in relaxing electronic music.  Tracks like this feel like Virtual Riot's true style, and are always my favorite off of his respective releases.  I liked "We're Not Alone" enough to remix it (I have no shame).  "Time Stops" features huge, stacked supersaws with complimentary bass and, combined with the progressive house plucks, lo-fi drum breaks, and melodic sounds send an inspiring message.  "Time Stops" ends as a clock, or time, winds down to a stop and closes out "Machinery EP" with a peaceful, uplifting note.

"Machinery EP" cannot be said to be Virtual Riot's best work, but the tracks are undeniably fantastic in their own right, each being a poster-child for fantastic production work and mastery of the genre in general, and "Time Stops" is downright beautiful.  Interestingly enough, and a testament to Virtual Riot's creativity, each track is labelled dubstep but missing the 140 bpm (beats per minute, or how fast a song is) that literally defines a dubstep track, dancing around that number enough to give each song a dubstep feel but leave room for individuality and uniqueness.  Overall, a very solid EP.  7/10

Notable Remixes

This EP just came out today.  There are no notable remixes.  Be the first!

Midnight Tyrannosaurus | Midnight Snacks Vol. 1

Continuing with the hard music theme, here's a collection of some ridiculously heavy bass music.  If you're looking for the next Beethoven, I suggest you read no further.  But, if you like fun and can handle music with a little edge, I highly recommend you give this album a shot.

Background

A self-proclaimed maker of "loud screechy robot fun noises" with a support list riddled with famous names, Midnight Tyrannosaurus has been producing for 4 years and recently came out with this album, of which the artwork is modeled after a cereal box.

Review

Listen to "Midnight Snacks Vol. 1"

Right off the bat, it's clear that "Midnight Snacks Vol. 1" isn't a field full of daisies - jump to any time in any track and there's a ninety percent chance that a heavy, gritty bassline will meet your ears.  And, in this case, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Midnight Tyrannosaurus is a master at what he does, and every track on the album is perfectly balanced on the fine line between hard and obnoxious.  It's so easy to get carried away and make tracks that push too far into obnoxious territory, but Midnight Tyrannosaurus's ability to balance these two traits is what makes this album stand out in an era where 13-year-olds who just downloaded their first Digital Audio Workstation spam their tracks everywhere.  Another thing that I love about this album is the magnificent sample work.  Almost every song uses samples from various media to tell a story, enhance the track, and make a funny, overall enjoyable listening experience that breaks up the what would otherwise be a rather repetitive, generic dubstep album.  My favorite example of this is probably "The Good, The Bad, and The Gecko," a track in which the last minute of it is solely dialogue that actually had me laughing out loud.  "Headzipper" is another track with great sample usage.  At the drop, or the climax of a song usually riddled with intense bass, the song takes a pause, comments about the big red button accidentally being pressed, and then the wobble bass resumes, this time with more intensity then before.  It's the little details like this that separate this from a standard run-of-the-mill album.  But possibly my favorite part about this album isn't the overabundance of music harder than a rock, it's the interlude tracks that part the sea of bass and not only add a little bit of a respite, but also create the atmosphere of the record and tell a little story while they're at it.  Among the 25-track album, at least 4 of them are just atmosphere tracks, and there are more where a little bit of bass seeps back into them.  One of my favorite ones, "Alphabet Cereal, Bong Rips & Playstation," there's no music whatsoever.  It's just ambient sounds, like the sound of cereal pouring into a bowl, and personally, I think it's interesting and, surprisingly, fitting on a record like this.  These interludes, combined with the samples of the other tracks, give the album a bit of a human feel and turn something that would've been somewhat repetitive into a coherent album with an idea and flow.

At the end of the day, this album is bass music and thats it.  None of these tracks are genre-shattering, nor are they doing anything new.  It doesn't have to, though, and that's ok; this album is great to listen to while working out or doing work.  For what it is, this is a fantastic collection of heavy-hitting dubstep and much better than any similar-length collection of bass music currently.  6.5/10

Notable Remixes

Listen to "Midnight Snacks Vol. 1: The Sweet Tooth Remixes"

There isn't one remix, not even 2, but a whole remix album filled with even more heavy hitting bass music from established names like Figure, Spag Heddy, Nostalgia, The Frim, and more.  There's even a VIP remix of "The One From Dark" (VIP stands for Variation in Production, it's the term for a remix by the original artist).  Since this is a full length album which I enjoy, I'll be reviewing it later on, but, if "Midnight Snacks Vol. 1" left you with a hunger for more, "Midnight Snacks Vol. 1: The Sweet Tooth Remixes" is exactly where I'd start.

PIXL | Astrocat EP

With some of the beautiful, emotional music out of the way, it's time to let loose and listen to some good old electro house.

Background

PIXL is another artist that I've loved for a long time.  His signature electro house style with tasty basslines and intriguing melodies is perfect for club floors and energetic listening alike.  Getting his start like most artists, he became known with some popular remixes before making his big break and eventually becoming a part of the Monstercat family, a popular electronic label.  "Astrocat EP" was his first Monstercat release and a solid EP.

Review

Listen to "Astrocat EP"

"Astrocat EP" is only 2 tracks long, but, coming in at nearly 12 minutes playing time, it's hardly noticable.  Both "Astrocat" and "Galactic Voyage" are electro house wonders, and both start and end with the signature drum loops iconic of the genre.  "Astrocat," the title track, is a wonderful combination of crunchy basslines, trance-like detuned supersaws playing funky chords, and punchy drums.  There's no questioning that this song grooves, and your head will bob along, if you're not dancing like a fool already.  "Galactic Voyage," on the other hand, is a little more melodic, but there's no question that it belongs on a dancefloor.  The glitchy bassline is a lot less prominent, but it's fitting: the flowing, liquid chords along with the airy plucky melodies paint a perfect picture of soaring among the stars in a spaceship (with catchy background music).  This provides a perfect partner to "Astrocat's" more aggressive approach.  And even though the song is six and a half minutes long, it never gets boring, as PIXL switches up instruments and ideas to create a seamless listening experience.

I first heard about PIXL a while before "Astrocat EP" came out, and on release day it certainly wasn't a disappointment.  And while this record isn't the next masterpiece of musical literature, its a fun, dancey EP with gritty basslines and catchy melodies, and that's all it has to be.  7/10

Related Merchandise

Astrocat EP T-Shirt

It's a white t-shirt with the cat from the EP artwork on the front.  Simple and minimalistic with style, if you want to support PIXL this is a great way to do that.  Personally, I own this shirt and it's comfortable.  It's sold out right now, but it may come back in stock.  Maybe.

Notable Remixes

There are no notable remixes.  Be the first!

Elliot Berger | Graduation EP

Background

Elliot Berger is a fairly familiar name in to anyone in the EDM community, producing mostly chill Dubstep and Drum & Bass.  However, as proclaimed on his SoundCloud, this 2 track EP is a small sample of his final university project, which he decided to bundle up and release for free.  In this project he aimed to "push [his] limits as both a composer and a producer," and I believe that his intentions shine through in his production quality.

Review

Listen to "Graduation EP"

"Graduation EP" is a wonderful example of what happens when an artist takes a step back from what they're used to and experiments.  Elliot Berger is a name I usually associate with somewhat cookie-cutter chill EDM that can sometimes lack that next level of personal touch that really makes a song emotional.  "Graduation EP", however, is something I'm glad to say is genuinely fresh, and it really feels like Berger put his soul into these works.  "It's Okay to Feel Angry," the EP's title track, is an emotional soundscape.  With hardly a beat to speak of, the slow, stretched, warped piano chords (as described by Berger on his SoundCloud) are shimmering emotion waves crashing upon the human conscious.  The song is beautifully relaxing, and the vocal samples weave through the grand chords and create the mood.  This combined with the alluring chord progression and the glitched samples create not just a song, but a work of art.  "OCD" is the next track, in which Berger tried to combine poetry and a simple chord progression with interesting drum editing.  The vocal samples come from the slam poem OCD by Neil Hilborn, a haunting poem about obsessive-compulsive disorder and love.  The song is, in my opinion, a step away from the title track, as some of Elliot Berger's roots show in the more Drum & Bass style beat that "OCD" features.  However, in terms of style, it feels much more personal his previous works and it's clear that this was a labour of love.  The simple organ-like chords combined with the intricate drums and the touching poetry makes for a pleasurable listening experience.  Knowing the poem, I do wish that the music reflected the feel of the poem a little bit, which was a little bit more chilling and depressing, while the music sounds almost content and reflects none of the horrors of obsessive compulsive disorder.  Though, if you ignore the heavy subject matter, "OCD" is far from a bad track and is definitely relaxed listening.

In his description of the EP, Berger mentions that these tracks are a selected few from an overall project "An Exploration of Audio Manipulation," and if the rest of the tracks are as good as the sample that the public got, I would have loved for "Graduation EP" to have featured them all.  Both "It's Okay to Feel Angry" and "OCD" are well produced, genuine songs that show how Berger is maturing not just as a producer, but as an artist.  I can only hope that his future works reflect and elaborate upon the styles and signatures that he so perfectly explored in this EP.  7/10

Notable Remixes

"Graduation EP" was only released 14 hours ago from when this was posted.  There are no remixes yet.  Be the first!

AWE | Crystals

While Worlds may be my favorite album, it does not, surprisingly, have my favorite song on it.  That honor goes to Crystals by AWE.

Background

I first heard about AWE when someone who I followed reposted a rough demo of his upcoming track, "Crystals."  I was hyped beyond belief, and, nine months later, the 2-track EP (single + remix) was released.  This is one of the few songs I've ever heard where the final product not only lived up to the teaser, but completely blew it out of the water.  Since the release, AWE has continued to put out fantastic tracks; even getting a release on OWSLA, Skrillex's prestigious record label.

Review

Listen to "Crystals"
Listen to "Crystals (Djemba Djemba Remix)"

Right away, AWE wastes no time in painting a picture - bell tones play arpeggiated chords to start off the track, immediately giving life to the title.  Ethereal, jovial chords follow, and when the chorus finally arrives, a catchy melody combines with lo-fi drums to bring a bright, bold, genuinely lively feel.  The rest of the track continues in similar fashion, with interesting variation and a memorable solo lead.  Every second of this 6 minute track is gushing with bright light brilliantly beaming through a cave of colossal crystals.  The song ends as it began - arp bells.  Interestingly, the remix off the EP starts off the same - arp bells - but immediately noticeable is the change in pitch and tempo.  Another defining factor of the remix is that it adds lyrics to the original, though they're in Japanese.  Djemba Djemba made use of the Japanese program Vocaloid to add robotic vocals the track.  This is the same program Porter Robinson used on Worlds, though he used an English voice.  While I'm not sure the vocals really fit the song, they do serve to diversify the remix from the original, which might otherwise be too similar.  The drumstep and hardstyle beat switchup is definitely catchy, however, and while it doesn't create the image of crystals like the original does, its a nice compliment to fill the second EP slot.

While only a 2 track EP consisting of a single and a remix, AWE managed to not only release a beautiful, AWE-inspiring track, but also find the perfect compliment to go with his song.  The wait for the release was well worth it, and Crystals still holds the title of my favorite song after years of listening to EDM.  I only wish that this EP had more remixes, as just two Crystals aren't enough.  8/10

Notable Remixes

Crystals (Dawnt Remix)

I had to search around a little to find a remix of this track, but I'm glad I did.  Coming in at only 40 plays, the Dawnt remix is a hidden gem worthy of a listen.  Similar to the Djemba Djemba remix, the pitch is changed, but here its gone down instead of up.  Its also had its pitch changed, but less so than the official remix.  Dawnt's remix starts off similar, but the chorus section is much more relaxed and melodic, and has a chill trap feel.  The snare is a little bit too present in the mix for my taste, and gets repetitive as a result, but other than that I love the overall style that Dawnt took in remixing this track.  It keeps the Crystal motif, but in a less energetic and more relaxed feel.  As a sucker for chill music, I'm happy I took the time to find this track.

Porter Robinson | Worlds

Hello, and welcome to my new EDM blog!  I'll be reviewing and promoting EDM albums, EP's and singles.  There's no better way to debut my blog than to start off with my favorite album of all time, Worlds by Porter Robinson.

Background

Robinson received his first big break when he released his heavy-hitting club EP, Spitfire, on Skrillex's label, OWSLA.  Deciding that club-heavy tracks were not his style and that "making a track 'danceable' [meant] compromising and ignoring what the song really needed," he moved away from traditional EDM and produced Worlds, a step away from the club scene and an album that aims to explore nostalgic, beautiful feelings.  The album peaked at #1 on the US Dance/Electronic album billboard. [Source]

Review

You can listen to the album here

From start to finish, the whole record is a journey; a beautiful soundscape that Robinson has crafted to tell different stories.  "Every place you've ever imagined, it's real" a robotic voice sings in his live show (which I'll talk about later), "Your mind is a world.  Each of us is a place."  Worlds is very much about escapism and ignoring reality, and each song evokes a dream-like picture and feeling,  "Divinity," featuring vocals from Amy Millan, leads the record because the opening hook is what Robinson wanted listeners to hear first.  Divinity opens with a catchy, glitchy lead, but the verse anything but, with long, flowing chords and breathy vocals.  The chorus is a beautiful combination of both.  It's not the only track with a catchy hook; traditional EDM music begins and ends with a drum loop, to help the DJ transition between songs.  Using these catchy hooks is Robinson's own way of taking a step back from the norm and focusing on the beauty, rather than the technicality of the music.   "Sea of Voices," the first single and the track that announced the album, is the perfect example of how Robinson tried to break away.  For the first three of the five minute track, there's nothing reminiscent of anything EDM; it's just trancy, uplifting chords.  And this is a theme of the album, as almost every song, though most notably "Hear the Bells" and "Lionhearted," do the same.  These big, crashing chords are almost soundtrack-esque, and never fail to inspire chills.  Not every track relies on these chords, though; "Sad Machine," the leading single off the album, features a female robotic voice singing a duet with none other than Porter Robinson himself, whose vocal debut is nothing but positive.  The track melody is very happy and innocent, and the lyrics are uplifting.  It's no wonder it's Robinson's self-proclaimed favorite track off the record.  "Natural Light," the misunderstood middle child of the album, is an ambient, chilled interlude track thats rather short, but paints a vivid picture.  Tracks like "Fresh Static Snow" and "Flicker," the latter of which utilizes a rhythmic Japanese phrase to drive the beat, are odd, experimental tracks, while "Polygon Dust," "Years of War," and "Hear the Bells" are light and fluffy yet charming, reminiscent of a Passion Pit synthpop style.  Of course, there are still some sections that throwback to his older works in Worlds.  "Fellow Feeling," which starts off with a wistful string and piano duet enough to draw tears from the strongest of men, has imbedded within it an almost too heavy, glitchy bassline that would be sure to make any club go wild.  And while the song implies that it's not supposed to be pleasant ("Now please, hear what I hear... This ugliness, this cruelty, this repulsiveness,"), the glitchy texture is in its own way beautiful; maybe the rest of the track is a foil.  Anyway, "Fellow Feeling" ends with humongous festival anthem feel but, even with this similarity to regular EDM, ends with airy strings instead of the same-old drum outro.  The record ends with the appropriately titled "Goodbye To a World," which features a robotic voice singing the same line about the end of the world.  The quiet, bitcrushed plucks combined with the massive 8-bit chords and melodies are the perfect finish to Worlds as Robinson wraps up his debut album while summing up the ideas presented.  The record finishes as the robot stalls, glitches, and turns off.

While not a album of technical precision or mixing and mastering artistry (and this is one of the album's flaws), the worlds that Robinson weaves through his vast soundscapes whisk away the heavy hitting club bangers and evoke the imagination itself.  Each song means exactly what the listener wants, no less, and Robinson has said as much himself.  As Porter Robinson continues to experiment and find his unique artist signature, I eagerly await his next masterpiece.  9.5/10

Live Show

While I normally won't go into detail about artist's touring performances, I had the pleasure to go see Porter Robinson live as part of his Worlds live set tour, and it was absolutely fantastic.  Electronic music is hard to play live, so musicians prefer to perform DJ sets, mixing theirs and other people's tracks into an hour long set, a route which Robinson took himself for his Spitfire tour.  However, realizing that Worlds was an experience, he created all new versions of each and ever track, including older singles and releases, to be played live alongside detailed, glitchy visual works drawing heavily from video game and anime culture.  Next to his computer when he plays live are 4 keyboards and an electronic drum kit.  He also sings live on "Sad Machine" and "Hear the Bells," another thing most artists don't do.  All in all, hearing the new, different, exciting edits to each and every track along with the haunting, beautiful visuals make Robinson's live show a must see for any fans of his album.

Notable Remixes

Fresh Static Snow (Straytide & Huntroxic Live Remake)

While technically not a remix, Straytide and Huntroxic have remade the version of "Fresh Static Snow" that Porter Robinson plays at his live shows, since there aren't any clean edits anywhere.  With a ridiculously heavy, glitchy bassline more suited towards live shows that slowly turns into a true change as the bass makes way for an awe-inspiring arp on top of the original, this remix never fails to give me chills.

Sea of Voices (Ninth Parallel Remix)

Ninth Parallel, whose style is already similar to post-Spitfire Porter, just recently dropped this official remix for Sea of Voices.  Stating it not as much of a remix as a homage, Ninth Parallel turns the already beautiful "Sea of Voices" into a soundtrack worthy piece.  There's no words to describe this remix but absolutely beautiful.  Just listening to it can make one feel at peace, if just for 4 minutes.  Even though it's not by Robinson himself, this fits in perfectly with the style of the album.