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.