‘And the beat goes…’ – NCBM Present: Chapter One [REVIEW]

So here it is. The first album, mini album, extended EP, assortment of Hardstyle concoctions whatever you want to call it, that Noisecontrollers and Bass Modulators, aka “NCBM” have served up for the avid Hardstyle listener to dive into. What started as an occasional studio fling that resulted in dance floor hits “Solar” and “Rocked Up,” has now expanded into a fully fledged artistic endeavour bringing ample excitement and eager anticipation from fans. Anticipation is delivered in spades with some deliciously good songs that are amongst some of the best euphoric sounds of this year.

Belters that are bound to get people to the dance floor yelling, “Let’s get FUCK..Rocked Up!” Coupled with these amazing tracks is a mixed bag of others in the second half. Whilst being well-produced, solid tracks, they ultimately fail to capture and live up to the potential of the duo as a combined concept as seen in previous numbers. What is highlighted, on the tracks on this album at least, is that these two artists are a lot more in tune together than apart.

From the very start of this album we are told to prepare ourselves to “Embrace the electronic waves of… N.C.B.M!” It’s hard to think of a better way for Bas, Rick and Roland (first name knowledge) to open the album than with an edit of saxophone-laced summer-jam “Solar” by Sogma. What inspired the great touch of throwing a saxophone into a Hardstyle track…? Were they listening to ‘Mr. Saxobeat?’

A long night in the studio listening to “Careless Whisper?”

Whichever the case, the track starts with a slow burn of piano chords coupled with that saxy saxophone drifting in and out, hinting and teasing the listener with that epic melody from one of the most accessible Hardstyle tracks of last year. It makes for a perfect opening to the album and any NCBM set list, striking those chords of nostalgia and familiarity without feeling like a lazy, pointless edit.

“See the Light” and “Holding On” lead the charge for vocal centred, euphoric summer vibes and are a perfect example of how to construct a euphoric Hardstyle hit in 2016, more vocal key changes please. “Holding On” features many examples of that Noisecontrollers’ sound design that have captured audiences attention for over 10 years, the organ chords that back onto the main synth lead in the opening intro of the track being just one example. It doesn’t take much to figure that these two songs will feature heavily over the upcoming festival season. With their uplifting vocals and melodies soaring across the festival plains, crowds will be raising their hands and fists to the electronic waves of NCBM.

“Glitch” is the defining track of the album and one of the best tracks of this year. This is the culmination of the artistic venture we are meant to embrace; the energy and drive of Bass Modulators coupled with the sound design and production skills of Noisecontrollers. The track contains so many delicious little hooks, beeps and bops along with a banging house intro drop not to dissimilar to the Bass Modulators Remix of Twoloud’s “Big Bang.” Not bogged down by long vocal breaks that some euphoric centred tunes can suffer from, it’s a song which is just pure joy packed into a three minute serving.

So what is “Het Gevoel Van?” Putting my faith in Google Translate and doing a quick search for the complete Dutch lyrics I eventually found that “Het gevoel van” is “The feeling of.” I even went as far as translating the Dutch lyrics into English.

“Your heart rate goes up. Your breathing quickens. All the senses are put on edge. Your pupils dilate. You feel tingling through your whole body. You become more alert, sharper… That is the feeling of… NCBM”

Apart from sounding very similar to a certain cluster of symptoms for a popular rave drug, it’s clear that these guys want their music to exhibit a feeling of euphoria and ecstasy. Any song is hard to follow after “Glitch” and if one was going to exhibit these symptoms it would’ve been that or the songs before it. In saying that, “Het Gevoel Van” is still a well-polished Noisecontrollers influenced tune in structure and will still get people moving on the floor.

Next up are a collection of solo tracks, two by Noisecontrollers and one by Bass Modulators. The inclusion of solo tracks is not what I was expecting when I heard that these two artists were planning an album together and it’s precisely this section where the album falls flat. The Noisecontrollers tracks are exactly what you’d expect and could easily have been lumped into his most recent album “All Night Long” and not tell the difference. The solo tracks are by no means bad songs; they’re just songs that we’ve heard before in various forms. Whilst attempting to showcase their individual talents, these solo songs don’t work nearly as well as when those individual talents are combined in the collaborative efforts. The track list could’ve been enhanced by the inclusion of three more NCBM tracks, more mash-ups or remixes of each others tracks like which has been done previously with “Let Me See Ya” and “Faster ‘n Further.” These additions could’ve further accentuated the notion of these two acts being a combined force and given NCBM as a concept more weight.

“And the beat goes…”

The song that started it all gets its rightful attention as the second last track. The “Rocked Up – Live Edit” throws in a new intro that will get faces turning to each other, their lips turning slowly upward in surprise as the shattering kick pounds through their feet and up into their chest. Perhaps this YouTube comment on the original “Rocked Up” made them throw in this great new addition to the track “You should make a hard edit and call it Fucked Up.” Last but not least is a mash-up of two solo hits by these two producers “Break The Show” and “Radiance.” If anything this song feels like a vocal edit of “Radiance” and whilst it’s good to hear that amazing melody again the differences in this mash-up don’t really seem to add much.

This mini album delivers in providing some amazing euphoric feels in Hardstyle. With tracks like “See the Light,” “Holding On” and “Glitch” it’s not a matter of if, but how many times these songs get played throughout 2016 and beyond. Chapter One is done and despite losing its way in the second half, one can only hope for many more chapters to come from this talented new project as on this album the NCBM whole is greater than the Noisecontrollers and Bass Modulators parts.

“Embrace the electronic waves of… N.C.B.M”

P.S. Include full length tracks along with the radio edits 😉 some of us love to listen to those sweet, sweet claps…