A Month Of Music – Check out our favourite releases from April!
April – wow, what a month that was! We started off raving under beaming lights at Qapital, before shedding our winter layers and officially kicking off the summer festival season at Rebirth Festival! Things unfortunately cooled down just in time for Hardshock and with a forecast of snow for the newly-passed Kingsday, I think most of us feel as though we prematurely pulled out our summer clothing.
With May on the horizon, it’s time to wrap-up yet another spectacular month of music! This month, instead of our usual ‘Top 10,’ we’ve collated some musical highlights including albums, some of our favourite talent tracks and compare who ‘wore’ Angerfist’s classic “Criminally Insane” melody better.
Up & Coming
Unsenses – Where U Wanna Be
Dirty Workz signed youngster Unsenses has been on a roll lately! Dropping some stunning melody-oriented tracks, this down-to-Earth Belgian has captured his fans yet again with his latest release, titled “Where U Wanna Be.” Although I’m not the biggest fan of modern ‘melodic’ Hardstyle, I have to say that this track definitely stands out from the rest – so big ups to Unsenses!
Jay Reeve – Voice Of Silence
Another up and comer who’s making waves amongst the talent pool is Jay Reeve. With each release, his technique exponentially improves and after dropping “Voice Of Silence” I’m totally sold! This guy is the future of Hardstyle and there’s no doubt he’s going to uphold an impressive career.
Albums!
MYST – Prophecy (Mini album)
These days, it’s been all about MYST! This ‘melo-dramatic’ producer has really set himself apart from the pack with his top-notch productions that capture such raw emotion and with the release of his mini album ‘Prophecy,’ this dude is expected to soar even higher. Containing the beginning-of-festival-season hit “Before You Go,” as well as “Cut Your Nuts” and “Young And Reckless,” this mini bundle of music is a 360 view of who MYST is and what he stands for, musically.
B-Front – Beyond Reality
The long-awaited ‘Beyond Reality’ has finally become reality, and let me tell you, it’s a stunning, spine-shivering collection of B-Front’s vision. Dubbed the ‘god’ of atmospheric-raw, Bob has really taken his productions to the next level for his debut album – ladies and fellas, we’re not fucking around, this album actually made me rethink everything around me. Tracks such as “Beyond Reality,” “Beat The Darkness” with ANDY SVGE, “The Enigma” with Phuture Noize and the classic “Techno” as B-Freqz are supple perfection…
Check out our review of ‘Beyond Reality.’
E-Force – The Edge Of Insanity
Remember when E-Force released “Seven?” The thought crossed my mind that after this hit was through, he’d fade back into the shadows and struggle to release another track that’d be as successful. Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong – the opposite has indeed occurred. It seems as though since the release of “Seven,” E-Force has only continued to rise, prosper and improve. His productions have taken an impressive turn, which is exhibited through his freshly-released album “The Edge Of Insanity.” Containing a diverse selection of tunes, including a handful of kick-ass collabs, this one is definitely worth the listen!
Phuture Noize – Pursuit Of Thunder
At the beginning of April, lil’ beb Phuture Noize dropped his third album ‘Pursuit Of Thunder’ and let me tell you, it’s pure art. First of all, for this musical showcase to still be making waves among a demographic of fans who have a shorter attention span than a three year old child, well, that says enough… In a scene that thrives solely on ‘party vibes’ and brutality, there’s always a worry when producers come up with profound or meaningful music, however Phuture Noize makes the perfect translation between Hardstyle’s energy and real-life emotion.
Check out our review of ‘Pursuit Of Thunder.’
Psyko Punkz – Wietse
Call me lazy, but I actually haven’t had the chance to listen to Psyko Punkz’ new album ‘Wietse’ from start to finish; actually, call me the worst journalist ever, because I’ve only listened to a small handful of the tracks. BUT, from what I’ve heard already, I have to say that it definitely exceeded all of my expectations. The split seemed to serve Wietse well, because in the drop of a hat he’s been able to forge his own path and establish himself as a solo act with his own signature style. Absolutely LOVE what I’m hearing and I can’t wait to soak up the rest of this album.
A mixed bag of kick-ass singles!
Radical Redemption – Brutal 6.0
We’d be simply stupid if we weren’t to include Radical Redemption’s robust “Brutal 6.0” in this month’s wrap-up. We honestly thought after number five that he’d call it quits with the brutal ‘saga,’ simply because there was no topping “Brutal 5.0,” but after diving into his bag of tricks, Radical has shown us that ‘Brutal’ is here to stay.
NSCLT feat. LXCPR – Reborn (Rebirth Festival Anthem 2017)
Kicking off the festival season with an iconic anthem is no walk in the park, however Southern duo NSCLT embraced this challenge with open arms and thus, have dished up a meal to please all senses. Production-wise, this pair have really kicked things up a notch and their Rebirth Festival anthem “Reborn” (featuring vocals by LXCPR, aka the dude who featured in 2016’s Decibel anthem) is the perfect way to open up six months of majestic times.
Deetox & Sub Sonik – My Way
Included on Sub Sonik’s newly released album ‘Strike One’, his collab with raw-queen Deetox is without a doubt, one of the finer tracks on the album. Why? Well, that f*cking melody is totally addictive and it’s amplified tenfold when experienced within a crowd. Behold – I have absolutely no criticism to make about this track, other than it ending too damn soon!
JTS – Music Is My Suicide
This wouldn’t be an AAN release wrap-up without the inclusion of some cheeky UK Hardcore! Alongside Technikore, Aussie boy JTS recently dropped the ‘Gridlock’ album and included on the album is his solo track “Music Is My Suicide.” For those open-minded folks out there, you’re surely going to love this one and its progressive nature; the thing I love most about it is that it’s not cheesy or overly happy – it’s powerful, energetic and follows the guidelines of the UKHC genre.
Who ‘wore’ it better?
Angerfist – Criminally Insane (Para Italia & Dr.Peacock remix)
For listeners who froth on Frenchcore, you’ll definitely disagree with me when I say that Deetox definitely did a better job. However, with that said, I still love this remix done by Para Italia and Dr. Peacock – it was definitely about time that the original had a little bit of spice added to it.
Deetox – Symphonic Voices
I can still feel the residual shivers running through my body when Deetox dropped “Symphonic Voices” at Qapital. That dark and disturbing melody was simply captivating and combined with the overwhelming production, well, let’s just say that it was a multi-climactic experience for all. Utilising the signature melody from Angerfist’s knockout track “Criminally Insane,” I think she added all the right herbs and spices to bake a masterpiece. As much as I love a cheeky Frenchcore track, it’s clear that Deetox definitely ‘wore’ this one better!
That’s a wrap! We’ll see you again in May for another section of track reviews.