Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Klaypex – ‘Ready to Go’

By Ben Norman

Versatility is the name of the game these days. As an electronic producer, you have to be able to tackle all bases, especially with the wide turning radius that the dance mainstream has. Ranging from stadium beats to dubstep to electro club music, you’ve got to be able to handle it all. That’s why Klaypex, Miami’s own, have risen to this challenge with their album Ready To Go. A title which pretty much sums it all up. You need dubstep? Check. You need Avicii-esque stadium beats? Here you go, ma’am. Their music isn’t done with irony, it isn’t created just to ride the wave; Klaypex aim to generally improve upon these musical means, to bring up the bar of acceptable standards. Their dubstep glitters with melody and inflection, their club music hits just a little harder than you’d expect them to. And when they break out a featured singer, she isn’t your typical choice (although she has worked with Klaypex in the past), and her voice is far from what you’d expect.

Take the title track, for example. ?Ready To Go? sparkles, the dubstep of the track taking a back seat to the flourishes of electro production that wiggle throughout, all culminating in the stuttered question, ?Are you ready to go?? The track is a challenge, twofold. It’s challenging dubstep producers to step it up, as the genre is already getting its licks for being tired (sorry Skrillex), and it’s challenging you, the listener. Are you ready to go? The same goes for ?Stars,? with guest vocalist Sara Kay. Her vocals are stuttered and stretched over this dubstep track, not as a vehicle to deliver you lyrics, but as another instrument in their twisted orchestra. The intertwining melody with the trademark ?wub wubs? of dubstep again raise the bar on what listeners should expect with the recent addition to the arsenal of electronic genres. ?Too Late? is another fun dubstep track that stretches the electro elements of the genre out to make it, if possible, even more like walking uphill in molasses in January. As a mark against Klaypex, ?Secrets? follows too closely to their prior dubstep recipes, so it doesn’t have the same giddying effect as ?Ready to Go? and ?Stars?. It isn’t bad though, with lyrics delivered by an emotionally wounded male singer.
Klaypex goes downbeat

Klaypex hits the downbeat, too, with a collection of tracks that are both too slow for club music and too consistent for dubstep. ?Manners? is a great start, and while the obvious dubstep elements are present, it’s that slow steady beat that takes this track into a new territory. There’s a melody and an aggression here that’s worth noting, but it takes a backseat to ?Double Vision,? which practically crackles with effervescent energy. ?Double Vision? sounds like what would happen if Bodyrox tried to make a dubstep track out of ?Yeah Yeah? (sadly without Luciana). There’s a wonderful inclusion of synth chords and pop-like progression laced through the steady beat and growling bass wobbles. ?Crazy? takes the middle ground between the two, some truly interesting percussion beginning the track but ending in some sort of plodding grey area that sounds both engaging and tedious.

And Klaypex goes upbeat as well

On the upbeat side, Klaypex really seems to enjoy throwing as much electronic noise into their club tracks as possible. Take ?Hello,? which is not an interpretation of the Martin Solveig track but instead a stadium track tinged with dubstep flourishes, like if Avicii and Nero did a track together. ?Petrified? moves as if it’s anything but, frantic instrumentation winding fluidly inbetween lush synths and the distant hint of vocals that push themselves ethereally to the forefront. ?You Mad? sounds like the angrier older brother of ?Petrified,? hitting you with beats rather than caressing you with nuance. Sara Kay’s other contribution to Ready To Go, ?Sunrise,? is a fun club number with its roots firmly in the ground. There’s plenty of bass to blow your speakers out while Sara gives her best vocal trance delivery, the sound again bringing Bodyrox to mind. Wrapping up the album, ?Song 12? begins in some pretty trancy territory, dredged through cerebral sounds before delving headfirst into a pool of bass, with a packed dance floor on the other side of this large, oppressive body of water. That’s what it takes to get to the synths and beats of ?Song 12,? and it’s a worthy progression.

Klaypex’s album can be streamed in it’s entirety on Soundcloud, and if you’re itching for some mixes of their music, check out their Facebook page, where the duo has linked to free remixes of their works.

Summary

There’s a lot to like here, and some that can be skipped. It’s nice to see a group incorporate so many different elements into their music, keeping electro, dubstep, and mainstream electronica both so engaging and fresh while also keeping you rooted in those familiar nuances. They have some room to grow, to broaden their sound, and to potentially get some new voices into their music. So while Ready To Go is a solid effort, to say that Klaypex has peaked would definitely be an overstatement. This duo has more to say, more to give us, and I can’t wait. For stand outs, check out ?Ready To Go,? ?Song 12,? and ?Sunrise.?

Released April 2012 on Klaypex Records.

REVIEW: Daniel Bedingfield ? ‘Stop the Traffik-Secret Fear’ EP

By: Ben Norman

So it’s been eight years since Daniel Bedingfield last released an album. That’s a long time between albums- a lot of time to ruminate on your sound. This isn’t the happy pep of a 22-year old’s ?Gotta Get Thru This,? nor is it the Second First Impression that came 3 years later. This is the musical offering of a man in his 30s, a man who has watched his sister (Natasha Bedingfield) overwhelm the world with her music. Bedingfield is an artist who has suffered both physical trauma and attention struggles (through ADHD). These things all culminate with a more aware, musically ambitious artist who brings to us the first of a series of EPs, Stop the Traffik ? Secret Fear. Half of the title of the EP is a reference to the Stop The Traffik organization, whose aims include bringing an end to human trafficking. While one may call this multi-EP approach to releasing new music as difficult or unattainable, don’t forget that Robyn’s wildly successful Body Talk series was also released in a series of 3 EPs.

Daniel’s first glimmer of new music came in the form of ?Rocks Off,? a gutsy percussion-based minute-long track that will undoubtedly have you tapping your foot and regretting its short length. This is a clear example of how an affliction such as ADHD can be both a blessing and a curse to the musical process. Daniel had a stray thought, saw it recorded in its brief entirety, and moved onto the next thing. ?Rocks Off? is a lot of fun, and indicative of the kind of musical maturity we can come to expect from the artist, along with the B-side that was originally released with the track, ?It’s Not Me, It’s You.? There’s a theme in his writing as well, as Bedingfield seems bent on verbally attacking, or at least blaming, the source of his emotional trouble. ?Rocks Off? accuses the subject of wanting to do just one thing, while ?It’s Not Me, It’s You? stresses to the subject that Bedingfield really isn’t the cause of a separation, he is merely reacting to the unpleasant stimuli in the only way he knows how ? ending things. And he does it to a rather impressive march beat that can either march its way into your head or translate wonderfully to the dance floor. This slant carries on in ?O.V.E.R. U.,? the undeniable winner for catchiest track on the EP. A punchy beat leads us into overlapping vocals, Daniel spelling ?OVER? behind a series of evidential points that proves he’s over his subject now. The drama and tension in the track make the emotional breaking point that much sweeter, and I have to wonder why no one has gotten this track broken on radio yet.

Daniel also has his reservations. In the opening track, ?Secret Fear,? Daniel worries that, even though he has moved on, he will always carry this torch, this longing for the woman who hurt him so badly. That he won’t be able to sleep without her. This is a touching track that swaps between simple, quiet moments and heavier, guitar and percussion-driven periods which seem to represent the whirl of emotional confusion that comes along with regretting letting someone go. And in the closing track, ?Don’t Write Me Off,? just as easily as Daniel could be singing to someone who let HIM go, he could also be begging for someone’s forgiveness for his decision, asking them to take his heart back, that it’s right and should continue. This track is soft, melodic, and orchestral, featuring piano as the only percussion instrument. Music like this and lyrics delivered in this potent way have yielded excellent dance tracks in the past, especially with Max Graham’s ?Gone,? which was based on a haunting melody by Jessica Riddle. But additionally, Daniel seems to be singing to you, the listener, asking you to let him back in. He knows he’s been gone a while, but don’t write him off, especially as he has two more EP releases left in this series.

Summary

I am nothing short of thrilled with the first 5 tracks in this series. The level of growth that is apparent in these tracks makes for an exceptional listen, especially considering how much Bedingfield is not bowing down to the oppressive force of the mainstream. There is not a single featured performer on these tracks, nor is any track a pulsating, pounding club number. While each track has immense remix potential, they all stand as solid pop tracks with electronic elements, save for ?Don’t Write Me Off? as mentioned earlier. So this is both a strong reemergence onto the scene and proclamation to expect something different and new this go around. It’s been 8 years since Daniel Bedingfield last released an album. Get ready.

Released April 2012 by UHT Productions.

REVIEW: Jaytech and James Grant – ‘Anjunadeep 04’

While many music fans have become accustomed to the uplifting, big-room trance that Above & Beyond and their Anjunabeats label specialize in, we are also beginning to see the evolution and rise of the Anjunadeep label and its imprint on progressive trance and house music. Leading the charge is their eponymous compilation series, mixed by the talented duo of James Grant and Jaytehc, who’ve helped to give the Anjunadeep label an identity all its own. Their previous three releases have set the standard for great music and fortunately for us, Anjunadeep Volume 4 is no different- even setting the standard higher for progressive trance and house music.

Anjunadeep Volume 4 is no different than its predecessors with each DJ taking a disc and mixing a wide variety of amazing tracks. The first disc, by James Grant, brings out the deeper, more house-influenced end of Anjunadeep?s spectrum with heavy-hitting low bass grooves like Macro Plex?s mix of Laura Jones ?Love in Me? and Vincenzo’s ?Get to Know You.” Other standout tracks are Martin Roth?s ?Beautiful Life,? which swells with life and takes no prisoners, and Andrew Bayer?s ?You? energizes the party with an underlying dark bass beat, some high hats, and a few jazzy elements for flair. James Grant?s remix (with Andrew Bayer) of Above & Beyond?s ?Prelude? is another highlight and elevates it from one of the less memorable tracks from the Group Therapy album to something altogether more compelling and more accessible to the dance floor with its understated, filtered breakdowns.

Jaytech, by contrast, almost verges on trance in some parts on the second disc. His selection of tracks tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end, culminating with his own ?Atlantic,? which can be seen as an embodiment of the sounds that comprise this mix. One of the best tracks on this disc, though, is ?Boundless Energy? by Soundprank with its perfect mix of beats, melody, and bass grooves. Other tracks that enhance the listening experience of this set are Kobana & Yane3dot’s ?Woosh,? which has a complex bassline driven by progressive sounds layered with feel good trance and Dirty South?s remix of Kaskade ?Sorry,? which has an extremely unique spin put on it by Jaytech with a catapulting deep house rhythm underlying it. To have the ability and talent to transform the sounds of Kaskade and Dirty South into a format that works with Anjunadeep is truly spectacular and illustrates one of the many reasons why this compilation series works so well on so many levels.

Summary

Anjunadeep Volume 4 is another classy and unique offering that offers a spellbinding journey through deep house, immersive melodic grooves, and modern progressive music. This release also continues to elevate not only the compilation series but the label as a whole, and I have to admit I am in awe at some of the talent that James Grant and Jaytech have dug out for us on this release. Both individuals have created a listening experience that is worth buying and even sets the standard higher for progressive trance and house music in general.

Released March 2012 on Anjunabeats Records.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the record label.