A-TRAK - TUNA MELT EP

LISTEN TO THE FULL EP HERE

Again, a little behind the times... 3 quarters of a whole year. But oh well, I went on an iTunes spree and came across this.

A-Trak is a force to be reckoned with, having worked with everyone who's anyone. His remixes are outstanding, and his work with Armand Van Helden resulted in the insanely popular (and slightly irritating) 'Barbara Streisand'. This EP gives us a true sense of the broadness of his tastes. The EP's title track, produced alongside mainroom house producer Tommy Trash, centres around a well-made staccato bass line, with typical huge chord breaks complete with disco toms and pitch-bent vocal stabs. However the tune is made by one of A-Trak's signature build-ups, with intense snare rolls and filtering before returning to the same chugging bass. Following this is a collaboration with urban dance music up-and-comer Grandtheft, 'Landline', a smooth trap-influenced track that really throbs and swaggers. But its not at all menacing, like trap can inherently be. There's something quite... "Miami" about it, cruising along palm-lined boulevards and all that shizz. And it includes a crazy little sound, something like an auto-tuned Woody the Woodpecker. Third is 'Jumbo,' featuring Galantis. This track initially seems a little boring, but giving it time, it becomes quite the interesting little piece. It's reminiscent of Boys Noize, with its acid and rave undertones, but with A-Trak's typical polished production style. And closing the release is one of the best tracks - 'Disco Nap' featuring LA boys Oliver. This track is one of those collaborations that really shows the best of both parties. It features a great disco-inspired chord progression complete with soaring lead, and vocal chops that are funky as fuck. Then this is thrown together with A-Trak's chunky basses, creating that typically dancefloor-friendly sound that seems oh-so-common following Madeon's rise to fame. But whilst it might not be ultra fresh, its damn good fun.

The EP as a whole though is something quite special. Rarely in 4 tracks do you hear such a variety - its not often you can apply the words 'trap' and 'disco' to the same release. And its all as well crafted as youd expect. This stuff, on a dancefloor? It'll go off.

DIGITALISM - LIFT EP

Although it may be a mere 3 new tracks, German dance outfit Digitalism's latest release is in my opinion one of their most refined yet. Having released 2 full albums, a multitude of remixes, and performed globally, the duo are riding the waves of the EDM boom, following in the footsteps of the likes of Daft Punk and Justice. With this EP, they have colloborated with 3 other artists - The M Machine, Steve Duda and Michael Diamond, and produced a varied and exciting little package for us. Firstly, "Lift" is the kind of uplifting chord-driven affair that you expect from these guys, the track features a wonderful breakdown midway through, before returning back to its full-blooded self. Following this is solid techno in the form of "Dudalism," which whilst repetitive carries a great weight, along with some wonderfully lo-fi violins. Then closing the EP, my favourite track, also featured here in its entirety. "Electric Fist" is supreme in its power. Combining a ridiculously epic organ riff with all sorts of glitchy electro madness, the effect is not dissimilar to Justice of old. But this isn't a copy by any means: it isn't as schizophrenic, but definitely more polished. This track has been on repeat. A lot. Their secret? Their distortion, of which they say "it's like a good batter, the only way to find out is to taste it."

All in all, this EP may be nothing more than 3 new tracks from the already well-established pair. But they re-affirm Digitalism's ability to not just blur the lines between indie rock and dance, but produce real club tunes. And they're all pretty damn good. In fact, one is fucking terrific.