Deorro - Elevation EP

I was never a big fan of Deorro but after I heard Black and his awesome remix of that very shitty Laidback Luke tune Pogo, I knew that there would be interesting things coming from the bloke. 

I was very excited to see that his EP Elevation was going to be released on the 23rd of April. It has definitely been a release that I have been waiting for. And it has not disappointed.

I must say that the opening track Stronger is probably the weakest track off the EP. It definitely wasn't a good start but I forced myself to keep on listening and it was well worth it. The track just doesn't do it for me, it becomes really boring after awhile and it is way too long in my honest opinion. The melody is also not one that is catchy, I found myself forgetting what the track actually sounded like after the first listen. 

But let's go on to the good stuff. The rest of the EP is simply sublime. Red Lips feat. Pasha has such a feel good and fun intro melody that I could not help but fall in love with it. With those naughty vocal samples, I could not stop myself from bobbing my head to the infectious beat. 

The drop is also an interesting one, I like it when producers have weird and interesting drops. Gone are the days when you need to make your drop sound like an Atom or Ode To Oi rip off, let's leave the rip offs to PSY and Will.I.Am shall we?

The third track on the EP is Cayendo feat Tess Marie. Now, I am not Spanish so I have no fucking idea what that means. I could probably google it but that defeats the point. The point of the matter is that I don't care what the fuck it means or what Tess Marie is singing about. I just dig the awesome sounds that are coming out of my speakers. That is how awesome this song is. It is an instant club banger and it makes you want to move around with your eyes closed. The drop is another reason why I love this track so much, it infuses dirty dutch elements with some fierce electro synths. Now in my books this is an instant winner. Couldn't ask for a more in your face combination.

Elevated feat. Erick Gold is the fourth track on the EP. This is probably the heaviest track on the EP. When the vocal sample comes in with "it's going down tonight", I knew that this is going to be a real treat. The drop was so fierce that I had to momentarily turn down the volume of my speakers because the floor and the windows were starting to vibrate from the bass of my sub woofer. Now that is what I call dropping the bass ladies and gents, when something like that happens then you know this is a gem. What I really dig about this track is that it end off on such a chilled note, it brings about this really rounded effect to the song, this is an element that most tracks lack. 

Hype is the final track on the EP. What a way to end an awesome EP hey. I would say that Hype is Deorro's way of saying, "I know this EP is awesome and I am just hyping you up for the next one." "Bring the motherfucking hype" can almost be seen as laying down the gauntlet for his future releases. This is definitely one of the stand out tracks. Such an infectious melody and it will definitely be a favourite amongst house DJs for its great beat and dirty dutch- esque drop.

Deorro has definitely impressed me with this EP. It's innovative and extremely well produced with very catchy tracks. It is definitely a good bye for any EDM enthusiast. 

This EP was released off Dim Mak Records.

To buy the EP check out Beatport.

For more information on Deorro check out Soundcloud, Twitter and Facebook.

Das Kapital - All Trades EP

Now, I have not always been a big fan of South Africa's bad boy producer Das Kapital but with the release of his remixes for Drumsound & Bassline Smith and Laidback Luke, the lad has gotten my attention.

I decided to take a leap of faith and get myself his All Trades EP off Do Work Recordings. Now let me tell you, I was not expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Ol' Das has got it right to succeed with an experimental approach to this EP. Incorporating elements from dubstep, psy-trance, electro house and also deep house. A pretty broad spectrum to fill but he gets it right. 

The first track Amsterdam Rubberband with dutch producer Revero starts off as a seemingly generic house track but as soon as the drums and the samples kick in, it turns into a club banger. I like the fact that this track uses the less is more approach, there is not too much going on but it sounds so damn good. There is nothing better than a track that has a sick and simple beat to guide it through. 

The next track PSYCH! is an interesting one.I am not a big fan of psy-trance in fact I think it is a load of bollocks but as the track progresses elements of dubstep is being thrown into the equation, now this makes it very interesting. It adds another dimension to it which a typical psy- trance track would lack. It has that typical psy-trance drum beat but the synth work, sampling and layering just screams dubstep. The drop of this track sounds like a Koan Sound - ish production infused with The Prodigy sounds, which is always a winner.

The next track is a personal favourite, Reverse & Rewind feat Alex Mills is probably the most commercially viable track off the EP. This electro house track infuses deep house elements with a fierce electro drop. The vocals have been perfectly added and adds a very pop orientated dimension to it which just seems to fit in this track.

White Room feat Louis Blaise is also another interesting track. When I first started listening to it, it sounded like something that The Prodigy would release. It was a bit of a mind fuck at first but I got into the swing of things pretty quickly, it gets a bit repetitive after awhile because there is not much variation.
The Instrumental version of Reverse & Rewind is reminded me a lot of Mord Fustang's sound but with more of a deep house edge to it. I was definitely jamming to it because it is just so catchy.

I have to recommend ol' Das on his producing capabilities. It is of an exceptional quality for somebody that young. His producing skills exude a maturity that exceeds his years. All Trades is definitely one of the better Eps that I have listened to this year and it showcases Das Kapital's diversity and flexibility. The bloke really knows how to infuse different elements which are not normally used together. 

You can buy the EP on Beatport. You can also follow Das Kapital on Twitter, Soundcloud and Facebook.