3) Party Favor – Bust ‘Em
Trap music has still got some mileage left, especially when it draws influence from a genre as versatile as breaks. You may not think of Party Favor as a purveyor of the latter style, but “Bust ‘Em” proves him capable of incorporating it into his repertoire.
The beginning of the track sounds enough like by-the-numbers trap music, but an unmistakeable syncopation at the first drop places it firmly in breakbeat territory. For its lurid topic matter and lighthearted tone, the layperson might not think of “Bust ‘Em” as any sort of game changer – but if you’re the type to pay attention to more finite musical details, you’ll recognize that there’s more going on conceptually than in a typical festival banger.
2) Kygo – I’m In Love
In 2016, even electronic music’s softer styles are due for a face lift. Kygo made a name for himself as the poster child of the polarizing tropical house style years ago, but as more and more songs trickle out from his upcoming album, Cloud Nine, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he’d prefer not to let his past define him.
Between soulful vocals, rich instrumentals and a composition that you could hardly lump into any single category – let alone one of electronic music’s ever-specific confines – “I’m In Love” is another excellent effort from the producer and has us extremely excited to hear more from him.
1) BLR – Nungwi
BLR’s “Nungwi” is more than just a kind of interesting deep house track. When you take into account that it’s the first release on Tiësto’s new deep house imprint, AFTR:HRS, it’s a true sign of how the lines have blurred between mainstream and underground.
In spite of sound design elements that call forth mental images of a spiritually enlightened echelon of music aficionados dancing on the playa, a closer look at “Nungwi” reveals that its song structure better resembles the abrupt ebbs and flows characteristic of the big room anthems for which Tiësto is better known.
What this means for the future of deep house is unclear, but it makes for an interesting case study of what happens when the two worlds collide.