One of Columbus’ most lovable bass heads just released a little piece of bass beauty. Coming together with artist SHA, WTV fam member YAMi brings us ‘KUMITE [MMXVAC]’. Dropping a mere fifteen hours ago, the track is another testament to the dubstep that runs through YAMi’s mind. The track is available for download on his SoundCloud, so make sure to cop that before you read any further into this review.
The track takes a soft open that spread this nice melodic feel over a nice steady percussive line. Chimes and the heightened humming clashes with the metallic shake that diverts the attention, and introduces the hard build-up. The hard scooping bass hits come in and shake the track out of the sweet and soft. The drop comes and we get the metallic scratching wubbiness that we associate with YAMi. ‘KUMITE’ really demonstrates a strong adherence to patterning. This construction style is something we do not normally see overused by YAMi, so we attribute that really solid structuring to SHA. What we do immediately shift to YAMi is the soundscape on the track. There are tons of clips, sounds, bits, and vocals pumping through the track, and that screams to YAMi production. Pairing that with the really amazing dubstep structure and sound, we get this really exciting track. Both builds and drops bring similar vibes to the table, but allow for variation that gives the track that manic dubstep nature.
‘KUMITE’, without a doubt, brings the dubstep to the table. The track is something new to us, however, because we get to see YAMi contributing with SHA. We of course are assuming with what we know from writing about YAMi, but we really liked the organized chaos the track sold. YAMi is the king of bringing so many thoughts into a bass track and making it something to remember. In those cases, we do not always see a blueprint that can be repeated. Here working with SHA, we get this really strong skeleton that is paper-mached with the flesh of a thousand beasts. We thank artists, like SHA, for being a part of our family’s music, because it always brings new sounds and new sides of the WTV fam to light.
A WTV staple artist, Bassani, collaborates with fellow Canadian fam member, Flero, on the latest track ‘Execute’. The track is a very bouncy house track that embodies the dark and underground side. It is a solid collaboration that just has us foaming at the mouth, for the dance floor. In the meantime, we will shuffle through the track with words, as we break down ‘Execute’.
If you have been reading for a while, you know that Bassani is a master when it comes to giving the music a plotline. This, pairing with his astound production capability, invites any artist to be an amazing co-author. Flero is a solidified contributor, so before the track even comes in; we know we are in good hands.
Once the music starts in, we get this really nice interlude. The track plays a little with the ear, foreshadowing sound. The duo brings forward the vocal, the bassline, and the high-end accent, but rolls it back. It rolls right over into the full force of the track. Dirty house bounce that really grovels on the bass is plaid under this very neo-narrative voice track. As the verse speeds into the breakdown, we get this awesome rise into the record scratch-vocal pair drop. The drop it leads into is this super synthesized whine that bounces and spins the brain in circles. Bassani and Flero craft a fun future-grit house loop to define the song. The stark contrast that exists between the energies of the build and the drop demonstrates the two sides to a whole of collaboration, as well as the dubby versus housey sides of electronic music. We see it becoming a great track through the division and combination of those parts. It becomes even more special with that Bassani plot-twist around halfway through the track. The song does not move from the build to the drop back to the build: the classic construction we love. Instead, we get this little hovering disorientation that brings us back to the second half of the track. The production choice really engages the ear and breaks expectations. It is such a highlight because it actually reinvigorates and makes brand new the second half of the song. Just a subtle little break of difference absolutely sells the song home as something special.
Bassani and Flero bring home another amazing collaboration with ‘Execute’. They are continually developing talent and sound recognition that sets them apart. ‘Execute’ has such dance vibes that make being off the dancefloor hurt. However, let’s clear out the living room and start crafting choreography so we keep getting music and are ready to hear it out the big speakers. Great to be writing about these two family members, and it is our love, vibes, streams, and dancing that will keep them making more to write about.
It is so nice getting back into the swing of things. Coming back into the scene and hearing about all our WTV fam has done with 2020; it has been incredible. Today we bring a track of one of the fam members that has blown us away. His growth in sound, talent, consistency, and sheer release volume is electrifying. Entel has been on a mission this year, and you can really see it in the past weeks. Releasing consistently for the past four weeks, he is flooding outlets with his unique sound and proving that he is just getting started. With yesterday’s release of ‘Atlas’, he has officially dropped five tracks in the past month. Be sure to backtrack his Spotify the last few weeks, after you take a little jaunt through ‘Atlas’ with us.
The striking quality that should stick out the listener, when hearing Entel’s tracks, is complexity. There always seems to be this almost experimental unpacking, which the production walks us through. ‘Atlas’ is clear and present evidence of Entel’s production reputation, in our eyes. The fantastical journey takes and shifts the scope we think of the sounds laid on our ear by the track. For a song that runs double most tracks, Entel takes and fills the entirety with engaging sound and intelligent melody. The very constructive nature of the sound lets the listener be with Entel producing. We are hearing how the pieces come together and seeing the melting and melding of everything together. ‘Atlas’ takes us out of the present and abandons time, then spits us out with this residual enlightening 6 minutes later. Yet even once it is over, we are left wanting more. The intrigue of the sound and the interest in the combinations it can make was just floated in front of us. Like a word stuck on the tip of your tongue, we do not want to stop until we have it. No synonym or homonym really brings that euphoric satisfaction that THE word does. The same it true here. Entel makes music that makes the music lover want to make music. We see this way that he can construct real music from the start of simple rhythm, and yet turn it into this wonderful scape of feeling. ‘Atlas’ took us through it as it built into the heart of the track, and in six minutes deconstructed to where we started.
Entel really seems to put onto the market something that most of us are not hearing. His music is exactly as we described: bringing emotion we are not familiar with. ‘Atlas’ is a real solid representation of this mystery that we are really hungering for. The spectacular nature of interlaced simplicity is the draw to Entel, and we hope that his volume of music remains high so we can keep chasing the feeling.
2020 has been an ass year, and we haven’t been here bringing any entertainment. No juicy write-ups, music exposure, vibe cultivation- radio silence, if you will. And that sucked, so we are back baby! The duo is back-in-action, fighting the good fight, and creating the content we love to make for you. Bringing us back from our hiatus is WTV fam member, Jimmy Rock. So let us come back to the world of WTV, through the World of Drops.
Marking the first EP to debut on his Spotify, World of Drops is a club busting story piece that melds together the narrative and DJ sides of Jimmy. He is able to craft music that we easily identify as his sound and brand, but the EP is not just a pool of club fuel. Jimmy makes it into more, and puts more on the line, by establishing this overarching theme. World of Drops is where combat meets the club.
The opening piece is the narrative articulation of what we should be prepared to hear. However, if you have no knowledge of Jimmy Rock it seems like the intro to an epic novel. Even with just preparatory vocals, there is a distortion that pulls from the ancient art of war. It does not pull away from the message of the pride, toll, and call of war, but rather the setting it is in. We see the painted vision of historical battle slightly blurred, out of full focus, because there is more coming into the shot.
The hints of the electronic turn way up in the second track. Jimmy Rock crafts war into a rhythm, with chants and stomps. It electrifies the chest and lights a fire of noble passion to our limbs. The first track appears to be the pep-talk from the commanding officer before we take our troops to battle. It is all about the build. We have this drawn out war-time rhythm that propels us into the adrenaline booster that we all know and loves: the build of a club track. The front line and the dancefloor converge on ‘War’ creating this track that rolls. Each hit creates such strong friction to move us forward, into the crowds of festivals or fights. There is this sense of openness that comes from the sound mastering, which really sells the idea of being part of something bigger. It echoes the monologue that introduced the track; ‘War’ reflects it in new light. The listener ties the ferocity of an army to the functions of the dance community. It pushes us to see the intensity of drops, the many ways they can be used. World of Drops looks to connect the energy of the electronic music scene to many aspects that are outside of it, yet still enhanced, defined, and traced by the music being made. ‘War’ announces the connection and delivers the experience.
Jimmy Rock seems no stranger to the danger; coming forward with track two being another clear connection to battle. ‘Catch These Hands’ clearly suggests the fight is coming to us. Well, really it feels like a fight we would attend under bright lights with two gloved men glistening in a ring. The punchy brass jabs and keeps us light on our feet, as the energy builds like the anticipation for the bell. It feels flashy and gritty which is that feeling that mirrors in boxing or on a dark club’s dancefloor. We really painted this crazy image in our heads when the vocals came through. Pettidee has this raspy, deep, takes-no-shit voice that pairs with the boastful verse. With no connection to Pettidee except this verse, we would bet money that he is Apollo Creed and Lil Jon mashed perfectly. Which just shows how effective Jimmy is in playing to the club and the scenes he relates the music to. Seen again when his rhythm changes at the second drop, and it feels almost sampled from a speed bag exercise. It is impeccable and a touch we hope you all see as we do.
Moving to a connection other than the competitions of violence; Jimmy Rock introduces ‘Don’t Sleep On Me’. Similar to earlier in the EP, Jimmy tells a lot through the name choice of each track. However, he crafts a name that can be taken for parts and as a whole. We see “sleep” taken from the track, as the song emerges from the ticking of time and the wailing of an alarm clock. It is the evident connection and the shock to the ear, from the last track. It moves further past just the idea of time and the connection to rhythm. ‘Don’t Sleep On Me’ has this dark and ominous presence. It feels like a building nightmare to the listener until you adopt the logic of the title. The phrase “don’t sleep on me” is a caution to not let “me” fall out of mind, or else they won’t be there when you become successful. Jimmy Rock produces that warning with mechanical, industrial, cold, and growing sounds to wake the people up to what they will miss. The song showcases the “rise and grind” mentality through continual waking (the alarm clock), the concerning growth of success (the strong industrial builds and drops), and the call to the fools who once thought nothing of you (the repeated intensity of the line, “Wake up!”). All of that wrapped up into one of Jimmy Rocks’ scariest songs to date. It brings a chill on first listen, then inspires unwavering persistence every one after.
Flexing is pass-time if you have the confidence to flaunt and the goods to back it up. We all get a little taste of what that feels like with ‘Won’t Stop’. Artists, Steven Malcolm and Fern, bring the big baller mentality to this track and are able to take a strong hold of the track, while Jimmy gives them the floor- until party time. After each verse, we hear the “Can’t stop. Won’t stop.” build into the fist-pumping, bass thumping, horn blaring rave track that screams champagne showers on Venice Beach. Where the vocals hold, boast, and embody the lavish, VIP, party-all-the-time mentality, the drop brings it back to what we all can obtain and crave. ‘Won’t Stop’ is the connection to the elite. It shows any listener that even the big shots hunger for the feeling anyone can experience. A message that is stitched perfectly into the theme that the euphoria of drops can be placed anywhere and be found in anything; it is so easily obtainable yet never satisfied.
The last track, ‘You Feel It’, is the proof of the World Of Drops. Jimmy merges moombahton, with deeper bass, and his signature club hype to introduce the track. It feels very familiar and has us ready for the drop we are expecting. For us though, the track over-delivers and jars us at first listen. It is not what we would expect and it has us fully into the track. The drums and vocals bounce back and forth. We move with it to chase toward the next drop, to see what is in store. It is the thrill of chasing the drop and the wonder of experiencing it. The song is huge, bold, and bouncy, as it encourages us, “Let’s go!” It all continues until it is just gone. The EP over along with the track, we are left trying to “go” with no drop left on this track. That push is not something that Jimmy had to give, he did not create the satisfaction of the drop. Rather he completes the EP by showing us the message of his craft. Why he loves to make music. The whole world lusts for the energy of drops, and he gets to give people their fix. He gets to shock them, fill their ears and minds, create things that have never been heard before, and light the fire in someone that has them chasing the music for the rest of their lives.
World Of Drops is this experimental demonstration of the mind of Jimmy Rock, and the message that the world needs music. Through adaptations of his energetic club production, he creates stories that are woven together so tightly they seem to be of the same cloth. This EP is a message that no matter what the drop is, no matter the message, no matter the time, no matter the artist… you see where we are going. NO MATTER WHAT! Music is what makes the world go round and the drops are the motivation and the backdrop for the journey. Thank you Jimmy for letting us get to experience such a piece of heart, and we are continually excited to see what more is to come and what more you will say. It feels good to be back and to get something as juicy as World Of Drops.
The MAD DECENT label had two big EP releases this week, and luck of the draw put one of them under the knife on our dissection table. La Nueva Clásica, released October 19, 2018, is another album highlighting Latin culture through EDM. GTA uses their advanced song construction to twist and turn the Moombahton sound from song to song. The EP is another exciting chapter in Latin EDM movement. Now let’s get these plantains fam.
When listening to moombahton inspired music, it is always exciting to see how the artist looks to tackle the task. GTA use their new EP to do so in a variety of different ways. The first song on the EP tackles moombahton as a hip-hop song. “Buscando” uses the vocal line to guide the song. From the female vocals to the male announcing like screaming, the song is rooted in the vocals. The creation of the song like this allows for the rhythm to be built around the voice. GTA does this very well. Taking the percussive consonant and mirroring them with a strong thumping bass line, and then using brass/horn sounds to emulate the ringing nature of the Latin voice. “Buscando” has is a hot racing rhythm to open the album.
Where “Buscando” is heavier hitting and faster moving, GTA slows it down and smooths it out moving into “Mienteme”. The song adopts the same lyrically bound rhythm as “Buscando”, but chills it down. “Mienteme” mirrors the milder smoother voice by using a production that feels like it is rolling. The song has this constant calming feeling. It is mellow but given texture from the bump of the bass line. It carries the very smooth sexy vibe.
Smooth and sexy turns right back around to become an aggressive bop. GTA turns away from the Moombahton vibe, with “DJ Tool 8”. The song acknowledges the lower slower feeling of the last song; using an intro that builds up an prepares the listener for something bigger. “It’s too late” or “It’s Tool 8” are the repeated words of the song, and are about the only constant. The song is dynamic and crazy. It takes you to a high energy level and shakes your core, then slows it down and does the beginning of the song over again. However, when they come back to it, it feels as if the song is moving through molasses. There is still the energetic vibe and trap sounds, but they are muffled. It is a very interesting way to construct the song and adds texture.
“Botellas” serves as this crazy synthesis song of trap, dubstep, and moombahton. Beyond the Latin lyrics, the song uses a Latin riff continually through the song. The strings and brass line build and the pace boils over to produce Latin trap-dubstep. This song makes you want to do some salsa footwork, then plant your feet to break your neck. It is exciting and its quality is supreme. “Botellas” best embodies GTA in Moombahton. The synthesis of their establishes sound with the Latin culture is amazing.
“Muevei Booti” is another example of how Latin trap works. The song is a hard trap hitter that incorporates Latin rhythms sounds and voice. The song repeats the low register lyrics and cycles back into build-ups that lead to the trap breakdowns. It is a dark trap song that balances with under-laid higher soft rhythms and sounds. The song is strong in every category it can be put in. It again gives the album sound and tempo change, while still showcasing Moombahton inspirations.
The finale to the album, “YYZ”, is just a palette cleanser. It is a great taste to leave in your mouth and keeps what you love about the rest of the album. “YYZ” is this swiftly moving dance song that doesn’t overdo it on anything. It begs to be danced to but never pushes you too far while doing so. It is fun and bouncy and again a great close to the album because it wraps up everything that happened in the last five songs super well.
Another Moombahton influenced album is in the books. GTA gave us an amazing EDM experience with this EP. It tackles the Latin genre from ways we have not seen in the past and shows how GTA has the ability to make anything their own. There is such a strong demonstration of the production ability of the duo, with La Nueva Clásica. Tasty, textured, and Latin: we got those plantains.
GTA Grand Theft Auto III is the video game we will be reviewing today…
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Wait Where’s The Vibe doesn’t review video games, we cover EDM artists. Good thing there is an artist named GTA that we will be covering this week in our Artist Review
The first thing I find out is that GTA stands for “Good Times Ahead”. I had no idea, but it’s fitting because there will only be good times ahead with their new album: La Nueva Clasica.
GTA is a duo that consists of Julio Mejia and Matt Toth. They got their start in 2010 when they met through social media when a mutual friend introduced them through Facebook. They started in the Electric City of Scranton, what are the odds of that? Originally they decided on its abbreviation GTA meaning Grand Theft Audio.
Between 2011 and 2012 GTA released many remixes and songs on Laidback Luke’s MixMash Records. They also were featured on Diplo’s Express Yourself EP and later that year they released their own EP on Chris Lake’s Rising Music.
In 2013 GTA remixed artists like deadmau5 and Kaskade. That same year they released collaborations with Diplo, Hendrix, and Digital Lab.
GTA has played at major music festivals such as Ultra, Coachella, Made In America, EDC, and Tomorrowland. They toured with Rihanna in 2013 as her opening act and became the 6th largest tour. GTA also toured with Tiesto and Calvin Harris. But they have had their own tours in 2014 and 2015; Death to Genres tour and Goons Take America Tour.
They then in 2015 released “Intoxicated” with Martin Solveig and it peaked to number 5 on the UK singles chart but was also on the top charts in 7 other counties. This made it Beatport’s top-selling house track of the year. In the same year, GTA released three EPs Death to Genres, The remixes of that album, and the sequel to that album DTG. To wrap up that year they made a remix music video to Skrillex’s song “Red Lips”.
GTA in 2016 released their first full-length album Good Times Ahead, and then two years later released La Nueva Clasica.
GTA is one of the ultimate video games of the year and it shows by how much time and effort has been put into it thus far. But enough about the video game, this is all about the GTA music duo and I could say the same thing about them. The road they have been on… from a Facebook meet up to one of the bigger names in EDM music today. I would play GTA every day.
Where's The Vibe 