Review Summary: Stand back because Stanczak has done it again. *Pun sigh*.
Dubstep, an often used blanket term to describe anything that has bass heavier than your average Hardstyle song and half the tempo. Jake Stanczak, known more by drum and bass aficionados as ''Ewun'' who sprung up from that respective scene with his work collaborating with names such as
Spor,
Evol Intent and
Dieselboy, to name a few quarter-dozen, has decided to add his own spice to what I wouldn't personally call dubstep, but alternative-modern-modulated-bass-and-growly-synth-lines-with-heavier-drums-music. With a few nods to house music set inside this powerhouse package, the question is, ''is it any good?''
Well, to cut a long and boring conversation short, it's very much a resounding yes! Very few EPs can keep my attention span fully under lock for it's entire run-time, unless it's
Downlink, I guess. What Jake has done has spliced the long traveled world of mixing dubstep and electro house (if you want to call it that) and has made it, dare I say it, incredibly exciting!
To spare you from a track by track review, let me summarize the tracks, one by one, and give you my overall evaluation. Upon listening to the first track of ''Kill Kill Kill'', tentatively titled ''Kill The Noise Part I'', the atmosphere that his slow building chords provide give an almost heavenly quality to something that I was a little skeptical, if not a little biased towards. You see when I read the cover, heard his collabs with
KoRn, I expected constant, rustled, bassline after bassline. So when I heard how well placed the light leads were, I was pleasantly surprised, and very excited for what was about to happen. Samples of a crowd yelling his name in anticipation, waiting for the first headbangingly heavy drop, made me almost want to join in. And then the introduction to the vocal synth, which is quite content on making you feel very uncomfortable, especially on ''Talk To Me'' (we'll get to that later) sweeps you into the first brain draining drop. The second synth section is dreamy, reminiscent to Jean Michel Jarre, to me, anyway. The 2nd drop is more of the same, but it never gets boring!
''Deal With It'' is grindingly quick-paced electro/dubstep number, until it reaches the drop. I'm a sucker for tunes like this, so it was essential listening for me. It sort of has the same feel as ''Split The Atom'' by
Noisia.
''Real Life'' doesn't let up steam and is a slow head-shuffler. You can feel every ounce of strength in Jake's good use of deep modulated bass. Crowd samples, albeit snippets, adds to the slow, down to earth atmosphere the song takes charge of.
''She Likes To Party'', Kill's 2nd House-for-capoeira-dancers banger introduces us to a sharply-timed saw bass and an unforgivingly catchy beat. I enjoy it, 'nuff said.
''Talk To Me'', beginning with a filtered drum beat and a telephone ringing, transforms into a frighteningly heavy tune, not before the unnerving vocal synth embraces you to ''Talk to me''. Throughout the song, samples of what appears to be a woman screaming in pain/possibly climaxing (Not too sure, to be honest) are used. The telephone comes back and the tempo increases. Leaving the listener unable to sit still, you'd understand if you were writing this review and listening to it at the same time! The tune doesn't lose momentum and fits well before the more... Melancholic final track (Technically, because the last 4 are remixes).
''Dying'', the final track that Kill includes, personally, is the tried and tested formula of female vocal/drop/vocal/breakdown. There's something hypnotic about Emily Hudson's voice. For one, it's a strongly suitable contrast to Kill's crunching basses, and her timbre suits the floating lead synths in the back of the mix. Overall, a fitting final track to an inspiring EP.
The remixes, actually suiting quite well to the original 6 tracks, pack enough punch to remain heavy and consistent throughout. In the end, I was pleasantly happy with Jake Stanczak's attempts. It seems this boy can almost do anything, having conquered drum and bass all the way back in 2004. It appears to me, anyway, that this dude is worth watching, for anyone who is addicted to heavy, soul crushing bass. (I tried not to use too many bass-related adjectives, and in the end I couldn't help it -.-)
