Monday, 18 August 2014

Monstercat "018 - Frontier" (2014)


I wouldn't say I'm a fan of dubstep. Theres much i like about it, for example the aesthetics of the grooving bass wobbles, squeaky clean production and in general the flexibility of electronic music. However most dubstep i have listened to as felt so stale and limited, i would call it "skrillex worship", mainly mimicking the techniques used in his records with not much artistic intention. This record is certainly not that, which was what i expected when it started of with a poppy tune with an uninspiring drop, however as the songs progress through compilation there is a nice variety of dub styles and some very enjoyable tracks with the occasional swing into the drum step genre. What was enjoyable for me was the variety and presence of true musicianship in a genre plagued with amateurs using VST presets. There are a couple of darker tracks with some distorted guitar too, something i always gravitate to. Overall this listen made me feel like I've been looking in the wrong places for electronic music.

Favorite Tracks: Moving On, Breakdown, Night After Night, Gunmetal Black
Rating: 4/10