TNT – Yeah! / Pulsation Review
Titanic Records are one of the most revered and respected labels in the hardstyle genre, known for being the home of a great number of classic tracks from the talented minds at the SAIFAM group. Now, they’ve churned out four releases in October after staying silent for a number of months, and it’s time to see whether this latest batch of productions can live up to the huge weight of expectations placed upon them.
These four releases encompass SAIFAM’s three biggest names: Technoboy, Tuneboy and TNT (which is just simply Technoboy and Tuneboy collaborating). These are two personalities that have been around the block in regards to production, and what they bring to the table in these tracks can vary from truly disappointing to surprisingly superb. Some may say that the SAIFAM group, owners of Titanic, are back to their old glory, while others will be doomsayers for their failure in the light of ‘commercialisation’. What view you take depends on which tracks you look at.
All that aside, let’s start with Titanic’s 61st release:
TNT – Yeah! and Pulsation really don’t feel like TNT tracks. Instead, they just simply sound like Tuneboy solo productions. Although Giusberti will have participated in the creation of these tracks as he does for almost every SAIFAM production, the use of elements from a previous Tuneboy release (Tunebeat / Ombrello Maledetto) in Yeah! give the impression that Giusberti didn’t have as much input as he probably should have for a collaboration.
Of course, that’s not a bad thing. Yeah! is a very decent track that uses reverb-laden lead and drum patterns, reminiscent of Tunebeat and Ombrello Maledetto respectively, to great effect. It’s very melodic but TNT’s crunchy kick and bass soon springs into action, keeping the track in check. The vocals are absurd, talking about how people are born with special gifts or powers and how some have the ability to make music from a single sound. It works well coming into the climax though, with the titular “Oh yeah, like this!” serving to get the crowd pumped up. Speaking of the climax, the Italian duo add a “second sound” to the mix during the break. This unique melody could be considered cheesy, but like the rest of the track, a healthy dose of distortion on the bass really helps rein it in to make a track that is simply fascinating to listen to all the way through.
Yeah! / Pulsation also comes with an Old School mix of Yeah! where the change is the addition of reverse bass to the kick instead of the usual crunch, with parts of the track changing to fit it. It’s not a bad choice by any means and will be welcomed by the older SAIFAM fans, but the implementation isn’t as good as it could have been. When the bass comes in during the mid-intro, it cuts very suddenly to the reverse bass without any other sounds supporting it, so it sounds very sparse. While that does emphasize the bass, it just feels lazy. The climax hasn’t been changed as well, and you can barely hear the reverse bass during it, which doesn’t sound nearly as good as the original mix.
Now, I may be misinterpreting the intentions of the producers, but this Old School mix seems like a way to say “Hey! We still make stuff that you like, come and listen to this!” to those who’ve moved away from hardstyle over the past few years but it’s hard to tell whether it’s an honest plea or not. I honestly don’t know. The pessimist in me wants to say that they’re just doing it to recapture an older, more active demographic, while the optimist is just rejoicing the fact that they’re acknowledging that there are now multiple types of hardstyle and accommodating for both.
Pulsation, the second track of two on this release, continues on with the style of bass found in Yeah!, but sharp synths and a female vocalist talking about the “ultimate seduction” give it a different feel. It’s not dark, but definitely heavier than the ‘A-Side’. There’s no melody per se, but it doesn’t need one, with the sounds keeping the listener’s attention through the length of the track. There’s nothing that really manages to make Pulsation memorable, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s just a plain decent track.
Yeah! / Pulsation is just one of those releases that offers something for everyone, from those jaded ex-hardstyle followers to those that enjoy their melodic, trance-esque, cheesy ‘nustyle’. That’s a good thing to see SAIFAM attempting, as hardstyle is a genre that seems to be going in only one direction, with only a limited amount of producers trying to swim against the tide. Neither track will become a classic, but for the time being they’re a great change of pace.
Score: 84/100
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Out now on Titanic Records (TTC061), purchase at junodownload.
A1 TNT – Yeah! (Original Mix)
A2 TNT – Yeah! (Old School Mix)
B1 TNT – Pulsation (Original Mix)
This was a guest post by Orbi. If you’d like to review a release, let us know!
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