What's an audio orgasm? An EARGASM.

Alright, a semi-short post today. Just had to highlight a few progressive house joints that I've been diggin' lately. Plus NEW PRYDA JUST DROPPED ON PRYDA RECORDINGS :O :O

And it's amazing.

So let's kick it off with Pryda. Waves, which includes the A-side "Waves", and the B-side "Alfon", is another storied practice in Pryda bangers: lush, swelling synths with unforgettable, instantly-hummable melodic tidbits, and (eventually) monumental kicks, snares, and hi-hats.

"Waves" starts with a snaking series of kicks and what sounds like a horsefly on acid, amidst a rather ambient, simple synth line. Momentarily, harmonic electric piano stabs come in, establishing a base on which the track will be built. Things build in volume and fullness of sound until 3 minutes or so, when the drums drop out, and the main synth hook is slowly brought, signaling the subsequent breakdown that always follows. The drums, hi-hats first of course, are slowly brought back in, and at 4:50, the snares and snaking hiss are brought back in, and the sound is fully realized, snaking and bouncing along, before a lone arpeggio line plays amongst the sharp kicks and sparce drum sound effects. The track is ambient, but there are enough melodic elements to make it more than just a "drum" track. Please enjoy!



Now for Alfon, my preferred track. Things start out similar, with more noticably heavy kicks and snares, before a twitchy hollow twangy stab is brought in. The bass starts to roll along under the gated snare. Things continue in this manner until about 2:40, when everything fades out, and the gloriously simple hook is brought in, in all its trancey piano goodness. The kick follows (of course), then the rolling bass line sans kick, then both the kick and snare return, as the sound grows fuller and fuller by the minute. It continues this way until the end, bringing in and dropping various elements to shape the sound and mood of the track. The final minute sees the twitching tom stabs exit with the drums in tow, banging away at the simple four-to-the-floor beat. Enjoy.



Pryda nevers lets us down, and this time is no exception. Now I get to wait for new Sebastien Leger on Mistakes Music. Expect THAT soon too!!

Now onto a few more tracks. First, Michael Feiner's gloriously rhythmic prog house remix of Arno Cost's already bangin' "Cyan". The beginning alone gives testament to what rhythm means in a song. Listen to ten seconds and try to NOT move your body in some way. Additionally, Feiner brings in the fuller version of the hook much faster than Cost does. And this is a marvelous thing. Feiner's drums are tighter and better suited to the track. Also, the short, melodic riffs Feiner adds over the intro piano riff do just a little to add to the track as a whole. His buildups are much fuller and sound better than they do in the original version. Overall, Michael Feiner turns this track from a banger into an absolute smash. The tightening of the drums, the extra melodic synth lines, and the incredible sense of rhythm do wonders for an already amazing track. Enjoy!



Finally, we come to Steve Angello. Kim Fai's remix of Angello's cookie-cutter prog (progressive) house track "Isabel" is both spacey and thunderous, laidback, and full force. For the beginning, Fai incorporates minimal drums, but with a greater sense of rhythm then Angello. His synths are spacier too, and seem to fill the empty space of the main hook, gutting it and sending it to the farthest corners of the room. Things tighten from there on, with hi-hats, gravel claps, and trancey synths abound. The ending drops off a little bit, but overall this remix is much more solid than the original, bringing in enough different elements and varied rhythms that it feels like different tracks almost, and not one repetitive prog house joint. Here it is in full:




That's it for me for today!! Check back in soon, I'll be going over my favorite indie rock tracks of the summer next time. Until then, bop out.
-RBGK