Umut’s Selection of the Week 007 • Jade – Propaganda EP [EATBRAIN066]

Deutsche Version

Not even half a year after his phenomenal Awake EP, Eatbrain boss Jade is following in his footsteps, and this release is a real success. According to him it was much easier for him to write the Propaganda EP while the last work involved several years. Included was the long-awaited Man Eating Lizard Dragon DNB VIP and my personal favorite: Spy Car.

Let’s start with TV Says. The track starts out pretty twisted and spacey which is not least due to the LFO’s. Right at the beginning of the break Jade’s handwriting is immediately recognizable and leads us through a playful intro full of crazy synth hits, weird pads and crunchy toms. The vocal sample before the drop tore me apart, “It’s raining blood!”; “It’s alright, the TV says there’s nothing to worry about.”. Absolutely a top on propagating TV channels and mainstream media. The drop has it all. Crackling reeces ride on crazy bells and swinging instruments heat up the whole thing even more. Short transition and the same again from the front, not bad.

Those who loved MELD will love the VIP even more. The DnB version hasn’t lost any of the power of the original and adds one more. The vocal sample and the laughter can be found in the intro and contributes to the dangerous atmosphere. In the main part it just pushes a bit more and the Reece pushes forward a lot. There is a difference from 150 to 172 BPM.

Also in Express Train with Rido the head behind Eatbrain doesn’t want to do without vocals which I can only more than approve of. Starting directly with a dizzying lead, this piece also exudes a really disturbing atmosphere. The vocals and the accompanying melody rock the scenery higher and higher until you’re dripping right in the middle of the action. The part after the first 16 bars is really full because the two of them focus on minimalism only to fire the bass grenades again. You rearrange the same for the second part again and have a dancefloor cracker that’s worth seeing.

Now we come to Spy Car, my absolute favourite song of the EP. If you’ve heard the thing before, you’ll probably find some similarities to the VIP of Jade’s classic Audio Hypnosis. The thing runs, like before MELD, on 150 BPM and starts with a distorted intro that reminds a bit of Miami Vice. As far as the drop is concerned you don’t flare for long and garnished it with a sample from the popular series Archer. Also here you find creaking basslines à la Jade plus perfectly set instruments on top. Unfortunately there will be no DnB VIP on this track according to the labelhead. Nevertheless a nice delicacy to finish a great EP. Keep going.

Jade – Propaganda EP
Label: Eatbrain
Release: 17.09.2018 (beatport+Spotify); 01.10.2018 (worldwide)
Catalog-Nr.: EATBRAIN066
SoundCloud • buy • Label-Website

Header image by Vivian Hötter and Linus Knappe.

all the reviews of:
Umut’s Selection