Au5 - Snowblind (Feat. Tasha Baxter)

Au5 has very quickly become one of the producers to watch, as he has continued to amaze people with his totally unique style. The American producer likes to craft what he calls 'Trancestep', and the latest instalment in this new fusion of genres is his highly anticipated collaboration with vocal-extroadinaire Tasha Baxter, Snowblind.

It's every bit as amazing as you'd expect, with the two talents coming together to craft something that is one part beautiful, two parts face-melting. Read more past the jump.

Snowblind begins fairly innocuously, with a wonderfully crafted piano introduction that does little to give away what you can expect from the rest of the track. Queue Tasha's vocals, which are absolutely effortless and manage to be as smooth as they are powerful. She has such an extraordinary control, and knows exactly when to really open up and go for it.

Then comes an amazing, full-on Trance section, which makes you long for the return of the oft-forgotten genre of the 90s and 00s. These days, we look back on Trance fondly, but listen to it in a slightly ironic fashion - a lot of it hasn't stood the test of time. Au5 has managed to fight back against this (and not just with Snowblind), by retaining the best aspects of Trance music, but bringing it bang up-to-date with modern synths, and a power that simply wasn't achievable back then. Thumping Trance combined with the vocals of Tasha Baxter just shouldn't work. Yet inexplicably, it really, really does.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was the quickest build up and drop you ever experienced, but it soon transpires that this fleeting section is just a precursor to the real madness - the tempo halves, and in we go. Dubstep is often maligned for it's ridiculous growling and bass, and being extreme in just about every sense, but if done tastefully, it can work. Thankfully, then, Au5 has achieved exactly that - the drops that follow have the capacity to melt your face clean off, but you'll be glad of it. Melodic fragments and Tasha's chopped up vocals are interjected with the madness, which helps the huge Dubstep drops to retain a sense of beauty and purpose, and ensuring it doesn't become a 'look-at-all-these-different-noises-I-can-make-in-Massive' affair.

Au5 really has achieved something amazing. He's taken two genres that on their own, it would be fair to say, are sometimes not viewed too fondly. Yet in Snowblind, he combines the two to create something extraordinary. It's not perfect by any means, but it's certainly creative, and this unique collaboration has certainly paid off. It won't be to everyone's tastes - if the worst excesses of Dubstep put you off the genre, Snowblind will do little to convince you to come back into the fold. But if you don't mind the odd organ-shaking growl, there really is a lot to like here.

The Octopus' Rating: 7.5/8

Release Details:

Name: Snowblind (Feat. Tasha Baxter)
Artist: Au5
Label: Monstercat
Release Date: 28 August [OUT NOW]
Purchase: iTunes, Beatport, Bandcamp

SHARE

Alex Simpson

Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.

• 
• 
•