Kill The Noise - Black Magic EP

Posted on Nov 6, 2012 in Bass, Brand New, Drum n Bass, DubStep, Electro House, Moombahton

No surprises here… Kill The Noise’s new EP Black Magic is absolutely monstrous. Adding another album to OWSLA’s flawless discography, Kill The Noise has proven yet again (not that anyone forgot) that he is one of the most incredible sound engineers in bass music. While Black Magic doesn’t quite measure to his Kill Kill Kill album, it’s still an incredible piece of work and well worth a listen for anyone who enjoys forward-thinking EDM. Check out our track-by-track review of the album below:

‘Black Magic (Kill The Noise Pt. 2)’ - First things first, if you haven’t heard ‘Kill The Noise Pt. 1′ go listen to it immediately. It’s ridiculous. ‘Kill The Noise Pt. 2′ is a fantastic successor to Pt. 1 and a perfect way to open up Black Magic. The full chorus arrangement in the beginning is nothing less than epic and the 115 bpm tempo creates a delightfully genreless flow. This track, like most Kill The Noise records, is not for the feint of heart. The demon-spawn of his FM8 engineering are ready to tear out your eardrums in every soul-shredding frequency known to man.

‘Jump Ya Body’ - Next, KTN taps into bass music’s dub and dancehall roots for ‘Jump Ya Body’, a track that has been a staple in his live sets throughout the year. Although I’m partial to the Dub Mix, this is still a heavy-hitter and lights up dance floors with its smooth dubstep swagger.

‘Rockers’ - While many may pigeonhole Kill The Noise as a dubstep artist, this is simply not the case. He’s produced just as many electro house records as dubstep and I tend to think they do just as much damage in his sets as the latter. ‘Rockers’ is an electrifying 128 bpm ride that demonstrates how well-suited his gritty growling sounds are outside of “traditional” bass music. What really makes this track for me are the periodic piano glissandos and the half-time switch during the second drop. Always a good move.

‘Mosh It Up’ - This track is next level. Not only does it fulfill my guilty pleasure for trap music, but it also incorporates classic hardstyle breaks and kicks. Not much else to say. Hardstyle and trap. You’re either going to love it or hate it.

‘Thumbs Up’ - This is easily my favorite track on Black Magic and definitely one of my favorite Kill The Noise tracks of all time. KTN teams up with Feed Me for this unbeatable collaboration, featuring a hilariously inspiring sample about perseverance and rock n roll (watch the original Youtube clip below and you’ll get it). Although not moombahton, ‘Thumbs Up’ crunches away through the 112 bpm territory that Feed Me carved out so well on his track ‘One Click Headshot’. The combination of both producers is so natural, I expect we’ll see some future collaborations down the road. You can download ‘Thumbs Up’ for free below:

‘Saturn’ - Ever since I listened to the Brillz remix of ‘Roots’ I knew he and KTN would have some future dealings. ‘Saturn’ pleases all around, from it’s ambient, progressive breakdown featuring the celestial vocals of Minxx, to the talk box voweling of the electro house drop. It’s not the strongest track on the album, but definitely showcases a diversification of KTN’s sound.

‘Jump Ya Body (Dub Mix)’ - I was a little disappointed to see the Dub Mix of ‘Jump Ya Body’ at the end. Evan Duffy, a young piano composer who has made brilliant arrangements for many popular EDM artsits, was supposed to have his track ‘To Be Continued…’ be the album closer, but it looks like it wasn’t able to happen. Nonetheless, the Dub Mix is still a strong finish, but just a little rougher around the edges.

Overall, the Black Magic EP is awesome. It has room for improvement here and there, but it remains an exemplar of what can be achieved in electronic music. Kill The Noise is such a master of sound design that even if you’re not into heavy bass music, it is still worth busting out a pair of good speakers and listening to the astounding complexity of his production.

Make sure to purchase Black Magic on Beatport.

*UPDATE* ‘To Be Continued…’ has been included on the EP, but only on the iTunes version, found HERE.

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