EP REVIEW: Make Out – Adrian Lux by Jeet Ghoshal

Last week it was Oxybeat, this week it’s Adrian Lux! Prinz Adrian Johannes Hynne, better known as Adrian Lux, born 1 May 1986, is a 28 year old Swedish house music producer (no, he’s not a part of the mafia) and is responsible for classics such as Teenage Crime and Alive and Burning. Teenage Crime was the theme song to my third and fourth year in university, so you can imagine my excitement when Adrian Lux’s new EP, “Make Out” released on Ultra Music, found its way to my inbox.

Ultra Music is a prominent American independent electronic music record label based in New York City. Ultra’s current roster includes Benny Benassi, The Bloody Beetroots, Steve Aoki, Lil Jon, Above & Beyond, Hot Since 82, Faul, Chris Lake, Klingande, Bakermat, Carnage, Mr Probz, Flosstradamus, Hardwell, Henry Krinkle, Chris Malinchak, Storm Queen, Congorock, Axwell, TOKiMonsta, just to name more than a few.

The first track of the EP is titled Rain and features the vocals of Lune. The song opens with an almost ambient chord slowly growing in intensity until the main melody kicks in at 00:00:33. Rain carries with it a definitive summer feeling. A soothing, bouncy progressive house track perfect for a road trip. The lyrics, mesmerizing as they are, pull at your heart strings, glorify the partying lifestyle, and allude to a commonality of many song lyrics and something many people can relate to—the yearning and hardships of a relationship. Lune’s vocals are warm and comforting, easy to listen to and very catchy; the perfect combination for a song like this.

Following Rain, is Smoke and Mirrors. The bass line noticeably increases in tempo in comparison to Rain and is much more subdued. However, this compensated by a much more complex opening, slowly building and incorporating more sounds and rhythms. Add in the vocals, the beat is still building and increasing in complexity, introducing an echo until the song reaches its first peak at the one minute mark. For some reason, this song reminds me of being at the main stage of a festival.  With its catchy and pronounced chorus, its high tempo and uplifting chords and vocals, I am reminded of the smiles and celebration under the summer sun which typically characterize an electronic music festival. The vocals cut out while the melody runs its course and are reintroduced again approximately twenty seconds later. From then on, the song follows the ABA musical format that we all know and love until it fades into darkness.

Sooner or Later and features the vocals of Kaelyn Behr. Sooner or Later takes a break from the up tempo ‘festival-esque’ beats that have characterized the two songs preceding it and opens with an almost deep house feel. The deep house allure is accentuated by vocals sung in a lower register, adding a sultry and sexy mood to the song. Even the lyrics evoke a deeper emotional state in comparison to the first two songs; preaching persistence and perseverance in the face of hard times. Following the first chorus is a pleasant and warming drum synth that reminds me of bongos. This carries on until shortly before the second verse. I would almost characterize this song as deep, progressive house. I’m not sure if that is an actual genre, but it’s what I feel best describes this song—A stark contrast to the next track, a purely progressive house masterpiece.

With the first build in Lauren Conrad taking well over a minute, driven by a more prominent bass line than Sooner or Later, I’m reminded of an Eric Prydz-type build up—slow, melodic, a release instead of a drop, with vocals assisting in building up the song and not necessarily being the focal point of the chorus. The acapella adds depth to an otherwise linear song and is assisted by lyrics that ease the transition between chorus and verse. The decomposition towards the end is just as prolonged as the build-up in the beginning, spanning almost two minutes and perfectly personifies the beauty of progressive house—subtlety at its finest.

The first thought that ran through my head when listening to Wild Child was that the opening sounded very similar to the opening of Levels—but thankfully, that was the only similarity the two songs shared. Adrian Lux enjoys the assistance of Marcus Schossow and JJ in the composition and execution of this track. Here, the focus is on the vocals, unlike in Lauren Conrad. JJ’s lyrics commemorate one’s enlightenment as they embrace their wild side—“I’m stepping out of the light, for the very first time, I’m a wild child”—and who doesn’t feel like that on a Friday night? Wild Child’s catchy lyrics have already shot the song to commercial success after being included in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil video game made by EA Sports.

The final track of the EP is titled Damaged. Damaged is probably my favourite track of the entire EP and an excellent way to close out the listening experience. The contrast between major and minor chords and the simple, punctuated the lyrics lend itself to the allure of this song. There’s just something indescribably chilling about the melody at 1:00. And the deep vocals make the lyrics jump off the speakers and into your head.

I love this EP—not because it’s by one of my favourite house music artists, but because it takes me back to when I was just getting into main stream progressive house, listening to the likes of Axwell, and the rest of the Swedish House Mafia as well as Avicii’s earlier works.

LINKS:

Adrian Lux
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Ultra Music
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Jeet Ghoshal – EDM TOR