Initial thoughts from the Writer’s Room

Hello Salacious brethren, and welcome to my newest review segment. For anyone not in the know, every week or two Mad Decent’s imprint, Jeffree’s, releases a track or short EP from an upcoming artist, and more often than not it’s absolutely fantastic. Because of this consistent quality of releases, I’ll be bringing you guys day-of reviews for them all (along with the initial thoughts from the Writer’s Room, as seen above).

The latest release from Jeffree’s came in the form of a double release from the frenchman DJ Snake. The two tracks are “Bird Machine”, which features Alesia, and “Together”, and as icing on the cake they’re both free 320kbps downloads! Let’s jump right in…

No two ways about it, “Bird Machine” is downright awesome. It starts with a pretty straightforward Trap intro, with some airhorns and plenty of snare hits, and I prepared myself for another dose of cookie-cutter bass and some hi-hats. And boy was I wrong. There are still plenty of swampy 808s (wouldn’t want to get too crazy) but the melody line is literally bird calls. It’s the most unique thing I’ve heard in a long time, as the song continues the bird calls evolve and change shape, becoming creepy ethereal echoes as well as rhythmic hoots and whistles. The tribal vibe of the song left me with a huge grin. And if this was only the first of two tracks, how amazing was the second one going to be??

As the case may be, not very. While still quite interesting in some regards, “Together” doesn’t have the same standout appeal of “Bird Machine”. I think it’s very well produced, and the Hardstyle twist makes for some pretty epic build-ups, but when the bass drops, it’s just another Trap tune. I can see DJs using the track as filler material — the sliding chord section at the end has some appeal — but it will never be a showstopper in the same vein as “Bird Machine”.

I hope you enjoyed the first issue of my review segment. Sound off in the comments and look for the next one on March 14th!

-Icarus