The Hamburg/Berlin-based duo Brazed have been bumping across the extra curated underground labels for some time now, having launched on Major League D&B, Audiolith and Reid Speed‘s Play Me within the final couple of years. In December, they had been a part of Netherlands-based Citrus Recordings’ annual Citrus Recap compilation with their tune “Boomerang.” One in every of their hottest tracks, nevertheless, was a collab with Instinkt on Unhealthy Style known as “Harpoon,” so, with some more moderen stand-alones beneath their belts, it is smart that BCUK legend Vegas would conscript a single for his Unhealthy Style label. Enter: “Mutex” and “Competition.”
Much like the labels which have launched them, Brazed’s model is a bit everywhere in the board however in the very best means. With onerous D&B and cinematic sound design on the core of all of it, this duo appear to have the ability to take in totally different types and subgenres into their work after which drop them at simply the best second in any given observe, however the total model continues to be uniquely theirs. “Boomerang,” for instance, is a dancefloor chugger whose snares do really sound like a boomerang about to whip again on the thrower’s head, whereas the snares in “Elope” on Play Me are syncopated jazz-style and merge with the breaks and circus-like synths in astonishing methods.
Brazed’s upcoming tracks on Unhealthy Style are extra neuro-forward than a few of their earlier work however have some cool throwback vibes a’la late stage techstep. “Competition” additionally has an experimental arc to it with super-fast snares, minimal but by some means nonetheless very theatrical sound design, classic toms and a growler of a sub synth. Very exacting in its composition, “Competition” is probably the most relatably “German” observe we’ve seen thus removed from the duo, who often play it a bit quick and unfastened in comparison with, say, a Phace or a Current Value.
Our premiere at the moment is “Mutex,” the A aspect to “Competition” and the extra dancefloor-lit observe of the 2. With a handy guide a rough snare and a few similar-to-“Competition” breakdown toms, that is the place Brazed’s generalized onerous D&B vibe breaks out into full neuro territory. Nonetheless exact and stuffed with syncopation, “Mutex” can nonetheless incite a bass face from 50 yards and have dancefloors bouncing. It’s one of the best of each worlds, actually: heavy and danceable, experimental and mixable.
With their apparent aptitude to get atomic-time exact and super-weird and minimal with the snares, danceability nonetheless appears to be an important factor to the boys in Brazed. With an intimate data of classic grooves from the darkstep days and a platform like Unhealthy Style beneath them, they’ll now craft these deceptively intricate beats. This steadiness will probably develop into Brazed’s calling card, and if tracks to come back are something like “Mutex” and “Competition,” we’re right here for it.
“Mutex”/”Competition” drop on Unhealthy Style Recordings this Friday, April 8. Click on here for pre-order and pre-save.
