It’s been one year since Mau5trap and Insomniac Records put out their first collaborative album. Now, they bring us Volume 2 of their combined efforts with a 12-song track list featuring house, techno, tech house, bass house, and electro genres. Each label takes turns showing off talent on their roster for one of the most stellar showcases of the year. You can listen on your preferred music service here.
On the album, No Mana’s “Badder Things” featuring Fay is the deep follow up to their 2018 hit with i_o. Kyle Watson’s label debut song “Way Down” is an upbeat, groovy tune that might just be my favorite song on the list. Tommy Trash makes a comeback to mau5trap with a slower tempo, dreamy female vocals, and a drop that makes you want to fist pump. Steve Darko doesn’t disappoint with this classic hard hitting tech house sound. Next up, Speaker Honey’s song “Space Arp” transports you to another galaxy. Then, Jay Robinson and MASTERIA recreate Fisher vibes with a dark twist in “Pass That.” SVNF8 gives us an interesting, experimental track with hectic robotic and machine-like sounds. After that, Body Ocean takes us to the beach with some euphoric, tropical beats. Following this, HVDES joins my list of favorites with a Rezz-like track. The happy-go-lucky house track “Four Letter Word” was produced, written, sang, and recorded solo by Casmalia. Bentley Dean’s “Avoidant” makes you want to bob along. Rising star NOISES leaves us with a high energy, emotional, and mysterious finale in “Work”.
Although it may seem like the genres may jump all over the place, all together they create a fulfilling sampler of what electronic music is today. Overall, I enjoyed the compilation very much. There are many gems in here that I will no doubt listen to again and again.
Tune in to the virtual release party on Saturday, September 26, from 7:30pm to 1am PT. Many of the featured artists will co-host the event for a celebratory night of great music. The stream will be available on Insomniac TV.
*Featured image by Insomniac
