Nightwave - Wavejumper

Nightwave
Wavejumper
2017
Spotify

Glasgow producer Nightwave has returned with this new EP Wavejumper and continues to build on her already wild reputation. This EP is a dance dream from start to finish. Nightwave brings in elements of techno, dubstep, grime and others to create this really interesting sound that first and foremost never stops. This is the kind of music that should be played at 4 AM just in time for everyone to be loose enough to really rage. The title track is so varied in that it has really deep dark elements like the pounding base, but swirling around it are all these tones which bring in that element of fun. I am by no means suggesting that the track is bright in anyway but it does have a lightness that a lot of drum and bass tends to miss. This album is also very much from the UK, blending in many elements of the more underground UK sounds expertly. Yet Wavejumper has a personality all it's own even within Nightwave's other work. She feels so supremely confident on this record like each note is perfectly placed right where it is supposed to be. The ease that the music spills out, especially with the mandate of being late nite dance floor jams, is really something to behold. "Lava" is such a standout and a real triumph in terms of production. Nightwave also makes it a point to make her records all female focused bringing in yet another interesting element.

The three tracks with rappers "Awesome", Lotto" and "Money Power Respect" all side more on the grime side of things in terms of delivery a genre that has taken over the UK but has yet to make any real impact stateside. "Bucky Bomb" is one of the most interesting tracks on the record because at first glace it does feel a bit dated, but then it just moves and changes into this totally fresh sounding track that is fully unexpected. That is hands down one of the best aspects of this EP, just how surprising it is. There is not a moment where you can really predict what is coming next, because Nightwave refuses to conform. At only 17 minutes long it is a very brief EP, but it makes it's impact and then gets the fuck out the door, much like some of the greatest nights you've had with your friends. Nightwave is one of the producers out there who are still making interesting choices with dance music rather than just trying to fill big rooms. Give Wavejumper a chance, iy may just blow you away.

8.0 out of 10