DJ Snake - Encore

DJ Snake
Encore
2016
Spotify

If you have been anywhere near a dance floor over the past two years it is more than likely you've heard a DJ Snake track playing in the background. Working with crossover starts like Bieber and Young Thug, DJ Snake has positioned himself to be one of the hottest producers in the scene. This record despite being titled Encore is the French producer's first official LP. What you notice right in the begining with the "Intro (A86)" and the third track with Skrillex is DJ always bends his style to fit with whatever act He is working with. "Sahara" does not feel like a DJ snake track, save for a few ambient noises, instead the Skrillex sound takes completely over. That of course changes on the nest song featuring JRY. What is really missing from this record is any real strong point of view. Because Snake changes his style based on whomever He is working with, and on this album almost every song has a feature, and the album suffers because of it. Most of the record becomes highly generic, and slightly out of date. Perhaps three or four years ago a song like "Pigalle" might have been huge with the shuffling set, but today it feels awkward and out of place. There are times when the music is quite fun like the Tropical House inspired "Talk" featuring George Maple but you can't shake this sense that you've heard this before and better from other acts.

"Ocho Cinco" has plenty of nice moments, but it also has a very heavy handed EDM/Skrillex sound that could not feel more dated. There are only two full tracks that don't feature someone and it makes the record feel like it was written by committee. "The Half" which features Jeremiah and Young Thug for all intense and purpose should be a solid song, but it ends up just kind of lame. One of Snake's biggest hits "Turn Down For What?" caught the energy of a moment almost perfectly and while Encore tries to do that many times it never quite captures that same magic. In a club these tunes might not make you leave the dance floor, but many of them aren't going to bring you to it either. There is the sense you simply can't shake that someone has a real invested interest in making sure you like this record hence the inclusion of so many fucking people. This would be fine is the album was light and could be taken with a grain of salt but when you listen you can hear how important Snake thinks this music actually is. With plenty of hits under his belt I'm sure DJ Snake is not super concerned with the reception of this album, but even the tracks He did completely on his own feel dated, rushed and throwaway. There are a few tracks that may make a couple spins on your playlist, but for the most part this one is a pass.

5.1 out of 10