With both the instrumental and vocal versions of ‘Gecko’ topping the charts, it’s safe to say that Oliver Heldens is the producer to watch in the Spinnin’ Records camp. As a rookie who has attained recognition of almost veteran status, many ears are primed and ready for his next creation.
Unfortunately, Heldens‘ latest release, ‘Koala’, falls a bit short of stunning. Simple drums and a thick, chunky bass line make up the majority of the intro, which leads into a progressive breakdown filled with edgy synth stabs. The drop is built too predictably and bounces along with a new batch of slightly brighter synth pads until the next breakdown, with airy melodies more reminiscent of Trance or Big Room than any of the deeper 4 x 4 genres. Then, it’s basically a cut & paste job until the outro hits. Overall, the song is worth a listen, but calling it Deep House feels like a bit of a stretch. Sure, the intro and outro have bass lines deep enough to make DJ Hanzel proud, but the rest of the track is fairly generic. However, if this watered down, mainstream version of Deep House that Spinnin’ Records is so intent on distributing directs more ears to deeper sounds, then it’s all to the good.
Ultimately, you’ll need to listen and form your own opinion of Oliver Heldens‘ latest track. Check out the stream below and grab a copy of your own over on Beatport.
OLIVER HELDENS
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