With her nomination for best vocalist this year at the Drum&BassArena Awards, Floanastasia has officially become one of the most prolific vocalists in D&B. With a versatile vocal range and style, the classically trained Canadian artist has worked with the likes of Mefjus, Neonlight, Nymfo and Jack Mirror in 2022 alone. We may not have seen it coming, but it certainly makes sense that the quiet killer known as Pythius would want to hook up with her for his latest Blackout release.
Out tomottow, November 18, “Wide Awake” perfectly places Flowanastasia’s soulful voice with Pythius’s heavy synths. The mashup of these two greats means that said heavy synths are given a more melodic and emotive quality, as the vox flows in and our, dancing over the staff. Meanwhile the track itself helps anchor Flow’s beatific voice, so it’s really a perfect pairing.
Hard/neuro fans shouldn’t worry that the vocals might take away from the hard edge of Pythius’s usul style. You can still look forward to loads of glitchy switchbacks and a heavy, rolling bassline. It’s also no jarring when the vocals come in. Usually in scenarios like these, it can be a bit jarring when the vox is only in the intro and break and then it descends into neurorific chaos. The key placements of vocal lines over and around the main action of the track mean they’re integrated smoothly. This also creates a whole new sound palette while not relegating the vocals to just background and ornamentation. “Wide Awake” thus has something for everyone: melodic, dancefloor, crunchy neuro…it’s likely one of the more well-rounded tracks to come out this year.
The D&B community has come to expect nothing less than well-rounded from both Pythius and Flowanastasia, of course, but his track will likely still come as a surprise to some punters who don’t expect melodic work from a Blackout artist. It’s time to throw that thinking out in 2022, however, and just enjoy the goosebump-inducing results a track like “Wide Awake” can produce. Stay “Wide Awake” as the D&B landscape changes, friends. It’s a good thing, we promise.
“WIde Awake” drops tomorrow, November 18 on Blackour Music. Pre-order on Beatport or pre-save on Spotify.
