BABYLON-X & Nine Year Sister – Blue Oceans
A friend recently asked me: “are reworks, remixes and tracks like that still a thing out there?” – Well, sit down, my friend, put on those headphones and listen to this track – it will answer your question perfectly.
After getting my attention several months ago, producer Maxim Pobihun from Israel continued his awesome work in the field of a very signature styled electro sound, and he also continued to work with stems of the outstanding pop duo Jennie and Emma, better known as “Nine Year Sister”.
Every time there’s a collaboration track with those three artists (the first one being “Lift You”, I did a review on that a couple of months ago), I get the expression that the sound of the australian duo triggers something in the producer Pobihun. While he is a master of unexpected progression, harsh metallic synths and kicking trancy rhythms (like he did in his latest release, a radio edit of a former relased track called “Centurion March II. Invasion”), it feels like the sound and feel of Nine Year Sister’s music calls out his softer side, and it turns out that he can create both – maxed out electro AND somewhat dreamy and widespread floaty soundscapes.
On this track, the signature bubbly synth lines and the unusual progression lift the song into another sphere. This gets really wide, adding indefinite layers with the usage of those arpeggiated synth lines, often times used very carefully and defensive enough to not take any crystalline fragility away from the vocals (or the track itself).
Often times when a rework or remix is done, the artist takes out only the hook, the punchline or the major melody to connect his/her work to the original. This isn’t the case here, it feels more like the original track is somewhat gift-wrapped with an upgrade for all of those who love additional electro being merged with the original. In my opinion it’s somewhat magical if a track inspires a cross-genre artist to get his own signature style melted into the original sound. Comparing the original sound of “Blue Oceans”, I felt that the original track already was more on the electronic/synth side of the tracks of Nine Year Sister because it included a couple of electro percussion layers and synth melody lines in a slow, calm environment. Maxim Pobihun managed to create a signature variant, leaving the original idea basically intact.
To draw a picture: this original track is like Grandma’s original recipe, and the main reason we visit her regularly for dinner. Babylon-X’s version is like the master cook who thought “I’d like to know what happens when I use my secret spice mixture on Grandma’s recipe”. Out came a whole new meal, and it contains the best of both worlds. So, what are we waiting for? Lets sit down and let our ears eat, shall we.
BABYLON-X on soundcloud
BABYLON-X on bandcamp
BABYLON-X on promoDJ
BABYLON-X on spotify
Nine Year Sister on soundcloud
Nine Year Sister on bandcamp
Nine Year Sister on spotify
