In 2018 alone, producer N I K Ø T E N E has made waves with his EDM releases and has no plans of stopping. His latest release Dirty Machine is an unmissable addition to the catalogue, but there’s also plenty to appreciate from earlier on in his fast-paced career.
Beginning with pop-crossover singles such as Hunter In Your Heart, the producer professionally fuses emotional expression, melodic songwriting, and crisp, uplifting dance vibes – making for an audio experience fit to embrace EDM and pop fans alike.
1982 was another release that hit high over the summer, those familiar vocals and a more mellow ambiance kick the track off, but as tends to be the way with N I K Ø T E N E – the beat evolving afterwards follows its own rules and re-crafts the soundscape to be something far more energizing and entrancing. There are equal parts familiarity and unpredictability within this particular single, it satisfies in both a trip-hop and harder hitting dance fashion as the whole thing pours through.
Summer Ain’t The Same is perhaps one of the more iconic hits of N I K Ø T E N E’s that you may have stumbled upon in recent months. The warmth of the synths, the power of the hook, the slightly tribal and ever-progressive beat – the song reaches out to connect and does so with ease.
More recently, October’s Dirty Machine offers a different style of vocal – a shorter string of verse lines accompany a slightly more chaotic, darker, perhaps more fascinating beat. The song intensifies brilliantly throughout and is undoubtedly one of the producer’s most creatively unique and interesting releases yet. At the same time, the melodic aspect adds a dash of humanity – keeping the track accessible to a wider audience. The melody and indeed the hook in particular makes for a totally satisfying and quite addictive element within the song, it’s easily recognisable but maintains a level of alternative appeal – offering the perfect balance between the extremes.
The more you listen to Dirty Machine, the more the various intricacies and unique qualities of the song start to shine. There’s a retro feel to the vocal melody in some instances, feeling a little eighties-like on occasion, but then quite swiftly afterwards reminding you of the modern edge – the freshness, the creative flair. Those short verse lines add a further level of rhythm that you don’t often come across in electronic music. It’s a hit of originality and the soundscape in full has been thoughtfully, skillfully built and arranged.
N I K Ø T E N E knows precisely how to emphasise certain moments and how to keep an audience entranced as a track plays out. The synths, riffs and notes that appear – scattered around the outer edges and indeed centrally connected to the whole piece – all of this makes for a release that presents something new each time you press play. 2019 is likely to bring a whole host of impressive live shows and releases that EDM fans won’t want to miss.
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