Maritime EDM powerhouse AWAL has returned with the release of his brand new single, “On Their Feet“. A mash-up of numerous sub-genres and their corresponding sound styles, AWAL’s latest has a lot to unpack.
Beginning with a heavenly, vocoder-esque synth pad, the track quickly picks up the intensity of its tempo as it prepares for the drop…
Or so you think. The first build-up is a false alarm as we’re instead greeted by a robotic, acid-like vocoder alongside an equally acidic synth chord. As the voice repeats the title of the track to us, the tempo of the drums picks up yet again as we also notice a rapid-fire, siren-esque synth start to form in the background. The track builds and builds as it prepares for the drop…
For real this time. As percussion changes pace, we’re introduced to a mini-dubstep session as the siren synth takes center stage, lasting for eight measures before we’re introduced to a cheeky drum boost, and all of a sudden we’re dancing along to a hardstyle piece.
But, despite what some critics may have you think, dubstep has not disappeared just yet, and the siren synth sacrifices some of its star power to make room for a sloshier growl typical of dubstep.
As the faint hints of the acid synths remain, the atmospheric pad makes a return and helps build into the all-too-familiar percussion spike that preps the third and final drop of the track.
This time starting with the synthetic dubstep growl alongside a siren-synth that’s much less rapid fire. After eight measures of that, the drums get back into the hardstyle beat once again, and the growl trades places with the now rapid-fire siren synth.
Finishing off the track is the slow drum beat paired with the acid synths/vocoder, as though our new robot friend is bidding us farewell after two and a half minutes of basking in a mechanized moshpit.
“I’m mostly a dubstep producer; however, I really try not to fit into any one box,” said Alex Walsh, the man behind the AWAL project.
“My sets have everything from downtempo to house to dubstep to DnB so I’m really all over the map. I just hope people enjoy it, blast it on a Friday night and really get the party started!”
Having garnered support from artists like Diplo, The Chainsmokers, and Slushii, AWAL is no pushover, and with his latest track being electronica’s answer to Frankenstein’s monster (assuming, of course, that Frankenstein’s monster loves to dance), the only way for the Halifax DJ is up.
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