Scuba: Adrenalin

You’ve probably heard Hotflush’s latest release from Scuba on SoundCloud if it’s not already been purchased by now (the A side’s had 12,081 plays). It’s big, massive even, and euphoric, hands-in-the-air Gatecrasher euphoric. So… is that a good thing?

Well I’m not sure to be honest. Clearly, ‘Adrenalin’ was written for the D-floor, as such, it feels a bit dishonest sitting here in my cold, drab office thinking about what I’m gonna get for lunch from the students union (shepherds pie or chicken baguette, if you were wondering) while trying to decide if I like this track or not. Surely the only fair test would be to hear it on a club system gettin’ me rave on… I can’t do that, so I close my eyes and try and imagine I’m in a club, twatted (for want of a better way of describing it), having a whale of a time. Then I realise that you could loop up a fart and I’d think it was ground-breaking when I’m in that kind of state. Back to the drawing board.

Right, I have another listen. “Shit”, I think to myself, “this is fucking trance”. Maybe not as PVD would do it, but I can’t help hearing those emotive, euphoric pads and thinking lazers, gurners and ‘orrible super clubs. Hold on though… aren’t we supposed to not like trance? Isn’t trance (and Skrillex) supposed to be everything that is bad about dance music nowadays? Yet on the other hand, isn’t Scuba supposed to be ‘cool’? Shit! If I was a computer I’d crash. Instead I take my head phones off and go for shepherds pie.

Scuba – Adrenalin by BOILER ROOM

Returning to my office full from a heady mix of mash potato and diet coke, I get the headphones back on. “It’s make your mind up time” I tell myself, “ignore that it’s a bit trancy and ignore it’s made by Scuba, BE OBJECTIVE.” Of course, my mission to find objectivity is doomed to fail. I have changed my mind four or five times as while writing these words. Then it dawns on me, it doesn’t really matter either way, it’s big, it’s by Scuba, therefore, it’ll sell well, make D-floors erupt and be top of beatport’s top ten whatever you wanna call it charts.

On to the B-side… It’s more of the same really, music for ‘dem young’un to get down to. More hands-it-the-air synth action, big drums – some nicer melodies as well. ‘Everywhere’ is the pick of the release for me. How can you not like a track which repeatedly tells you to ‘feel the power’?!