ARTY and Nicky Romero

Hello everyone! I’ve noticed lately that a lot of the songs I have written about lately have been more on the pop and chilled outside of things. So I thought it would be great to shake things up and go with an energetic and electronic-tinged track! In all honesty, calling this an “electric tinged” song is a bit of an understatement. In fact, today we are getting a much-needed dose of some good ol’ EDM. And before things get a little out of hand, I firmly believe a little electronic music in one’s life never hurt anyone, and is actually a nice addition to a music library. So without further ado, it’s time to jump in! 

Today’s track is a bundle of energy and good times. Everything about the song is filled with vivacious energy and upbeat sound. There are a lot of things going on in this song that are fantastic and a lot of fun. There are even some parts that remind me a bit of other popular songs! As is common with many house songs or vocalist influenced EDM tracks, there is a wonderful formula to be followed, which ARTY happens to do. A lot of vocal electronic tracks are categorized as house music, and combine the stylistic formula of pop and trance to create the final product. In a standard EDM song, we know to expect a verse, followed by a chorus, followed by another verse and chorus, which all leads to a buildup and beat drop as the climax of the song. And usually, during the buildup, the beat speeds up into double time to create faster movement within the song. With pop songs, we are introduced by verse, chorus, following verse, and maybe a chorus. But the “buildup” in a pop song is a bit different. Sometimes it ends up being a key change, a line which then layers a harmony line one by one. Other times if the song has a repeated refrain, the “buildup is a completely different verse with different lyrics. And many times, the musical interlude serves as the buildup which then ends with soaring vocals by the main artist. In all these scenarios, we are able to tell when to expect the high point in the song. It is, after all, a formula. 

Arty does follow this formula. There is a standard buildup, but it is driven more so by the vocalist having a chance to belt out. Simultaneously, the chord progression starts to speed up, with the song’s finale being a dance groove. However, the entirety of the track is stylistically different, opting for a simpler and more uncluttered sound. This changes the way the buildup and drop feel, and evidently, changes the entire vibe of the song. ARTY layers on more sound as the song progresses. Initially, we are introduced to the pop vocals and strings, with background vocals softly filling up the rest of the soundscape. By the time the second verse comes around, a percussion is introduced and moves the song along with a bit more energy. By the last verse and drop, the song is teeming with energy and a bright sound. But even at this point, the uncluttered style of the song remains and ends up making everything even catchier. 

ARTY goes for the minimalist approach – less is actually more. The song is dominated by just a few instruments: piano, vocals, and percussion. What ARTY does, is masterfully manipulate these lead sounds through different versions of each instrument. The rhythms of the percussion vary here and there. The lead vocals are sometimes surrounded by supportive background vocals and other times, take up the foreground the soundscape. And even the piano alternates between being a classical additional, to bring a bit of funk. All the pieces come together to give us a track that can’t keep us at rest. 

Today’s instrumental song is by Nicky Romero. It has been a while since I brought any heavy EDM music into the blog, and I figured this would be a great opportunity! Nicky Romero has always released great tracks, filled with incredible energy, music which you can lose your mind in and just have a great time. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!




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