Novo Sonic System - Gesaffelstein: EP Review
is a French house and electronic music producer who emerged earlier this decade with his work on Kanye West's Yeezus. Since then he has dropped two studio albums to moderate acclaim and scored another high profile production credit on The Weeknd's My Dear Meloncholy EP last year. Gesaffelstein released his seconds studio album Hyperion earlier this year which featured numerous features and a number of stylistic shifting, but Novo Sonic System promises to be a return to house.
Review By Lavender:
I have long thought that Gesaffelstein was a talented producer who has underachieved in his studio album discography. While there are solid tracks on both of his records neither of them really establish themselves as great electronica album like he clearly has the talent to assemble. Songs like Kanye West's Black Skinhead and The Weeknd's Hurt You prove that Ges is beyond talented, yet when Hyperion came out earlier this year I gave it a very mixed review. I was of course still looking forward to new music and excited by the prospect of a true to form house music EP and now that it's here I actually enjoy it quite a bit.
Orck is the opening song and it sounds like a club mix of an Andrew W.K. song with raving riffs and disjointed chanting like a bro EDM anthem. The progression is tight and develops in a cool way that makes it hard not to be excited when the song breaks down into a full on F-Zero song. Dance X is a great driving tune with punchy keys, whispered vocals and absolutely explosive percussion that keeps you on the edge of your seat for every moment of its runtime. Ignio is a wild cascading house track with some blaring keys that wail throughout the song and a rapid fire series of percussion snap running underneath one of the most adrenaline pumping songs on the EP.
The second half of the EP isn't quite as solid starting off with Doom a track that builds a lot of momentum but never really brings it home. The title track Novo Sonic System sounds like a grimey version of something Daft Punk would have done on Homework which is a big compliment. Whether its the huge bass hits or wandering synth lines it almost sounds like you could get a Robot Rock or Da Funk style vocal effect rattling off over this song and it would fit right in. Metalotronics really lives up to its name because this track has both speedy metal style progressions but also some clanging samples that sound like actual metal. The track breaks down and re-emerges with a wall of fuzz and driving industrial sound that is absolutely awesome and wraps up the song and EP in a fantastic way.
Novo Sonic System is a sharp improvement to the style Gesaffelstein brought on Hyperion earlier this year. By focusing on the elements that made songs like Reset so amazing he assembles a short but consistent series of hard-hitting house tracks that when delivered one after another create a hypnotizing and energizing listening experience that EDM fans should all do themselves a favor and experience. 8/10
And for more Gesaffelstein check out my review of his album Hyperion here
