Posted by Scott Willats
It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Fake Blood and his Blood Music label. I’ve never seen another group of artists who share a similar sound yet manage to be vastly different. Does that even make sense? Is this even possible? What do I mean?
To be honest, I don’t quite know how to describe it — which, of course, is exactly what you want to hear from an EDM addict who wakes up every day hoping to introduce someone to their new favourite track. All I do know is that whenever there’s a new release from the label — no matter which artist is responsible — it will have the distinctive atmosphere that says: “Blood Music.” That dark, uptempo, 16-bar electro sound I have come to love.
This newest release is more of the same, and exactly what the doctor ordered. Following hard on two new tracks from Donovans comes another soldier in the Blood Army, dangerDAN, with The Count: a three-track EP that includes a Boy 8-Bit remix of the title track.
dangerDAN’s bio isn’t exactly common knowledge, but I can tell you that the man has some gems in his library: “Tokyo Night Drive” stands out in my mind, but take a gander at his YouTube channel for yourself. You’ll get a real sense of what makes his sound unique.
The new EP really strikes a balance between his sound and the characteristic Blood Music feel. “The Count” supplies some heavy kicks at the beginning to get your pulse racing before a melody fit for a haunted house starts to kick in at what feels like 128 bpm. Heavy.
dangerDAN – The Count (Original Mix): LISTEN TO IT HERE
The remix is a different take on the same melody, with Boy 8-Bit adding a little of his own very welcome flavour.
dangerDAN – The Count (Boy 8-Bit AD 1972 Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE
And then there’s “Like Butter,” which is probably the illest name for a track this year. It’s the perfect description: because if your ears are bread, this track is like butta, baby. If I’d heard this without any prior knowledge of the artist, I might have pegged it as a Fake Blood track — and that’s high praise. In terms of production skill, dangerDAN could well rival Blood Music’s founder himself.
dangerDAN – Like Butter: LISTEN TO IT HERE
A release like this definitely makes me hunger for a multi-artist Blood Music showcase like the one they staged not long ago at Fabric in London. A Fake Blood show is good enough on its own — add Bowski, Ado, Kris Menace, LeBreton, Boy 8-Bit, Donovans, Ego Troopers and now dangerDAN, and you might bleed for days.
