Although “Booger Sugar” the first single off the upcoming two-back by bass powerhouse AKOV Korsakov label head Also (like his artist name is ALSO) and Killer Hertz’s Multiplex might have had a more interesting name, the second track “Dutch Courage” is just as fun musically and has its own party reference.
Apparently in the Netherlands, “Dutch Courage” is the same as our “liquid courage” here in the US. AKOV, Multiplex and ALSO are known for their humor and cheek so it makes sense that tracks from these three would have a bit of that thrown in. YEDM managed to snag the streaming premiere of “Dutch Courage.”
While the two tracks both sound like some sort of wonky tempo like 150 or 160, it’s actually standard halftime D&B. While “Booger Sugar” tries to live up its namesake by playing with tone in the insanely high-pitched intro – seriously, don’t listen with earbuds in because it’s 1 hZ away from only being able to be heard by dogs – it reads like a slowed-down neurofunk track, emphasis on the funk. “Dutch Courage” is no less lacking in funk and fun, but it’s a bit more subtle.
“Dutch Courage” also plays with sound but from the jump it’s a bit more dubby. In the intro, the trio have massacred the vox loops from “Champion Sound” and chopped them up to fit in with a chugging bass synth that comprises the main melody. From there the track descends into almost experimental levels of sound layering: random percussion over swelling sinewave, analog-style synths, half-amen drum breakdowns as phrase transitions, rock-style toms and, to cap it all of, sample of the crazy Dutch version of “Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda” from the movie Goldmember. That’s “Dutch Courage” for you.
With lots of humor and lots of sound play but beats and bass that are deadly serious, it will be interesting to see how Ancient Radius’s style develops from here. At the very least, we can expect more cheeky track titles, lots more surprising production and, since Goldmember is a favorite film of the trio, probably lots more Austin Powers references as well.
“Booger Sugar” and “Dutch Courage” will drop this Friday, February 14 on Korsakov Music. Check out their Soundcloud page for Beatport and Spotify links shortly.