Borgore – #NEWGOREORDER Review [3/4]

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Marcin

“Dirty lyrics and dirty beats is the basis for the #NEWGOREORDER according to Asaf Borger, professionally known as Borgore. This album is home to the no-holds-barred raunchy lyrics and unique sounds he perfected by mixing trap, dubstep, and big room house. Featured guests, vocalists and producers, include Malcolm McDowell, Dan Farber, Adi Ulmansky, Miley Cyrus, Jake Sgarlato, and Yael.

The album starts off with its title track “#NEWGOREORDER”, lyrics by Malcolm McDowell-the actor from A Clockwork Orange- in a series of hypothetical’s including, but not limited to, imagining a world where people look like their profile pictures, having no questions because we have ALL the answers, and as perfect as a certain female’s breasts (shout out Kate Upton). Borgore could not resist doing big room house and did not disappoint with tracks such as “Hate”, “Be Ourselves”, and personal favorite “Piñata”. Tracks like “Syrup”, “Last Year”, and “Fame” showcase those Borgore-esque lyrics all his fans love him dearly for. Borgore’s #NEWGOREORDER is an exclamation of his renowned lyrics, drops, and bass. The album deserves 4 out of 4 stars”.

-AMANDO

“Borgore has grown on me over the years since I first heard Borgore Ruined Dubstep in 2010, with my favorite track being “Nympho”. His R rated lyrical themes and dirty beats instantly created a style of dubstep no one ever heard before. This though didn’t sit well with everyone including me, but it did create a very supportive fan base of borewhores. Over the years as his releases became more “mainstream” with “Decisions” being an instant hit. Though he always stayed true to his style, Borgore expanded his scope of work in #NewGoreOrder where there is an evident influence of trap and big room house. His Lyrics are still funny and controversial and his beats very cleanly produced but still dirty. The album is everything good about Borgore amplified; I’m playing the album on repeat. Stop reading and go listen. [4/4]”

-MARCIN

“Well I sure did not have to make any hard “Decision’s” figuring out how much I loved Borgore’s new album “#NEWGOREORDER”! Borgore takes raunchy rhymes, and “Ratchets” to a whole new level. Borgore was able to perfectly touch trap, dubstep, and even big room house, all into one phenomenal album. Borgore greatly differentiates himself from other EDM artists, and that is something we seem to be lacking more and more in our scene. The roaring sound of Borgore’s new production is sure to remain ringing in our ears for quite some time! I’d give more if I could but Borgore definitely receives 4 out of 4 stars from me! It’s clear that Borgore has everyone clapping their hands (or other parts of their body), loving cake, wanting it all, and hash tagging #bootyforborgore. “#NEWGOREORDER” says to continue on with the madness!”

-CATHY

“After listening to Borgore’s new album #newgoreorder and I have to say by far this is the worst album I have ever heard. This is the reason why the word ‘brostep’ exists, I tried to come into reviewing this album with an open mind but I would have rather listened to a Miley Cyrus rap song. Oh wait, she’s on this album too. Borgore’s attempt at rapping on this album was as good as being Brazilian in this year’s World Cup against Germany. Yes, in my opinion, this album was THAT bad. But I can’t blame Borgore, it was the record label that let this through. To each his own, from my understanding his fan base is a bunch of horny teenagers, at least someone likes him. 0 out of 4 stars”.

-Mario

“#NEWGOREORDER is one of the best albums that I have heard this year. Although I have already been a fan of Borgore’s, this album made me like him so much more. “Decisions”, “Body and Soul”, and “Last Year” are my personal favorites because they are very different. Borgore stepped away from the mainstream beats and added vocals (including his own rapping) to create very catchy dirty tracks. I will be keeping an eye out and hoping that Borgore will grace us with his presence in Chicago.. This album deserves 4 out of 4″.

-IZABELA

Tiesto – A Town Called Paradise Review [ 2.5/4]

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Marcin

Tiesto released his new album on Monday June 16th, 2014. With all the accolades that follow this person’s name, high expectations were held for new album “A Town Called Paradise”.

Tiesto brought a full lineup of incredible artists which include Icona Pop, DBX, Dzeko & Torres, Krewella, and many more well-known artists. The guest vocals and productions of the well-know arsenal the dutch trance legend brought unto this album seem almost to be a waste. Tiesto is almost wanting to please the more “mainstream” crowd by playing that hands-in-the-air track on repeat. Most of his songs should be played in the club scene, and the others will hopefully get the remix they deserve. My rating for Tiesto’s “A Town Called Paradise” will be a 2/4.
-Amando

Tiesto’s new album “A Town Called Paradise” is a very heartwarming and fun album. Tiesto chose to go a different route with the tracks in this album by throwing out different types of vibes for each song. While one song can be fun and talks about being wasted (“Wasted”) or traveling/meeting people/making memories (“Footprints”), the next can be more emotional and about a possible significant other (“Echoes”, “Shimmer”). The album also features the internationally known “Red Lights” as well. As Tiesto said during an interview, he chose to show different sides or himself and opened himself up. Even so many years after his initial growth in popularity, Tiesto has shown me that no matter what the genre, he will still blow everyone else out of the water. Listening to this album is a MUST! 4/4 stars
-Iza

Tiestos new album gave me mixed feelings. It had too much vocals but then again a few of the tracks needed it. Matthew Koma of course made another appearance on another producer’s album; it’s no mystery that this man has become the voice of EDM at the moment. Other than the vocals it’s somewhat well balanced granted most tracks have been heard already and played in many of this summer’s festivals. Nonetheless the album gets 2 out of 4 stars from me. Tiesto needs to go back to his old ways, but he isn’t too bad when he tries the new stuff.
-Mario U

After being the first person from WhySoChi to hear “Wasted” at Ultra Miami 2014, I couldn’t wait to find out what Tiesto had in store for us in the future. A few days ago, the legend released his new album “A Town Called Paradise” which includes collabs with Icona Pop, Hardwell, Krewella, and of course, Matthew Koma. However, the pop industry is changing veteran DJ Tiesto. Most of the tracks on the album are obvious crowd-pleasers and sound the same. Although, Tiesto does admit that his new album is very different from his other ones and he claims that the lyrics are quite personal. I have to admit that Tiesto brings you to a town called paradise when you experience one of his sets but the ride just isn’t that exclusive anymore. Tiesto’s new album in 5 years, “A Town Called Paradise”, deserves 2 out of 4 stars for original tracks like “Can’t Forget” and creative tracks like “Set Yourself Free”.
-Nina

In interviews leading up to the release of this album Tiesto mentioned the album will have a heavy Indy rock influence and it shows as the album is very vocal. It seems that 2014 is the year every heavy hitting DJ tries something new either to expand their horizons or draw in a more mainstream crowd. Where Skrillex and Afrojack failed in my opinion, Tiesto not surprisingly succeeded. Even with a heavy vocal influence the album is solid with the exception of a few tracks. My personal favorites are “Echoes” “Rocky” and “Can’t Forget” all of which have limited lyrics with a great beat. The vocal side of the cd is also solid as Tiesto puts great melodies behind those vocals which gives me hope for some good edits and remixes in the near future. If the album was less vocal I could give this album a perfect score, but unfortunately it is not so Tiesto loses a few points in my book. Don’t worry, whether you listen to EDM stations or not you’ll probably hear many of these tracks on the radio soon.[3/4]
-Marcin

Afrojack – Forget The World Review [2/4]

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Marcin

Dutch Dj, Afrojack broke out into the scene nearly 4 years ago with his smash Hit “Take over Control” and in that short time not only did he gain a cult following but also graced some of the largest EDM Festivals in the world. That being said I have yet to see him bring his “A” game to Chicago as even his headlining of 2012’s Spring Awakening Music Festival was a snooze. To no surprise his first studio album “Forget the World” also misses the mark in a big way. I will not penalize an artist for changing styles, but Afrojack has not been around long enough or at the Top for long enough to change things up now (unlike Tiesto and Srkillex). “Forget The World” is a mediocre Pop album at best,. The “hit” single “Spark” very well set the mood for the rest of the album and warns us that we will not enjoy what we hear. A select number of songs show potential and get you unnecessarily hyped up as the overload of soft lyrics kills any drop or melody you could rage to. I give this album a very well deserved ¼
-Marcin

Afrojack to me was one of the first artists I’ve ever listened which got me into electronic music, along with Chuckle and Laidback Luke. A true inspiration in my life, and one of the main reasons I started Djing. This album though.it was kind of disappointing. Way too many lyrics, the track ‘Mexico’ threw me off completely. I’m all for new style of music, and change but this just did not seem like the typical Afrojack style per say. This was probably worse than Avicii’s attempt to mix country and electronic dance music. All in all I give these album 2/4 stars. Simply because I truly like the track ‘Keep Our Love Alive’. Other than that, true disappointment by Mr. Van Der Wall.
-Mario U

Afrojack:” Forget the World”? Seems more to me like “Forget Afrojack.” As I never really was a fan of Afrojack I did not have any high expectations of this album, but I found myself almost half asleep listening to this album. Afojack’s efforts at making good songs by featuring Snoop Dog and not to mention Sting singing about homeless people seems quite ridiculous to me. I’ll give this album a 1/4. snoozeeee!
-Cathy

I actually like Afrojack’s new album. My favorite track I would have to say is ‘Ten Feet Tall’. It just sounds like a track that would get the crowd going and jumping, and everyone loves an EDM song you can sing along with. Also the track called ‘Born To Run’ is great. It sounds like it will be a big hit of the summer. The lyrics gives me the chills. Also, ‘Catch Tomorrow’ is a great track. Over all, I really enjoy his new album and am not considering seeing him this summer! 3/4
-Rachel

Grammy Award-winning DJ, Afrojack, released his first debut album “Forget the World. The Album includes popular songs like Ten Feet Tall and collabs with Sting, Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa, and Snoop Dogg. Afrojack’s fresh new tracks were made for dancing and will highlight the sets at music festivals this summer. Overall, the album deserves 3 out of 4 for experimental values with artists new to the EDM scene and the vibes it emits.
– Nina

Gareth Emery – Drive Review [3/4]

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Marcin

Gareth Emery began working on his new album after going on a road trip across the US with his wife. He named the new album “Drive”. The album has a great opening song (Entrada) that draws you in automatically. Once you listen to the rest of the songs, you get more of a sense of the Gareth Emery we all know and love. This album is very vocal and I personally love it. There are a few of songs on the album that have already out shined the others and have climbed the list of current top tracks. The songs include Million Years, Lights & Thunder, U, and Eye of the Storm. I think Gareth Emery did an excellent job and I am glad to see him back on the charts. The album deserves 4/4 stars!
-Iza [4/4]

Gareth Emery’s “Drive”proves that Trance is not a dead genre and that more than a handful of DJs can still produce it at a high level. It’s no surprise that some of the biggest A-List DJs have dropped Emery’s singles in their sets; including the reigning king of Trance himself; Armin Van Buuren. The album is almost perfect, with the exception of a few very slow vocally packed tracks in the beginning of the album. This is something I’m not a huge fan off, but it didn’t stop be from cruising through the rest of the album without hesitation. This is a trance album that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, take you on a journey from the first to last track without you realizing an hour has passed. I give “Drive” a very strong 3 out of 4 stars.
-Marcin [3/4]

Electronic Dance Music sensation Gareth Emery is back with his new album “Drive,” which I must admit has really surprised me on a very positive note. You can easily tell Gareth put his heart and soul into this album; therefore it is awesome to have such refreshing music from one of the most underrated DJs in the electronic dance scene. It is easy to tell that Gareth strongly focused on making sure each song is distinct in its own unique way. “Lights & Thunder” featuring Krewella is definitely one of my favorite songs on this album and is sure to soon find its way to mainstream radio stations. “Entrada” will for sure be considered an EDM festival banger this summer. On the chill side of the album “Soldier” featuring Roxanne Emery has really got me playing it on replay non-stop. “Drive” is receiving a solid 3 out of 4 stars on this incredible album.
-Cathy [3/4]

Gareth Emery released “Drive” on April 1st, a follow up to “Northern Lights” four years later. “Drive” is the prime example of Gareth Emery’s aptitude of bringing Trance, Progressive, and House into a melting pot that takes the listener for a drive (no pun intended). The journey throughout the album takes the listener through classic vocal tracks featuring Christina Novelli, progressive tracks featuring the one and only, Ben Gold, and uplifting instrumentals. “Drive” should not be taken as a “Trance” album, or just another “EDM” album, but an album that inspires feelings, causes emotion, and most importantly personal discoveries. It’s tough to judge every single song because they are all unique and special in their own way. Gareth Emery’s time and effort into this album is worth the listen to especially front to back. This extraordinary album will be one of this year’s most diverse and well produced albums we may encounter this year.
-Amando [4/4]

I give this album 2/4 stars. Very uplifting, and very vocal album, ironically I only see myself listening to this album in my car, or on a long cruise. I enjoy GE live, but this album does not do him justice, but that’s just my opinion.
-Mario U [2/4]

Skrillex – Recess Review [2.5/4]

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Marcin

Skirllex’s new album Recess was given a lot of attention right after its release on March 14, 2014. Initially fans thought Skrillex release a new “app”. Little did they know this was a link to his new album. At first I would have given the album 3 out of 4 stars. I found songs
such as “All is Fair in Love and Brostep”, “Recess”, “Ease My Mind’, and Dirty Vibe” to be very catchy and liked the reggae incorporation. Once I listened to the full album and looked at it as a whole, I changed my mind and rate if 2 out of 4 stars. Besides the songs listed above, I do not really like the other 7 songs. Skrillex had a great opportunity to blow his fans away but unfortunately I don’t think he did so.
-Iza [2/4]

Since bursting onto the EDM scene just a few years ago Sonny Moore aka Skrillex immediately made an impact with his amazing bass drops, hectic synth riffs and catchy tunes, putting Dubstep in the forefront of EDM Sub Genres. What followed was a slew a more artists with their own variations of the genre, but The King of Dubstep (as I dubbed him) reined supreme as his was the most mainstream and cleanly produced Dubstep in my opinion. With his first 2 albums being Dubstep Masterpieces, you’d figure his third would continue the trend, unfortunately that does not happen. Recess in my opinion is a flop in Skrillex/dubstep terms. If you like trap/hip hop/ reggae you will like the album as Skrillex takes a chance and collaborates with several different artists to create new sound. If you’re looking for that Skrillex sound of Bangarang and Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites you’re are in for a disappointment.I give Recess a generous 2 of 4 stars with the hope Skrillex will go back to what he does best.
-Marcin [2/4]

Who could forget when “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” stole the charts a couple years ago, but with such great potential and his obvious talent, Skrillex really disappointed me with his new album “Recess.” On a brighter note, “Ease My Mind” which is practically the only song I enjoy on the album Recess, the very catchy chorus “Dj ease my mind will you, play that song again, cause we were in love,” has really got me believing that this song is going to be the new EDM “anthem” very soon. But sadly the album as a whole is only going to receive 2 out of 4 stars from me, Skrillex both had the potential and the opportunity to release yet another great album, yet he did not leave me hungry for me.
-Cathy [2/4]

After listening to Skrillex’s new album Recess, several times I can honestly say that this album is amazing by far. The fact that it isn’t your run of the mill big room house album and is just so different in the sense that Skrillex keeps his style of dubstep that he is well known for, and he then brings in a style mixed with hip hop, and reggae. I honestly did not expect this album to be as great as it is, with collaborations with Diplo, CL,Kill the Noise, Fatman Scoop,and Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper I was nothing more than amazed. I give Recess 4 out of 4 Chicago Stars. Good Job Skrill, bravo!
-Mario [4/4]

Sonny Moore, also known as Skrillex displays a versatile side to him in “Recess” than we have ever seen in his previous works. Skrillex is known for his hard bass drops, intolerable kid screams, and irritable screech noises. However Moore gives us a break from traditional dubstep and an inside look to the variety that is his genius. Skrillex opens his new EP with “All is Fair in Love and Brostep” featuring Ragga Twins, which invites and captures all those original Skrillex fans. Sure the opener sounds like regular, out-dated dubstep but Skrillex then proceeds to instill these drops that seemed to be hemmed for the featured artist. In “Coast Is Clear” Skrillex barely trademarks this tune while letting Chicago’s very own rising hip-hop artist Chance The Rapper take flight and take the listener with him. Kinda feel that Sonny restrained himself on this album (my opinion) give it 3/4 stars.
-Amando [3/4]

WhySoChi

Dont Be Shy, Just Stay Chi

Category Archives: Album Reviews

Borgore – #NEWGOREORDER Review [3/4]

Tiesto – A Town Called Paradise Review [ 2.5/4]

Afrojack – Forget The World Review [2/4]

Gareth Emery – Drive Review [3/4]

Skrillex – Recess Review [2.5/4]