Butch & C.Vogt - Bliss

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  • The melodic, emotionally driven house sound that's been so popular these past few years shows no signs of stopping—at least for now. Dixon, the style's most famous exponent, was recently voted the #1 DJ in the RA poll for a fourth time, and last year the sound appeared frequently at the top of RA's monthly Top 50, which is generated by DJs charting tracks. The German artist Butch doesn't exclusively produce these kinds of weepy dance floor moments, but over the years he's shown a soft spot for them. On "Bliss" he again links up with the musician and producer C.Vogt (among other bits, they released a strong jazz-influenced single together called "The Infamous"), and, for better or worse, they capture the spirit of where so much house music is at these days. Butch is known for writing arresting grooves, and he does so again here. "Bliss" teems with percussion—hand drums, shakers, what could be manipulated vinyl crackle—and the overall effect is enveloping. (A "Beat Tool" version of the track emphasises this.) C.Vogt, a pianist and saxophonist, naturally brings a sense of musicality to his work with Butch, and while he doesn't go for it in the way he did on "The Infamous," there's a depth to the melodies that stands out. The track's dramatic breakdowns, toy piano melody and indulgent string swells could together pose the question of where you stand on this style generally—put another way, it's a moment where you'd either leave the dance floor shaking your head, or have your night taken to the next level. Butch and C.Vogt's handling of these moods is pretty exemplary (the track was #1 on RA's DJ charts for December), but like any music style with a single, defined emotional quality, it's likely these expressions will eventually lose their potency.
  • Tracklist
      01. Bliss 02. Bliss (Beat Tool)
RA