Arapu - Wasted Ego

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  • While professional DJs tend to keep their video gaming habits off social media, I know a few spend their weeknights playing Battlefield and NBA 2K. The unlikely source of the female vocal on "Wasted," the B-side of Arapu's latest single, is an elf on 2003's Warcraft III, one of the world's best-selling PC games. Considering Arapu was in high school when it came out, I'm not sure how often he still plays. But it's easy to hear why this particular vocal caught his attention, climaxing with a statement I'd wager he's heard throughout his career: "I'm soooo wasted." "Wasted" has been a hit on Romanian dance floors for more than a year, so its power is established. The music is simple enough, with a buzzing bassline, a squelchy clap and a hive of synth snippets that squiggle and fizz. As always with top minimal tracks, the breakdowns always seem to end at a perfect moment, notching up with energy each time the blunt kick returns. The vocal—ethereal and weird—does the rest of the work. The other track, "Virgo Ego," is the closest Arapu gets to techno. This time a hyperactive bassline does most of the damage, while another vocal—seemingly male and just as strange—adds colour. Never cheesy and always powerful, the subtle breakdowns are once again sublime.
  • Tracklist
      A Virgo Ego B Wasted
RA