Artist: Apashe
Album: Golden Empire EP
Genre: Trap
Label: Kannibalen Records

While admittedly not having heard much of Apashe‘s previous catalog, being familiar with just a couple of the producer’s tracks was enough to warrant excitement before the first play of his brand new effort, Golden Empire. The Brussels-born and Montreal-based musician has a knack for crafting cuts that are engineered to make crowds go wild while still maintaining a unique, calculated sound. On Golden Empire, Apashe looks to ensure this notion continues to ring true as he leaves nothing in the studio with two absolutely explosive songs.

Over half of the album is composed of its title track, a spiraling six-minute adventure that functions as a part-calming, guitar driven performance complimented by the gorgeous female vocals of Zitaa, part-raucous trap banger. While the combination sounds strange on paper, it works to near perfection in an audible sphere as Apashe displays the ability to make natural transitions between the two styles via placing his electrifying synth build-ups and rugged bass-work at just the right spots before sweeping them under the rug in favor of more traditional musical features.

On the EP’s flip side, Apashe opts for a highly focused sound within the realm of trapstep, and the results are volatile. With instrumentals carrying an undeniable oriental flair, the producer creates a fantastic foundation for fellow Montreal musicians Odalisk to spit lines about their elevated existence as the track swells into a fury led by their heavily modified vocals before dropping into the depths of growling bass lines and spine-tingling synth work. In other words, it’s trapstep at its absolute finest with plenty of Apashe flair to spare.

With Golden Empire, Apashe has succeeded at continuing to pave his own lane within the electronic scene. For the sake of fans and critics alike, though, let us hope his next release contains more than two tracks as they could all benefit from hearing more of his work.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Michael Giegerich – Follow him on Twitter

Purchase the Golden Empire EP on Beatport

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Mike Giegerich

Mike Giegerich is a freelance journalist with an affinity for the hip-hop scene. His top-five favorite records of all time are Future's last five releases. Feel free to blow up his mentions on Twitter.

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