Cologne based DJ and producer Malugi returns with a blistering 6 track EP, Energized Edits. The release is packed with pumping electro edits of huge noughties classics – featuring edits of Akon, Rihanna and Mariah Carey tunes. Building on his debut EP, The Homies, Malugi delivers a darker and more pensive approach to his acid infused sound, sugar-coated with sickly sweet and oh-so-familiar vocals.
Malugi’s textural work throughout is clean and concise, with rich metallic pads leaving room for ethereal acid leads and cutting bass lines. Whilst staying true, in part, to the pop sensibilities of the early 2000s, his infusion of a darker aesthetic really brings the vocals into a new light.
The drum work is graceful and innovative and its interplay with the acid lines is definitely the standout feature of this release. A particular highlight is the moody ‘You Pay The Bill (Sean Paul x Tommy Genesis Bootleg)’, with the incorporation of a delightfully crushed break making it a definite stepper. The nostalgic aesthetic is enhanced throughout the release by simultaneously airy and full synths layering the club soundscape Malugi fosters.
This is a release clearly yearning for the dance floor, and whilst its pensive pads and reworked aesthetics are both rich and intriguing for headphone listening, its ingenuity is certainly not in its sound design. From pretty tropic acid sounds to simple boxy basses, Malugi leaves room for development of his sound leaving this EP feeling slightly hollow at points.
However, the drum work throughout this release is really what carries it, and with light and elegant rhythms on ‘Akon Locked Up (Where’s My Lawyer Edit)’ contrasted with the pumping kicks on the electro-house stomper ‘Without Your Love Alicia Myers (Floor Flip)’, Malugi provides a Swiss Army Knife selection for our eventual return to the dance-floor.
You can listen to Malugi’s Energized Edits vol. 1 on his Soundcloud.
Noise Narrative 