It’s official: DC Breaks have been rocking dancefloors for 15 years. Since their work is all about celebrating, it stands to reason that they would continue the party with their upcoming DCXV project. With their first single “Club Thug” due out on RAM this Friday, it’s clear it won’t be just all remixes and remasters, either.
In the legendary duo’s own words, “‘Club Thug’ is an amalgam of the duo’s signature dancefloor sound over the last 15 years. It conjures up memories of club anthems tracks like ‘Swag’, ‘Lock In’ and ‘Gambino’. Some of the most revered dancefloor-orientated records of their time.” That bodes well not only for this track but for the series. New tracks will likely abound and a few remixes and VIPs may also be thrown in and no one will be complaining about either. For the present, however, there’s “Club Thug” and that’s plenty for fans to chew on (and skank to).
“Club Thug” starts with a cinematic and ominous intro, using synths and sound design to build into the drop. Right away, fans will hear lashings of the duo’s history. The synths are very reminiscent of “Swag” and the timbre of the beat is all-around classic DC Breaks. The heavy-handedness and sort of feedback effect in the beat will really bring fans back to the golden age of DC but fans shouldn’t expect it’s all old school (or middle school) throwbacks. The sound design here is quite modern, especially in the breaks and phrase transitions.
Ultimately, “Club Thug” does a great job of incorporating all the places DC Breaks have been with their sound into where they are now and, because of their massive influence on D&B, where these phases are mirrored in the larger scene. DCXV should be an interesting retrospective with the way the duo are approaching it. One thing’s for certain as it’s always been with DC Breaks: every track will be a dancefloor slapper.
“Club Thug” drops on RAM Records Friday, March 27. Check out the RAM website for stream and purchase links.