Review: DJ Sliink – Vibrate EP

Last week FADER offered a free download of “Put Cha Back In It” by DJ Sliink, the Brick Bandits collaborator and already-prolific player in the New Jersey club scene. The track was released in anticipation of Sliink’s new Vibrate EP on Jerome Potter (of LOL Boys fame) and Samo Sound Boy’s Body High imprint.  As it turns out “Put Cha Back In It” – which features little more than frantic female shouts and a stark, confrontational club rhythm – is just one of 5 chaotic, forceful tracks found on the release. Vibrate is like an epinephrine shot straight to the heart, a visceral musical experience of the hypest order. Clocking in at under 15 minutes, the EP is paced more like a mixtape, and the smooth, gapless transitions between tracks lend it a certain cohesiveness that’s missing from a lot of releases today.

“Vibrate” wastes no time on lengthy introductions or unnecessary embellishments. The track reaches full momentum within 30 seconds, flaunting a simple rave synth melody and a sample of a phone vibrating (note: this sound will probably make you look around for your own phone every time you turn on the track). “Whine For Me” is centered around a shout-out to “all my ladies in the club” and a deftly processed vocal sample that’s hypnotizing in a “Percolator” kind of way. It doesn’t have the same aggressive energy as the title track, but it’s likely to result in more regrettable decisions on the dancefloor. Up next is “Emergency,” an obvious early contender for the the most in-your-face club track of the year, thanks to a disorienting, almost epileptic, synth line . Sliink clearly has brass balls to even think of releasing something so unabashedly over the top, but “Emergency” steals the show precisely because of this boldness. After “Put Cha Back In It” – at a lean 2:09, it’s the shortest track on the EP – Vibrate comes to a close with “Reasons.” This one has all the trappings of a classic Brick Bandits production – the 4-note brass melody, the liberal use of B-more style drum breaks – but Sliink adds his own twist to it by bringing in wobbly bassline/dubstep synth flourishes and an unexpected melodic breakdown. Considering its rapid-fire pacing, it takes a few listens to fully process everything on the Vibrate EP. But it has an instantaneous appeal and an undeniable potency that are sure to keep us coming back for more long after the adrenaline high has worn off. Check out the previews below, then buy it from your favorite online shop ASAP!

BH004 – DJ Sliink – Vibrate EP PREVIEW by BODYHIGH

DJ Sliink – Vibrate (Body High) is available now.

Sam Billetdeaux