Uuelz is in top form on his latest release, “2turnt”, featuring underground legend Dani Kiyoko. Fresh off the heels of stellar projects like ‘the dose’ in 2022 and “pain is currency” earlier this year, Uuelz adds this Geekersquad-produced entry to the in-progress “eturno” EP, a total of three tracks at the time of writing. “2turnt” marks the first collaboration between the artist and Kiyoko, both artists recording through a litany of vocal effects that obscure their lyrics and supplement the melodic qualities of their voice. Uuelz is not unfamiliar with using his voice as an instrument, much like the infamous SoundCloud-era pioneers he credits as influences– the croons, slurs, growls, and pristine melodies across his discography are as catchy as they are experimental. Kiyoko matches this energy, blending into the instrumental at times as the layers of their voice warble through pitch correction and tinny reverb.
The chaotic energy that these two artists exhibit throughout the song fits the boisterous instrumental like a glove– bright, rage-adjacent synths floating through various filters over a catchy, muted trap drum pattern. While the mix of the song blurs some of the details of the drums together, it doesn’t sacrifice any bounce or rhythm in doing so; this kind of claustrophobic mixing is present in a lot of Uuelz’ work, the culprit usually being Uuelz’ longtime collaborator, UK-based producer and engineer Sixtythree666. Although I do wish at times I could hear Uuelz and Kiyoko better, the mix is the glue that ties the track together and creates a very distinct, dark atmos throughout the track.
Uuelz has been on a hot streak throughout 2023– while the quantity of his output has decreased this year, the quality is on a steady incline. The other two songs on “eturno” at this time, both produced by Sixtythree666, are also incredible pieces of work; “da mantra”, featuring the artist Gothcroft, blends catchy pop-rap sensibilities with the dark experimentative edge that characterizes much of Sixtythree666’s production. I hope to see more collaborations with Kiyoko in the future, as these two have great chemistry and complement each other very well on “2turnt”, as well as more Geekersquad production on future Uuelz projects.
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– xoarctic (@xoxoarctic)
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