Habstrakt is revamping the vibes from his infectious house single on Insomniac Records, “Gotta Be,” with a proper remix package spanning the sounds of house and drum & bass.
After an astounding label debut on Insomniac Records, the French-born, L.A-based house aficionada, Habstrakt, kept his foot glued to the accelerator with the release of his follow-up single “Gotta Be” at the end of 2020. His murky, heart-pounding house groove clings onto the underbelly of a brooding vocal delivery, while still relying on his signature growling drive to push those fiery feelings home. Instead of simply calling it a day with the love he’s already received on the original, Habstrakt couldn’t resist the urge to float the stems over to a few artists he’s had his eye on.
“I was really happy about the original song and wanted to hear a different take on that,” says Habstrakt. “I reached out to some of my favorite new and upcoming producers for this little remix pack—tried to keep it short and quality.”
Quality is unquestionably the common denominator tying each of these takes together. On the “Gotta Be” (Remixes), Habstrakt calls upon an impressive crew of on-the-rise producers to pour more fuel on the fire, with fresh versions crafted at the hands of Bleu Clair, Norsheep, and Bacon.
Kicking off the affair is an appearance from another Insomniac Records affiliate, Bleu Clair, the Indonesian bass house specialist that recently had heads fixated on the off-kilter inclinations kicking around in his ‘Hypnotized’ EP. His remix opens up on a loftier note, an effective trick of misdirection that leaves the listener with their guards down. The provocative topline stays intact, only now its embedded in swaying chime flourishes before an unexpected apex of tumbling basslines and clangoring synth shifts add the dark nature back into the equation. The combination of moody and euphoric seems to be a good color for Bleu Clair.
Next up, fellow Frenchman Norsheep takes a pass at setting the track’s burning passion ablaze with his own bass-heavy sensibilities. Echoing cackles and ominous motifs fill the air with a spine-tingling energy that almost borders on creepy in the beginning. Once the thud of the kick and crisp snare start to trade places, there’s no escaping the futuristic tech crunch waiting on the other side of the looped hook. A potent mixture of skittering clank hits, choppy vox stabs, pixelated fills, crackle-tinged textures, and whirring padlines work together to produce a next-level bass house jam that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Rounding out the occasion is another hidden gem from Habstrakt’s homeland, an elusive artist making moves under the moniker Bacon. Shrouded in a smoke cloud of mystery, the emerging bass producer throws the tune into the frying pan to bring on the drum & bass sizzle. The piece creeps in with a slo-mo intro, a short-lived change in pace that almost immediately picks up speed—solely through the vocals at first, until the rest of the elements play catch up. As soon as the BPM catapults far past that of its counterparts, a neuro-tinged emulsion of reverberating synth wails and rumbling lower frequencies rises to the top. Catch one whiff of Bacon’s pungent D&B aroma, and the salivating won’t ever stop.
Despite the permanent space we’re still setting aside for Habstrakt’s single in our hearts, the addition of the three new “Gotta Be” remixes should help rekindle the intense attraction we first felt for it not that long ago.
