No. Just no.
An artist like Russian DJ/producer Arty can’t just go from putting out the layered yet accessible sort of progressive trance that made last fall’s Glorious such a strong album to releasing a track like “Bloodfire.” Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings record label themselves should even be embarrassed of this effort, and shame isn’t exactly their strong suit.
Arty’s style was always closer to what trance purists might mockingly call “trouse” to begin with, but “Bloodfire” is a complete betrayal of the emotional intelligence that he still managed to convey through his music. It’s nothing more than the same clumsy fusion of big room and bass house elements that Dutch labels like Spinnin’ Records have been trying to force feed music fans, and I’m not even sure if those dumb enough to swallow it deserve to be subjected to it.
Arty isn’t the first producer to release something this far beneath his capabilities through Revealed Recordings, but he should still be ashamed of himself anyways. I suppose every artist is entitled to a “Bloodfire” or two over the course of their career, but this track is so awful that it feels like he made it out of pure malice.
