Wednesday marks the ninth anniversary of Monstercat's creation and the celebrations have already begun with today's release of a six-pack of classic 90s covers. Leading the way is Pixel Terror who punch up a complextro version of Darude's "Sandstorm." As wild as the original is, this new version turns things up to 11: twisting the tempo up and down, adding extra headbanging heaviness and setting our expectations on fire with a throbbing psychedelic undertone. Turning the calendar back 90 months, the next 90s classic is Snap! "Rhythm Is A Dancer." Here Pegboard Nerds tap Tia Simone to recreate the iconic vocals as they make like Pixel Terror and electrify the original with bombastic bass kicks and thumping synths that thrust the Eurodance classic into a Mortal Kombat-esque fight club.
Showing that this EP is not just a collection of amped up covers, Grant's guitar guides Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone" to a bouncy and feels laden future bass place. While that still slaps, Half An Orange's Saxsquatch-led cover of "Around The World" takes the cake as the most chill track of the EP. Perfect for a sunset, the playfulness of this cover fills it with hope and an incredible ease of enjoyment. Picking the energy back up, in spite of the original's creation as a comedown track, Rameses B brings an extra sparkle and a jolt of DnB to Robert Miles' captivating 1995 affair "Children." In a way this is both the closest to and furthest from the original as the melody and progression remains almost entirely intact, while the new ripping DnB direction casts it in a different light. And I think it is because of this counter-intuitive fact, that I find it to be my favourite of the EP.
Finally, the anniversary release is wrapped with perhaps the least well known track of the bunch Signum's "Coming On Strong." Stonebank and EMEL thrust the 1999 trance cut into hardcore territory, absolutely pulverizing it with ravey synths and thumping bass while keeping just enough of its buoyant trance energy underneath. While I haven't been much for hardcore in years, I can say that this will leave you fist pumping your way back to the beginning of the EP for another round of nostalgia-laced fun. Stream the Monstercat 9 Year Anniversary below and get it from your favourite online retailer here.FOLLOW MONSTERCAT: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER