- A few years ago Charlotte De Witte shed her Raving George moniker to release and perform under her own name, and she's been gaining traction ever since. She admits that she considers herself more of a DJ than a producer, having spent the last eight years doing the former. A functional, dance floor-first mentality colours her tracks, which have been picked up by Turbo, Sleaze and Mary Go Wild. "Less is more" is De Witte's mantra, and her stripped-back approach, when embellished with the right details, has proven fruitful. The Belgian artist's first record of 2018 lands on the newly revived NovaMute following EPs from Nicolas Bougaïeff and Terence Fixmer.
"Brussels" and "Look Around You" have strong vocal lines. The listless repetition of "gone" in "Brussels" complements De Witte's ominous pads. In this case, the vocals amplify the mood of the track, a big-room hit. They distract and fatigue on "Look Around You," where the message is schmaltzy and the repetition becomes wearisome. The tough and driving "Control" is the best of the three, with a heavily treated vocal grumbling incomprehensibly though the centre. It's a more adventurous hook, but vocals are starting to feel like a crutch in De Witte's tracks. It would be great to hear what she can do without them.
TracklistA1 Brussels
B1 Control
B2 Look Around You