Graham Bell – Pam Pam (Phat Bass)
• Original drop idea, consisting of a vocal loop
• Short duration and minimal essence
• Trancy vibes accompanied by a bouncy structure
One of Rave Culture’s initial problems was that they only signed two artists: W&W and Maurice West. As you can imagine, it was a bit boring. Luckily for everyone, some time ago they decided to change that mindset and they started to gradually introduce new names. Surprisingly, later on, the label went a step further releasing more genres that are a bit different from their typical big room sound, which allows artists like Graham Bell to release songs like “Pam Pam (Phat Bass)” on the Armada’s sublabel.
If you read my articles from time to time, you might notice that I always review the songs following their natural order: I begin with the break and I continue with the drop. Today, I swear, I can’t do that… because there’s no first break. The title doesn’t lie, and after just 3 seconds you have a really fat bass in your face that is accompanied by some rhythmical vocals. The idea is simple, but it’s fascinatingly catchy, especially when you realize that you have that melody stuck on your head for the following hours. I’m glad to hear again this type of drop, I missed it for ages (maybe since Michael Feiner’s “Bababa“?)!
Graham Bell are trance artists, so they brought this minimal concept to their world. If the first break doesn’t even exist, the second one delivers those big trance supersaws that are a Rave Culture signature. I have nothing much to say here, the chord progression is nice, but I’m missing a more complex break or something a bit longer.
If the result is more or less convincing, my general feeling about “Pam Pam” is that it’s completely based on the vocal loop. It’s short, it has an unusual structure and it’s extremely minimalist, and this may be a risk if you don’t like the vocal… We said a similar thing when reviewing “Mai Tai“.
At least the elements that are present in this track were delicately processed, which is a great point. Graham Bell had fun with a unique experiment, which may be loved or hated, but unlikely to be forgotten.
