Melbourne production talent Mark Edward Hilder has been a busy man in 2014, working his way through a batch of big-hitting releases that are picking up increasingly big reviews from the dance music public. On the back of releases on the likes of Safari Music, Pop Rox, Xelon/Velcro House, Ministry of Sound and many more – Mark’s back with another seriously heavy production ‘Alicorn’. Established already as a heavyweight DJ that’s played alongside the likes of Fabian Gray, Dave Pham, Some Blonde DJ and Jon Baptist – Mark’s reputation as an all round dance music machine is rising at a very fast rate, even by his own very high standards.
‘Alicorn’ is a tight production from Mark that’s stuffed with huge Trance-like moments, a high-octane energy that’s consistent with his signature sound and thoroughly big room sounding and ready for the peak time dance floors. Perhaps the most impressive sections are the breakdowns. Stacks of euphoric synths, highly original risers, FX and totally fresh build ups keep ‘Alicorn’ sounding new and exciting, something lost on many producers of big room dance music. Creative filters are clearly a trademark for Mark, who’s a producer that’s really nailed his own signatures sounds that are audible listening back through his releases. The drops bring in a dark tone, mainly in the bass end where a monster kick drum fills out the sub ranges.
A dark and eerie percussive lead dices over the kicks giving interest to the higher frequencies, which are washed out in a beautiful reverb. The kicks are stacked with claps and crashes, giving them impact on every level from the bottom notes, right up to the crispy top end. There’s no stopping the kick pulsing through and that’s credit to Mark’s brilliant mixing job. There seems to be cleanliness to Mark’s sound – nothing sounds likes a preset and the FX are completely tailored to the production. It really is a top effort from Mark, whose twelve years hard work at his craft are showing serious results. If he’s got more likes this lined up (and we have a good word that he does) – we’ll be seeing and hearing a whole lot more from this seriously talented producer.
