By: Joshua Davis

Firepower Records has released a real hot Encore EP on behalf of self-proclaimed herald of Dub Hop, 24-year-old Max Hype.

Protohype’s new EP, in a nutshell, is flat out heavy. It’s provocative in a sense; it makes you want to bang your head… hard.

The EP hits you with five tracks of shocking, seamless blends of audible styles. On top of that the featured vocalists complement the sounds incredibly. In all honesty… without them I think I may be singing a different tune about the EP all together—they’re that good.

The beginning of the EP starts off with “Flight To Hold” featuring Jeff Sontag, and it’s very enticing due to Sontag’s vocals. Within moments the assault on your brain is in full effect, and you’re left rocking your torso back-and-forth. Sontag comes to save you for a few brief seconds and then it’s back to the assault. The synths are fitted perfectly and leave you wanting more.

Keeping up the pace comes “Encore,” Hype’s take on Riddim that carries hip-hop lyrics from Ras. Again… the vocals are literally icing on the cake. Ras’ lyrics layered with the precise synths will undoubtedly cause “Encore” to be the song fans know by heart.

Firepower Records head honcho, Datsik, goes in with Protohype on “Zero,” the third track of the EP. This track doesn’t feature smooth melodic vocals, just the in-your-face bass Datsik is known to deliver where you’ll find out what I meant before regarding the hard head banging. Don’t hurt yourself.

“Playing With Gold” featuring Duelle is a real home run. When you put two soothing vocalists that happen to be sisters, on the same track, things just seem to work perfectly. Duelle’s vocals meet the intensity of Hype’s sound and they don’t clash, instead they embrace one another. “Playing With Gold” essentially ends up playing with your emotions—you fall for Duelle’s vocals and then slapped back to reality by Hype’s synths. 

Wrapping up the rollercoaster ride is an epic remix of “Encore” by Twine. Some may find themselves to be more partial to the remix than the original. It starts off slower, but with more kick. Chords that were originally laid under Ras’ lyrics are used as a canny transition to a speaker-busting drop. About three quarters of the way in a very dominant beat takes over that I’m sure will get any crowd rowdy when it’s played.

Give Encore few plays through your speakers and see for yourself. This isn’t really the end of the show. Protohype’s just getting warmed up.