Arcando and Vluarr have joined forces for a new collaboration, “Ascend,” out now on Martin Garrix’s STMPD RCRDS. It’s the first original drum & bass track to release on the label, a STMPD representative confirmed to EDM.com.
Garrix recently made waves during his performance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the Bay Area, where he dropped the then-unreleased song. Attendees of the “Animals” producer’s DJ sets are always bound to hear a slew of epic electro and big room anthems, but hearing him dabble in drum & bass was an unexpected surprise that left fans wanting more.
Luckily for them, the track that turned heads is finally out now. “Ascend” finds Arcando and Vluarr teaming up with Felix Samuel for a heady drum & bass anthem. It kicks off with Samuel’s emotive lyrics leading the way as a synth rumbles gently beneath the surface as if it’s about to strike at a moment’s notice.
Angelic strings then lift the vocals as they morph into a battle cry before the producers uncage a hyperactive drop sequence. Here, powerful kickdrums and frenetic percussion patterns slice through the mix with the precision of a katana through bamboo.
After Garrix played Arcando’s viral remix of Alok and The Chainsmokers’ “Jungle” at Ultra Miami, he connected with Vluarr and the two got to work.
“Just like I did with ‘Jungle,’ we wanted to do something different outside of the usual drum & bass sound with influences from bass house and cinematic dance music,” Arcando tells EDM.com. “As I’ve been a fan of Martijn’s music ever since the releases of ‘Animals’ and ‘Virus,’ it’s truly an honor to get the nod for the first original drum & bass song on STMPD RCRDS, and I’m excited to keep on merging drum & bass with other electronic dance music genres with my next releases.”
You can find “Ascend” on streaming platforms here.
Follow Arcando:
X: x.com/arcandomusic
TikTok: tiktok.com/@arcandomusic
Instagram: instagram.com/arcandomusic
Facebook: facebook.com/arcandomusic
Spotify: spoti.fi/3LSdCIz
Follow Vluarr:
X: x.com/vluarrmusic
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vluarr
Instagram: instagram.com/vluarr
Facebook: facebook.com/vluarr
Spotify: tinyurl.com/3h988p4c