After a year of huge surprises, fresh recruits and unbelievable releases, Canadian indie label Monstercat is making some huge changes. Since the release of Reunion in 2012, Monstercat has made the effort to tell a cohesive story in the artwork of their compilations. This came to a screeching halt earlier this year with their 30th compilation Finale, with the Monstercat finally defeating evil. While this era may have ended in back in February, it wasn’t official until the announcement of Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 1.
With this compilation album, everything is getting completely revamped. While the most noticeable change is the label’s rebrand and new artwork style, Monstercat isn’t stopping there. Releases are bigger than ever before (evidenced by the coming of Bassnectar, Dirtyphonics, Wolfgang Gartner and more), events are even more grand (a stage at Tomorrowland is a great start) and the compilations themselves even have a longer-running tracklist. Best of all, Uncaged is bringing some seriously dope merch. 
While there are a lot of new changes to love, one thing hasn’t changed in the slightest: great music. Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 1 is one of the label’s most ambitious yet, filled with festival bangers and creative pieces alike. It just keeps getting better and better, so don’t jump ship just yet.
Below, we have picked our five favorite tracks from the album. We would encourage you to listen to the whole thing yourself and let us know what your favorites are in the comment section below!
Topi – Swapping Things
Ha, it’s like a metaphor or something. Topi has seemingly exchanged his signature sound in order to pursue a more creative take on house music, and it’s absolutely phenomenal. “Swapping Things” is glitchy and experimental, yet still insanely catchy… A perfect dancefloor smasher.
Rogue, Stonebank, Slips & Slurs – Unity
This three-way collaboration had expectations set high, but Rogue, Stonebank and Slips & Slurs still blew this one out of the park. “Unity” perfectly showcases the signature sounds of all three producers, while remaining a fairly unique work in itself. Monstercat couldn’t have capped off this album in a more perfect way.
Kayzo – This Time
There’s no denying that Kayzo is one of the most talented names in the current hard dance scene, and “This Time” is his magnum opus. Okay, that might be a slight over-exaggeration, but this track is easily one of Kayzo’s hardest-hitting originals yet, and one hell of a label debut.
Unlike Pluto – Sweet feat. Mister Blonde
This song didn’t get as much recognition as “Everything Black,” but arguably packs even more punch. Snide lyrics, lush instrumentation (including a killer guitar line) and – as always – soulful R&B vocals. With “Sweet,” Unlike Pluto asserts himself as Monstercat’s best freshman recruit of 2016.
Glacier – Neos
If Glacier‘s debut was a bit awkward, “Neos” is the complete opposite. Glacier goes into this track with total confidence, and it totally pays off in the end. “Neos” is an insanely groovy hybrid of house and future bass (two genres that very rarely collide), yet Glacier manages to make them work seamlessly together. If one word can describe this aspiring producer & instrumentalist, it’s simply “talent.”
Listen to Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 1 and buy the album below:
Support on all platforms: Monstercat.lnk.to/Uncaged
