Album Title
Sub Focus
Artist Icon Torus (2013)
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First Released

Calendar Icon 2013

Genre

Genre Icon Drum & Bass

Mood

Mood Icon Energetic

Style

Style Icon Electronic

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Tempo

Speed Icon Fast

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Release Format Icon Album

Record Label Release

Speed Icon Virgin EMI Records

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Torus is the second studio album by Sub Focus. The album was released on 30 September 2013 through RAM Records, Mercury Records and Virgin EMI.
Torus is the geometric name for the shape in Sub Focus' logo. It was originally used on his debut album cover and the shape has played a big part in his live shows as well as in promotion and artwork. The title track was written as an intro to Douwma's live sets, in preparation for a Brixton performance in 2012. He wanted to start his sets with a low tempo and gradually speed up. "Safe In Sound" was one of the earliest tracks to be completed, and was written with Seton Daunt and later given the Mary O'Hara sample. "Endorphins" originally had a female vocalist, and was given to several artists but in the end Alex Clare visited Nick's studio to record what would be the final version of the track. "Twilight" was written as an ambient contrast to the club-orientated songs on the album, as Douwma viewed the album as a journey and wanted constant progression. The synth hook on "Falling Down" was originally intended for the Chase & Status and Takura collaboration "Flashing Lights" but didn't fit the song so was re-used as a starting point for the new song. While the track was being finished, Skrillex coincidentally visited the studios to meet Caspa and Douwma showed him the track. Skrillex enjoyed it and decided to release it alongside remixes on OWSLA. "Turn Back Time" was one of the last songs to be finished on the album. At the time he was experimenting with 90's rave samples and the song originally used a sample but was re-recorded. "You Make It Better" was also one of the final songs to be finished on the album. At the time it was just a loop and Culture Shock had a lot of ideas to develop it. They wanted a hook for the breakdown of the song so TC recorded vocals for it. The vocals on "Tidal Wave" were originally on another Sub Focus demo but instead got used on the "Tidal Wave" instrumental. "Until the End" was inspired by the Drive soundtrack and was written as a concluding track for the album.
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User Album Review
Sub Focus feels a little unfocused on Torus, his second full-length release. It opens strong with the title track “Torus”, but fans of his work on the singles “Timewarp” or “Join the Dots” may be a little disappointed. Even prior to his initial self-titled release his work showed a positive but still savvy foothold in the drum-and-bass genre. There was no doubt that dropping either of those tracks in an underground club would lay waste to the dance floor. Torus, it seems, has its focus set entirely on the charts.

The direction was cemented when Nick Douwma signed Coco Sumner, lead singer of I Blame Coco and daughter of Sting, to record vocals for what would become a UK chart-topper, “Splash”. Again the track seemed to be rooted in and embraced by the drum-and-bass community, but there was no doubt that it crossed over in a big way. Despite the liquid bass wash and the hard beats on the chorus, there's little left here of the more esoteric beginnings of his early singles. Torus takes that a step further still and perhaps more disappointingly uses many of the same sounds and effects.

“Safe in Sound”, while employing the rudimentary element of a fast break rhythm and the same washed out bass synths as many of the other most successful singles, features a great vocal hook by Seton Daunt of UK group Fiction Plane, as well as a very effective and moody sample by Mary O’Hara. “Endorphins” feels like more of a straight-ahead pop song with lines like, “Holding on some kind of miracle / I’ll be right there if you’re ever alone." While guest vocals on electronic music records are par for the course these days, their presence can often attempt to cover for the inadequacies in the production itself. That seems to be what’s happening here. These tracks as well as “Out of the Blue” featuring “Alice Gold” hit all the same musical targets and as such come off as a little too consistent and boring.

Just as the record starts to lose you, the minimal electro-pop song “Twilight” wins you over. Taking a more smokey, laid-back vocal approach by Teemu Brumila played with a simplistic and minimal muted break, this song feels like one of the most unique and appealing on the record.

“Close”, featuring MNEK, reaches out to the R&B set before dropping into an electro-house groove -- which may stand strong within that community, but given that they may not be the ones buying this record, it seems a little out of place. Nevertheless, it’s clear at this point that if the record could be said to have one notable feature it’s increasing diversity. Sub Focus appears to want to leave no subgenre unrepresented. Bring on the dubstep, then...

“Turn It Around”, featuring the ever unmistakable Bloc Party vocals of Kele, has some understated bass drones over a pedestrian drumstep rhythm that varies between half-step dub speed and a full-on break. “Falling Down” is a much more committed and obvious foray into the increasingly ubiquitous and now overused sound of commercial dubstep and, as such, comes off as a little bit dated. Deadmau5 already tilled this soil with “Raise Your Weapon”.

After all this it should be no surprise that they break out the steel drum and rock drums for “Out of Reach” or the house music for “Turn Back Time”. There are a few great singles on this record that seem targeted to chart well, but the whole thing feels slave to many and master of no particular genre. It’s not for the hardcore heads, but it might sound nice to have some of that underground sound showing up on daytime radio.

SOURCE: https://www.popmatters.com/175728-sub-focus-torus-2495718949.html


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