Release Date: 15 May 2026
Song Count: 7
Duration: 22 minutes, 6 seconds
Rating: 8.5/10
Description:
Song Count: 7
Duration: 22 minutes, 6 seconds
Rating: 8.5/10
Description:
Just short of a same day review! This one ended up slipping from my view yesterday, but hey, better slightly late than significantly late...wait, is that how the saying goes?
Marking the third appearance of the German EDM producer j1nabae on the blog after having reviewed two of their previous albums in the recent past, B4 DA CLUB is a shiny new release and a spin in a slightly different direction, as the electronic beats swerve onto the road of house above all else. In the four-on-the-floor type subgenre of digitally produced music designed to be danced to, the few contents of this relatively short record go all in on this new development, reinventing the wheel of the usually more D&B and digital hardcore-oriented artist to the point where one may even question if these were even made by the same person. The nature of the cover art seems to still follow along on j1nabae's trademark style of utilising girls drawn in an anime style, though, so there is at least one element that has stayed the same here.
Instead of rapid beats, rushing feels and a digital, almost "online" sounding scape, this one goes all in on the inspiration found in the title: club music and house. Leaning heavily into the specific elements that make up contemporary house music, from the emphasis on the 4-beat pattern to the deliberate use of vocal samples as the main driving forces and the many slick keys and sounds used as melodic accompaniment, the tracks take a gamble by switching things up in a way that isn't overly jarring but yet distinct enough to make a significant difference. The different leads driving each of the seven songs forward furthermore also share a lot of stylistic similarities, but stand on their own feet enough to not blend into one another and to stay memorable individually.
Perhaps this is a soft spot arising for this particular style of EDM that is about pure, simple fun and following a rhythm that is straightforward yet dynamic underneath the surface throughout, but B4 DA CLUB is an album that lent me plenty to enjoy, especially for its shorter runtime. The ratio of the amount of musical contents and their subsequent quality is simply through the roof here, and it seems that j1nabae has really found their element by tapping into this niche with their production skill, which is good to witness. Aside from the scarce amount of overall music to connect with in this shorter piece, it seemingly proves difficult to find major fault in how it progresses or how it seems to have been made. An overall delight for fans of more mainline electronic music and those looking for an undoubtedly fun time.