Desiring a classic big room? Kralez drops a feisty festival edit of “Freed From Desire”
81%Overall Score
• Classic big room twist
• Saberz-W&W influences
• Linear but energetic
Oftentimes, there are considerable comments on artists who once pursued Big Room— when it was trendy that is— and have since moved on to greener pastures, so to speak. Good thing we have independent producers who are willing to stick to their roots and remain consistent; such is the case with Kralez. His latest spin on the instantly recognizable hit “Freed From Desire” from Gala comes up with both nostalgia and a robust festival big room house schematic.
During the heights of the Eurodance movement, the Italian songstress Gala got her breakthrough with the said song, which has since received many remixes and edits. What makes this one different then? It’s the classic EDM-era type formula that got us hooked: Kralez has a knack for festival genres, evident on his previous records like the Dirty Dutch style Carioka with Kimdness (quite the Afrojack/DJ Chucky vibes on this one!) and the euphoric hardstyle track “Warrior.”
Staying on course for reworking this old-school gem, the Spanish artist cleverly went for a SaberZ/W&W type sound; the breakdown resonates with the delayed and widened trancey plucks as the iconic vocal plays over, and the drop barge in without much ado after a short snare transition. Packed with tonal kickdrums that keep a hefty rhythm and charged up by a set of detuned melodic saw synths, having a bouncy riff that draws close inspiration to the original’s melody without too much resemblance. Of course, there is the additional icing such as the off-beat percussive groove and hardstyle kick as fillers. Clearly, this edit is meant for hyping the audience, as the second break is also supplemented with large stadium claps, as the main saw riff comes in right before the final drop: this round including a rising pitch effect to further amplify the impact.
A passionately created project, Kralez has shown great promise with this dynamic variation of the classic. Here’s hoping there are more such records incoming because he sure has the potential!