Dr Phunk & Lockdown – Tarantula

Dr Phunk & Lockdown - Tarantula

74%Overall Score


• Hardstyle meets Italian folk music
• Clear efforts in evolving the traditional sound
• Hard-psy and Euphoric Hardstyle blend


As an Italian, I find myself recoiling back after hearing traditional native melodies being used in electronic music. It’s often a popular notion among foreign artists that fail in preserving the originality alive. Often, they blatantly pick up the cadence and apply it onto a typical formula, resulting in a lackluster outcome.

With “Tarantula”, the efforts put into evolving the traditional ‘tarantella” sound to a Hardstyle soundscape are clearly there. Better than nothing I suppose, even if it’s far from the best offering presented by the artists involved. Lockdown amazed me with “Freak Show” and Dr Phunk retains his dominance, whether on Revealed Recordings or other labels. Sinphony, Timmy Trumpet’s imprint, focuses on Lockdown’s aggressive sound, proving merit and the potential that he carries.

His touch in “Tarantula” is immediately recognizable, when the drop pounds with momentum in a gritty, hard-psy bassline. Entertaining sequence, albeit partially in conflict with the following breakdown, our protagonist. It’s the usual formula with a tarantella rhythm, somewhat unsatisfactory, only rescued by a majestic melodic Hardstyle presence in the final drop by Dr Phunk. The kick is superlative here!

Coming to conclusion on the idea, “Tarantula” is a top-notch performer with its binary drops and plenty of verve for an underground listener. Even surpassing the TWIIG‘s rendition and other horrors that I listened to in recent times.

You can listen to “Dr Phunk & Lockdown” here:

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