Wiwek – The Free and Rebellious EP

Wiwek, the Netherlands-based figurehead of the so called jungle terror, which combines hair-raising moombah and dub-inspired beats, finally released his eagerly awaited “The Free and Rebellious EP”. After continuously teasing his collaboration with Skrillex over the past few months, the blaring “ID” named “Killa” can now be found as the gleaming token of this killer EP.

With this publishment, Wiwek managed to create a ruthless blend of big room, hip-hop and trap elements that has earned him vigorous support from some of the industry’s most noteworthy heavyweights. With his rising success, it was almost certain that the Dutch producer was going to blow up after signing his deal with Skrillex’ label OWSLA earlier this year. To put it another way, it wouldn’t be a stunner that the EP is going to be good, but it evidently turned out to be more than that.

With the release of “Rebels” in January, Wiwek gave us a pre-taste of how the final EP could sound, and so the hype began. “Rebels” is a mix of bigroom and metallic jungle elements, accompanied by some hype vocals by the Audiobulls. Even though the buildup is kept within reasonable limits, the drop is quite lunatic and raving. Wiwek’s pounding drum layers complete the progression resulting in a extraordinary tribal experience.

“Killa“, on the other side, shows stronger influence by Skrillex and his evolving Jack Ü sound. Dubby vocal chops lead into a barrage of screeching synths and barking bass hits as popping drum rhythms knock and sputter on the track. After the first listen, you feel that Skrillex and Wiwek, alongside vocalist Elliphant, is a match made in heaven. The composition turns dark, however, at the drop, with slashing lasers, aggressive drums, and a sub-bass with vicious intentions.

Next on is “Pop It” featuring Trap kings Yellow Claw, accompanied by vocalist Lil Debbie. Now you would, with every reason, expect a another trap influenced track, but “Pop It” is the typically dysfunctional and adrenaline-fueled getup we have come to expect from the fresh-faced talent. The leads and kicks sit heavy enough to keep the festival crowds in tow, but behind this flows a tribal undertow that brings bigger energy than any other artist on the beat right now.

Similar like “Killa”, “Stop Me” featuring Sirah delivers a jungle trap experience containing quirky synth leads and pumping vocals while still having the feeling of a jungle presence. The track even reminds us of dancehall elements which can be found in numeous Major Lazer productions. No wonder fellow dancehall enthusiast Diplo supports the fresh talent since his “Ragga” release on Mad Decent.

Last but not least, to merge it all together, Wiwek showcases “Cavalry” alongside Big Freedia, a track that blends Big Room and Trap beats to underline the versatility of the Dutch upcomer as well as of the Jungle Terror sub genre. While the first drop entails a similar composition like “Rebels”, the second drop leans against the structure of “Killa” and “Stop Me” resulting in a genre-crossing completion of his EP.

Overall, this is a exceptional EP from a producer really coming to the top of his game. Being mentored by the likes of Skrillex and the whole Mad Decent crew, Wiwek is surely skyrocketing due to more incredible masterpieces that he’s bringing straight out of the jungle.