The Love Theme – “Hold On” – one mighty swirl of dance-floor groove

“Hold On” is a groovy cauldron of electronic shades and textures. Part dubstep, part soul, part funk, pretty much all breaks; there’s a rhythmic melting pot attitude that runs through the track, which ricochets off the walls with crusty slapping drums and long-dark-tunnel basslines. This is the latest track by The Love Theme – the brainchild of producer Dominic Owen on his Smokersblend record label. The cut is taken off an upcoming album, out later this year. “Hold On” is an absolute monster of a tune with soulful vocal chants, and some funky bluesy guitar throughout. As with a lot of finger-licking tunes, it should stand the test of time and be labelled an anthem.

Today the term “break” refers to any segment of music (usually 4 measures or less) that can be sampled and repeated. But at its origin, the conception of the break was consistent with that of the earliest hip-hop deejays; the drums were by far the most important element. In fact, the idea of a break with lackluster drums would actually be a contradiction in terms.

The Love Theme clearly has a nostalgic and respectful vision of what the breaks meant, because the drums here slap and bang in the most magnificent way. It glues all the dynamic instrumentation around it together in one mighty swirl of dance-floor groove.

The Love Theme deftly combine conceptual richness with dance-floor embodiment. This mixed style of sleek soundscaping, groovy rhythmics, and soulful sampling, is layered to create a bass-heavy density that submerges the sounds in surges of euphoria and nostalgia.

It’s always a challenge in the electronic world to separate oneself from the pack. What with over-exposure being thrown over the undeserving, while the true craftsmen go largely unnoticed in the public eye. Emerging out of the unknown into the realms of recognition has become a rather large problem as of late.

The Love Theme has long crossed the line, dividing all the rules and unnecessary genre and sub-genre hype. And it’s here on “Hold On” that he once again melds all of his loves and influences into one big collision of sonic groove that puts him above the noise, and alongside his peers.

This music is an eargasmic journey that isn’t merely for plain dancing. It’s a track that the listener should take time to enjoy, and interact with the structured sound waves that envelope the auditory senses. Notwithstanding all the rhythmic groove emanating from this track, The Love Theme makes you understand that there’s more to electronic music than just to dance.

It’s a bold statement to say that Dominic Owen is perhaps one of the finest producers working in his genre today, but the The Love Theme ‘sound’ is so distinct and so sublimely powerful, his sonic mastery is hard to ignore.

The combination of technical meticulousness and creative flair in his scattering beats, underpin the aural equivalent of an oncoming orgasm. The absolute attention to detail in all of his work is phenomenal, and it is once again laid bare for all to hear on “Hold On”.

OFFICIAL LINKS:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheLoveThemeMusic
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thelovetheme/
The Love Theme
https://www.thelovetheme.com/
Spotify
https://bit.ly/TheLoveTheme-Hold-On
Bandcamp
https://thelovetheme.bandcamp.com/album/hold-on