Fresh off of closing Saturday night at Tomorrowland, DJ Snake has released his 2nd album ‘Carte Blanche.’ The 17 song album covers multiple genres and shows off the French DJ’s range. Giving it a listen will certainly keep you on your toes wondering whether you will be headbanging, Latin grooving, or vibing to the beat. The direct definition of Carte Blanche is “complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.” Clearly, DJ Snake took this to heart.
The First Half
We knew it would be hard to follow up his debut album ‘Encore,’ but these 17-tracks may just be better. It begins with ‘Butterfly Effect,’ a moving track that sends your ears fluttering. A Drum and synth pattern drop makes us wanting more. Right after that is a dubstep collab ‘Quiet Storm’ featuring Zomboy. An ironic song, as it is not that silent, that quickly builds up to the thunderous drop.
The next three tracks are more in the chill category. Future Bass ‘When The Lights Go Down’ takes us on a vocal journey. Many lights may be dimmed when this one rocks the speakers. ‘Recognize’ provides us with a serene drop that is perfect for any summer night. A collaboration with Zhu, ‘No More’, sends us into the world of dark house and funky beats. We look forward to hearing this one live.
Song #6, ‘Made in France,’ picks up the pace of the album once again. A collab with Pardon My French producers Tchami, Malaa, and Mercer. ‘Enzo’ is the first hip-hop track of the album. With vocals from Sheck Wes, Offset, 21 Savage, and Gucci Mane, this one has already shot up the charts. ‘Smile’ with Bryson Tiller is another hip-hop track and halfway through the album, we can’t believe this has all been produced by the same guy.
The Splendid Second Half
The second half of the album is filled with tracks we have heard before. It begins with ‘Try Me,’ featuring Plastic Toy. This awesome tropical bass track produces all the right feelings from within us. The three tracks following this are all Latin based. ‘Loco Contingo’ and ‘Taki Taki’ have already risen up the charts and got our hips moving. Both feature a stellar amount of artists. ‘Fuego’ reminds me of a Latin version of ‘A Different Way.’ It is a pop-hit waiting to happen.
Indian inspired ‘Magenta Riddim’ is a festival favorite for many. ‘Frequency 75’ will send tingles down your spine once the bass kicks in. ‘SouthSide’ featuring Eptic gets our neck banging to the beat. It is one of the most popular songs played at festivals this Summer. ‘No Option’ has cool electro-reggae sound. It is one of the more different tracks in the album. We finally end on where it all started for DJ Snake ‘Paris.’ The final track featuring GASHI has inspiring hip-hop throughout with a dreamlike drop mixed in.
Concluding Thoughts
One thing is clear from this album, DJ Snake has a lot of connections. From one song to the next we are always impressed with who is providing vocals or assisting him with the track. The list of names feels like it could go on forever. His sound has developed to include elements from all over the world. Latin inspired tracks is a favorite for him recently. However, this album also ranges from American Rap to Jamaican Raggae to Indian inspired. It almost feels like the sounds of the World.
We are in an age where DJs go all around the globe to play their music. DJ Snake is amongst the best who can connect with a nation. ‘Carte Blanche’ takes him in a new direction. It is hard to not find a song you like in this mammoth 17-track album. The future is bright for DJ Snake and it seems this album of worldly sounds is only the beginning.
Check out ‘Carte Blanche’ below!