The melodic, diverse and very UK sounds of Hillsdom seemed to come more or less out of nowhere a few years ago with their big label debut on Viper’s Drum & Bass Summer Slammers 2017. That’s certainly an effective way to make an entrance, and they’ve been churning out those slammers ever since. With a mature and well-developed sound pretty much from jump, Hillsdom have released loads of work on Viper, had a single on Simon Bassline’s almost impossibly tough to sign label Technique, UKF’s cheeky underground imprint Pilot. and, most recently on RAM and its sister label Program.
It seems Program has really agreed with Hillsdom, as after their first two sets of singles, “Tell Me Your Lies”/”Stone Soul” and “I Wonder”/”Igloo” released in January and July, respectively, RAM have decided to drop two of the duo’s best-received singles to date, “Fauxtopia” and “Gaslight” featuring Maddy on vocals. Released in early October, these two tracks are quite different, with “Fauxtopia” being a deep, synth-driven and introspective track with lots of dancefloor power and “Gaslight” hitting more melodic, liquid vibes. These two tracks are a testament to why Hillsdom have taken off like they did: diversity and quality.
With even more on the horizon, the Hillsdom boys have decided to commit a mix to memory of all the great stuff they’ve done so far and Your EDM has it. Beginning as it should with “Fauxtopia,” the 57-minute exclusive mix once again proves the Essex duo’s eclectic style and thumbs a nose at the idea that one can’t mix multiple styles in the same set. By the ten minute mark, they burn through deep D&B, dancefloor, melodic and ameny jungle seamlessly.
Another act who’s clearly thumbing their noses at being pigeonholed by subgenre, Hillsdom make technically super-clean work that is instantly recognizable as Hillsdom but run the gamut style-wise. This mix is all over the board in the best possible way and a great way to celebrate their signing to RAM.
“Fauxtopia” and “Gaslight” are out now and available on Beatport and Spotify.