“Never Give Up” is comprised of twelve bright tracks swimming with uplifting summery vibes that showcase Maduk’s signature style of melodic drum and bass production. His selection of guest vocalists are spot on for his polished sound. Colour and saturation is added with great effect to tunes such as “Nothing More” and title track “Never Give Up” by chopping vocal samples. By adding the energy of the synths and drums, Maduk fires off lively dancefloor weapons. “One Way” features a heavier jungle flavoured low end which complements the mid to high range of the vocals well.

It’s always good to see a bit of versatility in a drum and bass album, and Maduk does this well when he slows down the BPM and throws in some future breakbeat with “One Last Picture”. Kye Sone’s soulful vocals in conjunction with the strong melody brings the track together perfectly and it is one of my personal highlights of the album. “Falling” feat. MVE brings in half time drum-step layered with arpeggiated 8-bit synths. Other collaborations of note include fellow Dutch producer Nymfo, who features on “Just Be Good” and long time Hospital resident Logistics, who lends a hand to the closing track “Solarize”.

Maduk has given us a well rounded debut album with a nice balance of feel good summertime tunes perfect for cruising around in your car and to lift the energy on the dancefloor. It will be exciting to see what comes next for this talented young producer.

Catch Maduk during his first Australian / NZ tour in conjunction with Hospitality
(list dates)

Words by Ari Yeung