Bucking the trend where EDM producer jumps genres on his debut album, Dutch producer
Hardwell delivers the club-worthy goods on his debut effort,
United We Are. Dark and mysterious, "Eclipse" churns in space like a dubstep version of the Alien ship Nostromo, while "Follow Me," with
Jason Derulo, splits the difference between a
Katy Perry mega-hit and a
Coldplay remix and winds up the album's key cut. The title cut snaps with that patented
Hardwell snare drum sound, which suggests that the genre of "big room house" is really EDM mixing with trap, but
United We Are is unconcerned with such soul searching, as it crackles and lives in the moment, just as "big room" music should. The very-Euro choices of
Mr. Probz and
Fatman Scoop make guest appearances. ~ David Jeffries