Outer Edges is the third studio album by Dutch electronic trio, Noisia.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Outer Edges was released on 5 August 2016, by Noisia's own electronic music record label Vision Recordings.[7][8][9][10][11][12] Outer Edges was later followed up by a 20-song remix album in April 2017 and a 5-song remix extended play by Noisia in June 2017.[13][14]
| Outer Edges | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 August 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2014-6 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:24 | |||
| Label | Vision Recordings | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Noisia chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Outer Edges | ||||
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| Alternate cover | ||||
 Outer Edges (Remixes) cover | ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
 Outer Edges (Noisia Remixes) cover | ||||
Background and composition edit
Outer Edges was originally planned to release on 16 September, however a month prior to release, the album was leaked online, prompting Noisia to release the album earlier than expected. The trio later explained why they decided to release the album a month prior to its supposed release date, stating:
Friday Night, while we were in the final minutes of setting up the stage for our first ever Outer Edges show, we received the news that our album had been leaked. We think you can imagine how bad we felt at that moment.
We realise it’s 2016, and things like these happen all the time. Still, it’s quite a setback. All the plans we’ve made have to be scrapped and replaced by something less ideal, because we have to react to this unfortunate situation.
Even though we are unhappy about this leak, we’re still really happy with the music. We really hope you will enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it.[6]
Outer Edges officially released on 5 August 2016, being the first album by Noisia in 6 years. The album was released alongside a European tour of the same name.[8] When officially announcing the album, Noisia stated:
It’s called Outer Edges because it’s us exploring the outer edges of what Noisia, the three of us together, is. It's about the idea that all the songs are little islands that we take to their individual edge... They’re all like expeditions to far sides. That doesn’t mean that it’s everything; it’s just that every song, if it goes in a certain direction, we’ve taken it all the way there. There are no real concessions – we haven’t been super DJ-friendly or radio-friendly at all. We’ve done no collaborations and hardly any vocals on the album.[10]
Reception and release edit
Fan Fiction of NEST HQ stated "Outer Edges may not be a perfect album — I think consolidating some of its more redundant or wandering midsection could’ve helped make the overall piece a bit more digestible — but its consistency in futuristic concepts, its ability to transport you to different worlds, and its bar-raising production and execution make it one of the best releases of the year so far".[2]
Dan Gassis of Disposable Media compared Outer Edges to Noisia's previous album, Split The Atom, stating "There’s no doubt that Outer Edges has a lot of good content and is at least worth a listen on streaming sites, but when Split The Atom had the great vocals and big drops of My World, or the superb structure of Shellshock, or the iconic sound of Stigma…you start to wonder what the equivalents are on Outer Edges. Anomaly has a lot of flavour and never gets old, and The Entangled may improve with repeat listens, but the standouts aren’t immediately evident…"[3]
Azasia Durgapershad of The Music Essentials stated "I’ve gotta say, this album was something else. Plenty of musical surprises from Noisia. As a fan and listener of music, I appreciate their artistry and definitely suggest you check this album out. As they have stated, the tracks aren’t really DJ friendly, but we understand that there’s more to electronic music than just to dance. This is an album you can just sit back and soak in all of the musical pleasure".[4]
Adam of Ninja Ninja Drum & Bass praised the album, stating "For me, Outer Edges is just a natural extension of the ethos Noisia have come to represent and the place that they hold in the bass community. The LP is insanely good, it has their trademark impeccable sound design, a lot of variety, some intense originality and it’s just packed full of deep, dark and murky vibes that mean I highly, highly doubt we’re going to hear a better album this year".[5]
Matthew Meadow of Your EDM stated "Outer Edges, their first album in 6 years, explores a variety of bass-centric styles. While the drum & bass masters explore genres at a tangent to drum & bass, the album is phenomenal in every aspect. Sound design, exploration, innovation and boldness abound in the 18 tracks on this album. They really left no stone unturned".[6]
Accolades edit
Outer Edges received Best Album, Best Video for the single Mantra and awarded Noisia with Best Producer for the 8th annual Drum&BassArena Awards.[15]
| Year | Ceremony | Nominated work | Recipient(s) | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Drum&BassArena Awards[15] | "Outer Edges" | Noisia | Best Album | Won |
| "Mantra" | Best Video | Won |
Outer Edges (Remixes) edit
On 7 April 2017, a remix album of Outer Edges was released by Vision Recordings.[13][16][17][18][19][20] The remix album featured 18 remixes from various artists, including remixes from electronic producers Machinedrum,[21] Mat Zo,[22] Bassnectar[23] and Moody Good.[24] When announcing the release of the remix album, Noisia stated:
When we made the original we went as far as we could within our own confines; exploring and stretching the outer edges. With this remix package we asked a lot of different artists to take that material beyond our edges, into their respective domains. We are really happy that they managed to take our music into completely different dimensions, with such exciting results![17]
Peter Rubinstein of Your EDM praised the remix album, stating "Mat Zo, Dyro, Camo & Krooked, Tsuruda, Moody Good, Bassnectar and more lent their contributions to the list, culminating in a listening experience that truly pushes the boundaries of the original’s impact and potential".[16]
Nathan Beer of Nest HQ generally liked Ivy Lab's remix of Tentacles, stating "It’s one of those tunes you just have to skank to. Ivy Lab and their signature "never enough atomic weight and experimentation" approach to music work incredibly well on Tentacles".[13] Sagar Deshmukh of The Music Essentials praised Camo & Krooked's remix of The Entangled, stating "The duo took one of the most remarkable tunes from the album The Entangled – Camo & Krooked stretched out the space and add their own harrowed textures and tones in the most minimal, mysterious and deepest ways".[17]
On 16 October 2016, prior to the release of Outer Edges (Remixes), Canadian electronic artist Joel Zimmerman, better known as his stage name deadmau5, was shown to be remixing Noisia's song Collider in a live production session, confirming that it would be an official remix for Noisia in the livestream chat, however the remix did not appear on the remix album.[25][26][18][16]
Outer Edges (Noisia Remixes) edit
On 9 June 2017, a remix extended play of Outer Edges was released by Vision Recordings.[14][27][28][29][30] The remix extended play featured 5 Outer Edges remixes by Noisia, including a remix of Voodoo,[14] Surfaceless[31] and a remix of the 2015 song Dead Limit by Noisia and New Zealand electronic duo, The Upbeats.[32] When speaking about the extended play, Noisia stated:
We recently put a new twist on some of our own songs for the Outer Edges audiovisual shows and decided to make them release worthy. We treated Dead Limit, Diplodocus, Tommy’s Theme, and Surfaceless. This Voodoo remix is the last one we finished, and that’s probably why this is currently the one we’re most hyped about ourselves.[14]
Nick Grindrod of By The Waves praised the extended play, stating "Crossing grimy halftime beats with Dubstep, these five songs will make your jaw drop multiple times with the sheer quality of production".[28] Matthew Meadow commented on Noisia's remix of Dead Limit, stating "Lots of syncopated synths and off-kilter drum beats merge to create a wholly unanticipated sonic event unlike much of anything being released today".[32]
Kanvar Kohli of Dancing Astronaut generally liked Noisia's remix of Surfaceless, stating "While the original is more of an interlude than a complete song at less than two minutes long, the Dutch trio has re-worked it into a full-fledged track, while keeping the entire atmospheric vibe of the original track intact", further stating "Surfaceless is a great auditory reflection of Noisia’s current musical experimentation, and steadily grows on the listener with time".[31]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Approach" | 1:29 |
| 2. | "Anomaly" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Collider" | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Vigilantes" | 2:48 |
| 5. | "Tentacles" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Voodoo" | 3:16 |
| 7. | "Mantra" | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Surfaceless" | 1:40 |
| 9. | "Straight Hook" | 3:23 |
| 10. | "Stonewalled" | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Motion Blur" | 3:24 |
| 12. | "The Entangled" | 3:15 |
| 13. | "Exavolt" | 3:02 |
| 14. | "Into Dust" | 4:20 |
| 15. | "Miniatures" | 2:53 |
| 16. | "Sinkhole" | 3:29 |
| 17. | "Get Deaded" | 3:57 |
| 18. | "The Approach" (Reprise) | 2:00 |
| Total length: | 58:24 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mantra" (Mat Zo Remix) | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Get Deaded" (Machinedrum Remix) | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Tentacles" (Ivy Lab Remix) | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Into Dust" (Neonlight Remix) | 6:07 |
| 5. | "Sinkhole" (Posij Remix) | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Anomaly" (Dyro Remix) | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Collider" (The Upbeats Remix) | 5:38 |
| 8. | "The Entangled" (Camo & Krooked Remix) | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Exavolt" (Mefjus Remix) | 3:01 |
| 10. | "Into Dust" (Tsuruda Remix) | 4:07 |
| 11. | "Tentacles" (Teddy Killerz Remix) | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Vigilantes" (Amon Tobin Remix) | 6:56 |
| 13. | "Stone Walled" (Hybris Remix) | 3:42 |
| 14. | "Motion Blur" (DLR Remix) | 4:59 |
| 15. | "Miniatures" (Phace Remix) | 3:24 |
| 16. | "Get Deaded" (Roly Porter Remix) | 4:44 |
| 17. | "Get Deaded" (Moody Good Remix) | 5:22 |
| 18. | "Miniatures" (Mono/Poly Remix) | 3:24 |
| 19. | "Get Deaded" (Bassnectar Remix) | 3:04 |
| 20. | "The Approach" (Rival Consoles Remix) | 5:08 |
| Total length: | 1:27:53 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Voodoo" (Noisia's 'Outer Edges' Remix) | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Tommy's Theme" (Noisia's 'Outer Edges' Remix) | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Dead Limit" (with The Upbeats, Noisia's 'Outer Edges' Remix) | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Diplodocus" (Noisia's 'Outer Edges' Remix) | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Surfaceless" (Noisia's 'Outer Edges' Remix) | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 19:07 | |
Chart history edit
| Chart History | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums (2016)[33] | 18 |
References edit
- ^ "Noisia 'Outer Edges'". Melkweg (in Dutch). Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Album Review: Noisia - 'Outer Edges' - NEST HQ". NEST HQ. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Noisia: Outer Edges album review | Disposable Media". Disposable Media. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "[Review] Noisia - Outer Edges | T.H.E - Music Essentials". T.H.E - Music Essentials. 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Noisia's Outer Edges Has Set A New Benchmark For Bass Music » Ninja Ninja Drum & Bass". Ninja Ninja Drum & Bass. 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b c "Noisia Release New Album Ahead Of Schedule Following Leak | Your EDM". Your EDM. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Everything You Need To Know About Noisia – Outer Edges". UKF. 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Noisia Rushes Album Release After Leak: 'We Have to Make it Available on All Platforms'". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia 'Outer Edges' | Consequence of Sound". consequence.net. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "After Unauthorized Leak, Noisia Releases First Album in 6 Years Early". EDM.com. 2016-08-02. Archived from the original on 2016-10-08. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "In the Studio with Noisia's "Outer Edges"". The Nexus of All Things DJ. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia interview: Beyond The Outer Edges". Skiddle.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b c "NOISIA Announce 'Outer Edges Remixes' Album, Premiere Ivy Lab's Remix of "Tentacles" - NEST HQ". NEST HQ. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b c d "NOISIA Unveils Remixes of Outer Edges, Premieres "Voodoo" Edit - NEST HQ". NEST HQ. 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Drum&BassArena Awards 2016: The Winners - Drum&BassArena Awards 2016". Drum&BassArena Awards 2016. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b c "Noisia's Massive 'Outer Edges' Remix Album Is A Masterclass In Production". Your EDM. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b c "Noisia announce remixes album featuring Bassnectar, Machinedrum, Roly Porter, Ivy Lab, Amon Tobin, Mat Zo & more". T.H.E - Music Essentials. 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Noisia announce release date for 'Outer Edges' remix album | We Rave You". We Rave You. 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "BEATSELECTOR Magazine | Noisia Announce "Outer Edges Remixes" Release Party-Live Stream". www.beatselectormagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "'Outer Edges Remixes' OUT NOW | NOISIA". NOISIA. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Premiere: NOISIA - 'Get Deaded' (Machinedrum Remix)". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Your EDM Premiere: Noisia - Mantra (Mat Zo Remix) | Your EDM". Your EDM. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Stream Bassnectar's remix of Noisia's 'Get Deaded' - Dancing Astronaut". www.dancingastronaut.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia's DnB Masterpiece "Get Deaded" Gets A Filthy Remix From Moody Good". www.thissongslaps.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Deadmau5 Steps Way Outside His Comfort Zone With New Remix For Noisia [LISTEN]". Your EDM. 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "deadmau5 is remixing Noisia's 'Collider' - Dancing Astronaut". dancingastronaut.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia Reveal Their Own 'Outer Edges Remixes' & Announce Summer Shows". Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Noisia Release Outer Edges Remix EP - By The Wavs". By The Wavs. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia reveal their own 'Outer Edges Remixes'; announce summer shows!". T.H.E - Music Essentials. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia Reveal Their Own 'Outer Edges Remixes' & Announce Summer Shows - Drum And Bass HQ". Drum And Bass HQ. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Premiere: Noisia - Surfaceless (Noisia's 'Outer Edges' remix) - Dancing Astronaut". www.dancingastronaut.com. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ a b "Your EDM Premiere: Noisia & The Upbeats - Dead Limit (Noisia's 'Outer Edges' Remix) | Your EDM". Your EDM. 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ "Noisia Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-13.