Single Review: Roller

Having recently nailed down releases with the sensational The Not Okays, as well as the mind-twisting alt-rock outfit MIRA, guitar player and songwriter Nori Wong has continued to keep himself occupied. Now trying his hand at producing electronic music, Nori has emerged under a new moniker, LVST Night. According to Nori, against the backdrop of Covid lockdowns, he decided to experiment with “producing involving a digital audio workspace”. And thus, his newest creation Roller was born.

You know that deep, pumping bass sound you often associate with metropolitan nightclubs of any given CBD? Roller is like that, complete with rolling, sub-heavy basslines, throbbing beats, and huge-sounding dancehall synths.

However, there’s a rather unique sound to the percussions, a skittering clatter of steel rattles and cymbals, providing a mild industrial edge to the arena-sized atmosphere. On the instrumental side, there’s echoes of electronic producers of the 2000’s like Alex Gaudino; to amplify the urban influences, there’s rap verses throughout the tune, courtesy of MR. O6OO as well as Nori himself. What starts as a mere house music trope quickly becomes addictive, as I found myself lip-syncing along to the vocal hooks.

There’s some eyebrow-raising diversity in name-drops during said verses by MR. O6OO, citing “Mozart, Bach, Tyga, Zack de la Rocha” as influences. During the writing process, Nori said “Growing up in school, you were either listening to rock, metal, emo or punk, or you were listening to pop, hip-hop or EDM. And this all came down to a melting pot of genres that influenced us in the past”… I’m paraphrasing a little. But the point is, slotting oneself inside a pigeon-hole will only limit one’s appreciation of music as a whole.

Personally, as a rock musician who, in the past handful of years, started dabbling in mixing electronic music, I totally agree with this approach of broadening horizons. But I digress…!

Roller has more than enough to satisfy those inclined towards hip-hop and rap, and also boasts enough character, energy and that little bit of funk to work well in any big-room electro-house set. Creative? Yes. Dance-able? Yes. Go on, hit that Sync button and see how the dancefloor enjoys this one.