Aziatix is a new pop/hip hop/r&b group comprised of Asian-American men with their own unique talents, and a line of success prior to this new venture. The trio is gaining lots of interest for recording strictly English songs and for working hard on crossing over into international market. Aziatix drew my attention with their new album “Nocturnal”; each track mesmerizes and stimulates me in a way that I’ve not experienced in a while. Not only does the singing send a chill all over my body, but I’m also stunned by how smooth the rapper is. It’s a shame I’m only now just discovering Aziatix but I still had to recognize their music and write a full album review, so bare with me as I emphasize on what’s “occurring” on their journey.  

There’s so much an artist can do with an album’s intro, which is the short but informative opener that gives listeners a little taste of what to expect. “Nocturnal” starts out with a very sweet and subtle intro that highlights the concept of the following track. The whispery “wake up, wake up” being repeated in the background, along with the passionate harmonies invokes so much emotion in this instrumental piece. If you close your eyes while listening, you’ll literally feel as if you’re walking through the desert; lost, and trying to find your way back to normalcy.  With that said, “Slippin’ Away” comes into play. And in all honesty, without even a prior glimpse, I noticed the music video captured my previous thoughts about the intro: being alone in a desert, only the video had a lonely field of grass. The song’s about pleading to the one you love to remain in the relationship and try to work things out together. There’s something truly excruciating about the lyrics to the song and I think that’s why so many can relate with it because of how much it reflects what many of us are facing on a daily basis. The music video was also well orchestrated to portray the raw emotion of the song. See it below: 

“Superstar” takes us out of the depressive mood and back into the fun and fast life. The song is about giving the girl everything she wants, and also showing her how to live it up and experience life in an exciting and drama free way. FLOWSIK reminds me so much of the rapper GAME on this track. Comparing is not my thing but I just had to call that out as I felt it. What I like about the song is how hip hop influenced it is, which strays further away from the r&b/pop sound in the previous number.

The hip hop vibe flows into the empowering, fighter spirit track “Whatchu Know About Us”. I had to do a double take to listen to the music and the words separately because both are arranged extraordinarily well. The synths carry a hypnotic and addictive melody that immediately had me trying hard to imitate it. Not to mention their vocals are so accurately and smoothly harmonized. The song is catchy and perfect for the clubs, especially with its positive message. 

“A Game” opens up so bouncy with a beat like ecstasy. It’s almost like being tipsy in the club. I love how it starts out low and picks up the energy, and that continues throughout. The song is about going hard with your hustle and flow right around the clock non-stop, only to enjoy your rewards at the end of the day ‘cause you know you deserve it. This track is second favorite on the album because I can see myself jamming to it in the lounge or while doing chores around the house. It’s the kind of song that makes you feel like moving; a party anthem so to speak.  

“Cold” is fused with pop and r&b, with a touch of eurotrance. The song is about being confused by the sudden change of feelings by your significant other. One minute the girl’s hot for the guy and the next she’s not into him at all. And it’s obvious that he’s fed up with the hot and “cold” behavior.

I like how the songs about relationships have uptempo beats no matter if they’re happy or sad. “Be With You” is a perfect example of that. The song is heavily eurodance inspired and while I’m not a fan of that style of music, I love this track. The message being depicted is about a man who can’t get the girl out of his head. It’s like he’s playing her over and over like a song he’s addicted to. 

The trance style keeps on going into the next number. “Start Again” gave me a warm feeling. The track is about moving past the issues and putting back the pieces together. If the love is still there then you can always try to work things out. Once again, I’m loving the synths in the background. The composers truly know how to blend these kinds of sounds together to create a noiseless beat. And I’m contented with the results. 

“Another Day” steps back into the hip hop/pop segment. The song is about reassuring oneself that even if things go sour today the love will re-appear another day because it’ll always last. There’s so much confidence in the feelings both share for each other, that it’s impossible to have any room for doubt. It’s another track that comes off smooth and without flaw.

The piano melody that opens up the debut single “Go” has such a sensual taste to it. This song has the strongest elements of r&b intertwined in the sound. It’s about taking a break from all the sorrows in the relationship and enjoying a new found life unattached. It’s definitely going to be hard to tell that person you’re leaving but it’s something you have to do. The track closes off the way it opened, with that sensational piano tune and soft vocals.  And I enjoyed watching the music video because it portrayed freedom in the light of making your dreams come true and experiencing happiness despite of leaving behind that person. 

We’ve now reached the conclusion of a long journey, but of course the guys had to end it with a bang. “Say Yeah” goes up and down in sound but the energy never dies out. Any song that has the words “hypnotic, gin & tonic” could never be tiring. That’s the epitome of a party track spinning in the club. You cannot simply stand still while this song is playing because its sole purpose is to feel good and have fun all night while rocking out. After all, they did say “move your bodies…” The repetitive chants of “yeah, yeah” had me hooked. This was an exceptional choice to place at the end and I second that decision.

Aziatix are probably underrated in the industry but their full potential can be seen in this album. I agree with the relevance of each track and how they play their own individual part to create this artistic piece. This is a talented trio driven to cross barriers and get their name known, and “Nocturnal” is a next to perfect entry for them. Well done guys, the album gets a rating of 4.9/5

Track listing:

01. Intro

02. Slippin’ Away

03. Superstar

04. Whatchu Know About Us

05. A Game

06. C0ld

07. Be With You

08. Start It Again

09. Another Day

10. Go

11. Say Yeah

 

(Purchase the album on iTunes)

Images courtesy of Aziatix

Videos courtesy of TheAziatix