BROCK – “OBEY” / “Heart Beat”

BROCK – “OBEY” / “Heart Beat” – Singles Review

Time flies when you’re busy buying a church to make your music in.  It takes time to get properly set up & whatnot…lord knows you gotta move all those cables around the cobblestones & such…it’s not like it just happens on its own you know, you gotta do all those things manually!  No joke though folks, as far as I know, according to the legend himself, that’s exactly what was happening the last we checked in with BROCK, aka BROCK WITHOUT BOUNDARIES, back in February of 2023 when we posted up his video for a track called “WING” way back when.  And that’s the way it’s always been, hasn’t it?  If my memory serves correctly, you’ve probably seen BROCK’s name pop up here more on these pages of ours than any other artist we’ve featured on our pages, but fun fact – he’s never actually gotten an official review from us before!  No joke folks…tons of video posts throughout the years since we first started listening to his music back in 2020, but we’ve never done our in-depth thing where we really examine his tunes up close under the microscope.  Finally – the chains are off & I can let you in on what I really think about BROCK’s music after all this time, unfiltered, and objectively, like we do here in the review section of our site.

Alright, alright, alright…to be honest, the excitement with this dude’s music has always been real.  While it’s true, you’ll always find our video section to be geared more towards promotional purposes, it sure makes it a whole lot easier to write that kinda stuff when you genuinely like what you’re listening to.  I’ve always felt like BROCK is among the most committed artists out there in any corner of this scene we share, and when it comes to the Electro-circuit, the guy has put on a masterclass of how to get it done right throughout his entire career so far.  I’d love to say that’s ONLY my opinion, but it’s a pretty damn objective fact from what I can tell…dude’s production is second to none, the creativity has always been off the charts, and no matter which track you happen to click on, I can guarantee ya, it’ll be flawless.  Sure there’s bound to be cuts that I’ve enjoyed more than others if we’re talking about my personal opinion, or if I was to have reviewed all of what I’ve heard in the past from BROCK – I would have happily let you in on that information if that was the case, but this is first real opportunity to express my own perspective in the way I normally talk to ya about what I’m listening to – so we’ll start here instead.

I mean, there are countless pages of our site that have music by BROCK all over’em, and I maintain, I’ve genuinely enjoyed them all on some level.  So keep in mind, I’ve probably heard more than most of ya when it comes right down to it.  As I listened to “OBEY” start up, it was like the return of an old friend, you know?  That feeling you get when you start listening to an artist or band you love, but haven’t heard for quite a while…it was truly awesome to hear this dude get his digital groove on again after all this time away from us.  And that’s how it should be y’all…it can be tough to get some perspective when you’re always hearing new tunes from anyone week after week, and it’s equally tough to establish some kind of difference in what you create or show that growth in what you create as an artist without a little time away too, you feel me?  Opening up with a vocal sample might not seem like a giant leap for an artist perhaps, but I don’t think I can recall too many, if any, tracks where BROCK has fired things up with that kind of approach…at least outside of the few collaborations I’d heard in what he’s put out in the past.  The cold & icy AI-like voice being used is a perfect pairing for a song called “OBEY,” and even more so when you consider the video that comes along with, which features people staring into their phones like zombies, and lots of Big Brother-esque words floating around like “BUY,” “CONFORM,” “SUBMIT,” and of course, “OBEY.”  As I’m sure I’ve pointed out in many posts I’ve made about BROCK in the past, sure, he’s part of the EDM genre at the core of what he creates, but he comes at a lot of what he does from an IDM perspective.  As in, there’s simply more to the music he makes than merely making you want to dance…and if I’m being honest with ya, a label like EDM is never going to cover half of what BROCK creates.  In the case of “OBEY,” I suppose you could argue that it has sections that could make you move in one direction or another…it’s got a beat you can feel for sure…but overall, it’s designed to get your brain moving more-so than any of your limbs.  I dig it enough though…I don’t know if it’s the most monumental cut in the catalog, or even if it’s got the kind of impact you’d hope for after last really having a listen to his music a couple years back, but the harder truth is that BROCK has much less room than most to really move the needle too.  He’s always been as professional as it gets – so really, a lateral move ends up being much more acceptable in a case like this, because the dude has always been so damn good at what he does, there’s been precious little he could really improve upon.  I could challenge him to diversify things still more than he does in his Electro realm like I would with any artist or band that I’m reviewing, but by the same token, I’m continually astonished by the consistency of his quality.

Of the two tracks I’ve got here though, I’d readily side with “Heart Beat” as being the more universally accessible, which is saying something when you consider the fact that it’s nearly seven minutes long.  After a fairly lengthy intro, “Heart Beat” snaps into place and starts making moves…quick vocal samples all cut & chopped to act in patterns like the digital instrumentation does, and to varying degrees of allure.  Some of the spots with the vocal samples will make for significant highlights that are authentically exciting, and others drift a little bit wider of the mark.  Like, as “Heart Beat” began, I wasn’t entirely sure that BROCK was gonna pull this one off…I wasn’t immediately in love with the vocal sample and how it was used on that initial spin, but I came around soon enough.  The further you go down the rabbit hole with BROCK, and the more you listen to a track like “Heart Beat,” you really appreciate the many layers and intricate structure that creates its adventurous and ambitious vibes.  Video-wise, he’s remained in a similar theme that takes on the nature of the digital realm and AI’s new controls over us, which I dig.  It’s extra interesting when you consider that BROCK has always been a master of the digital world and always used electronic means to make his music…you’d almost assume he’d have more love for the machines than he does.  He’s clearly well aware of the dangers that come along with technology being used for ill intent…so ultimately, I think we’re lucky to have this guy on our side.  He’s pointing out a lot of stuff to be concerned about though if you’re watching these new videos closely.  I’m already of the opinion that there’s little, if anything, that can be done to stop this rollercoaster ride we’re on with AI and new tech…and probably less convinced that humanity has done all that much with its time that would warrant stopping its eventual onslaught.  So with that being said, I’m kinda just looking for a great soundtrack to have on while the world burns around us and the machines take over, and I can’t imagine there’s all that much I’d rather listen to than BROCK.  “Heart Beat” is a freakin’ JAM y’all…within merely a couple of spins, I felt seriously addicted to this single…and I suppose that’s the difference between a track like this and “OBEY” beforehand.  “OBEY” is a good tune, “Heart Beat” is an undeniably great one – the production’s as on-point as ever, the ideas are well executed, and the sound is immensely fantastic.

Find more music by BROCK at Apple:  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/brock/1549684921

Fun fact – did you know some of the most capable minds and amazing musicians you’ve ever known STILL can’t find the best way to submit their music to us? You’d think it’d be easy, given that it’s right there on the main page of our site, yet the battle still continues! Click here to be the next up on our pages – it’s really that simple!