Rather than trying to fill in the space between beats with lyricism that wouldn’t have come close to capturing the mood as well as the music does, Richga is keeping it simple with his new single “Dance Exorcist.” Playing out exactly as its title would imply it should this is a track that demands movement out of anyone who happens to be listening to its groove, and if you’re craving something to dance to this spring, you might have found the perfect performance from a player who, for all intents and purposes, has not been getting the kind of appreciation he truly deserves. Richga has a casual approach to the bassline in “Dance Exorcist,” but this doesn’t remove the physicality from the melodic disposition in the song at all – the opposite, in all actuality.
There’s nothing wrong with leaving the bass without a major boost in the second half here because, frankly, the track doesn’t need the buoyancy thanks to how smoothly fashioned the synth parts are. They’re tight enough to hold a shape but they’re not cutting into the weight of the mix as a whole, which is something some of this player’s peers have had a hard time with in the past.
The hook in this single doesn’t have as much sting as it could have, but let’s be honest – was the goal of this song to get us as many melodic fireworks as possible, or simply to make us want to groove along with the music in a way that only a good club vibe can? From where I’m sitting today, I think it’s the latter without debate, and the girth of the beat as we come into the beginning and end of this track is all the evidence I need to prove as much.
Other songs from this player’s discography, like “Paris” or “Ur So Gay,” have lacked the mixing depth this single has, and I think this is a good look for Richga moving forward. He hasn’t quite settled on where he wants to be in the world of alternative dance music, but this is a style that he could wear a lot easier than some of his rivals could, and without sounding like he’s forcing the point on the aesthetical front, which is one of the greatest challenges anyone in this kind of music is going to face (underground and mainstream alike).
If this is on par with what Richga is going to be doing on a regular basis in the future then you can consider me a fan of his music moving forward. “Dance Exorcist” enthralls us with its enormity and yet efficient structure, but at the end of the day, if you’re someone who can get into the dancefloor mood as much as I do when the night is young and the flavor is feeling right, this is going to be a single that you treasure as one of the best out of this player’s scene since the start of 2023. It’s simple, but that’s its greatest charm.
Chadwick Easton