"Hex" (stylized as H E X) is a song by electronic music producers
Rezz
Isabelle Rezazadeh (born 28 March 1995), who is known by her stage name Rezz (stylized in all caps), is a Ukrainian–Canadian DJ and record producer from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Rezz released her debut extended play (EP) ''Insurrection'' in ...
and
1788-L
David Andrew Lunson (born 7 January 1988), known as 1788-L, is an American DJ, electronic music producer. He rose to fame in 2018 with a remix of Virtual Self's "Particle Arts" uploaded onto his SoundCloud account. Other releases following this i ...
, released by Canadian record label
Mau5trap
Mau5trap (stylized as mau5trap; pronounced "mousetrap") is a Canadian independent record label founded in 2007 by electronic music producer Deadmau5. The label was formerly a vanity label, hosting releases through labels such as Ultra Music, V ...
on 29 June 2018 as the second single from Rezz's second album ''
Certain Kind of Magic''.
Background and release
The song was featured at several electronic
music festival
A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...
s such as the
Electric Daisy Carnival
Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is the largest e ...
and the
Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music Music festival, festival that takes place in March in Miami, Florida. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes.
It was first held on Miami Beach, but bes ...
before release; it was released as a
digital download on 29 June 2018.
Upon release, Rezazadeh commented about the song, writing "'Hex' is one of my heavier tracks. It was one of the easiest and most fluid collaborations I have ever done."
The song was released as part of Rezazadeh's second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
titled ''Certain Kind of Magic'' released on 3 August 2018. It was the second track on the album, which also includes seven other songs.
Critical reception
"Hex" was well received by most critics. Writing for ''EDM Chicago'', Marisa Mackowiak stated that Rezz continues to prove "her dominance over the bass music scene and 1788-L only further cements his reputation to be a force to reckon with." Cassie Sheets of ''Nest HQ'' wrote that the song is a "fast-track lane to the depths of hell, with enough force to shatter the frozen, ice lake and let loose all of the sinful creatures which lurk below."
William Selviz called the song "industrial and eerie, exactly what Rezz fans have come to know and love from their space mom queen", writing that it "creeps under the skin and lives in your brain for weeks." Lindsey Oh of ''
Dancing Astronaut
Dancing Astronaut is an American media platform founded in 2009 that primarily covers the electronic dance music industry. The website covers concerts and festivals, reports on entertainment news, reviews music, and publishes original content syn ...
'' wrote that the song blended the two artists' styles to "effortlessly from the spooky build-up to the heavy and welcomely abrasive drop they mesmerize listeners and transport them to a place of bass, lasers and head-banging." Nick Yopko of ''EDM.com'' described the song as one of the most energetic tracks that he had seen from either producer.
Writing for ''We Rave You'', Alexander Costello stated that the song stayed true to the "dark-toned nature" of Rezazadeh's previous work, writing that the song is one of her heavier productions.
''This Song Slaps Alejandro Vega noted the song's use of Rezazadeh's use of plucks and 1788-L's
bassline
Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
s, calling the song "mid-Tempo goodness." Jeanette Kats of ''Noiseporn'' wrote that the song opened with a "signature ominous Rezz melody" and called the songs' drops one of the heaviest she had heard from Rezazadeh yet.
Track listing
Release history
References
{{authority control
2018 singles
2018 songs
Rezz songs