Portuguese production heavyweight Diogo Menasso has been a busy man in recent years. With his list of releases now up in triple figures, Diogo has become one of his country’s most reliable resources for high end electronic music releases with the likes of Kontor, Vidisco, Versuz Essentials, Exklusive, Rac Kaos, Pandora Rec, Composure UK and many more premium labels lining up to release his heavyweight productions. Backing up his impressive resume is a long line of some of the leading tastemakers in House music who are keen to support new projects bearing Diogo’s internationally respected name. Dada Life, Sidney Samson, Gregor Salto, D.O.N.S., Pete Tha Zouk and many more are all among the long list of names that are jumping at Diogo’s new releases and his latest offering ‘Spanked’ is surely one of his best yet.
Diogo kicks off ‘Spanked’ with relative calm – the intro is deceptively held back and you’d be forgiven for being surprised when the break lets off a thunderous sine blast. That full bodied smack introduces the main Synth – a glowing and creatively modulated and edited lead that sings out a proud and euphoric melody that’ll be hummed for weeks after listening. As the leads open up and reach full capacity, the break push up into a crescendo of snare rushes and tension, bolstered by the party-starting looped vocal “Here we f’ing go” – which introduces the main body of the track.
The drop brings out a huge bass, mostly down to Diogo’s monster kick drum. The kick is getting towards Hardstyle territory, carrying a tone of its own which is creatively pitched into its own melody to bring together the key of the track. Punching through the sub territory with extreme power – ‘Spanked’ may well be named after the kick drum which more than lives up to the name of this hard-hitting production. Tight, bouncy and ready to work your subs – Diogo has a knack of getting low frequency energy to carry a serious punch and judging by the professional nature of the rest of the production, it’s a magic trick that’s honed over many years in the studio.
Diogo’s no doubt making a big name for himself in Portugal and his limits are reaching far beyond even the continent. With an online army of followers amassing and an extensive list of A-list supporters, it’s clear that Diogo’s impressing on every level. Portugal needs another hero of dance music and if Diogo keeps this pace and quality up – he may well find himself becoming somewhat of a national treasure for a country that’s got plenty to shout about when it comes to electronic dance music in all its forms.
