The mark of a good pop artist is when they take underground sounds and make them accessible to mainstream audiences. With “Ba Bing,” Aussie DJ/singer Havana Brown melds bhangra and hard electro beats as the background of her sexed-up vocal performance. That Luciana cowrote the lyrics doesn’t come as a surprise at all. Though “Ba Bing” was featured on Havana’s 2012 album (still unreleased in the US), it sounds remarkably fresh for 2014. The mixing of Indian/Middle Eastern influences with electro has been done before – Rudenko “Everybody,” R3hab “Pump the Party,” and Diplo “Butter’s Theme” come to mind. The recently released NSFW video is sexually-charged but praiseworthy from a feminist standpoint because Havana is in control with men being just as scantily clad (if not more) than the women. That is never the case in EDM videos, at least not since Ultra Nate’s “Automatic.” Actually, the cinematography seems partially inspired by the previously mentioned “Butter’s Theme.” The video for “Babing” is part of the release of a new single “Better Not Said,” which based on previews sounds like she is trying to put a pop spin on the aggressive EDM tracks that you hear from the Spinnin’ camp. Watch for a favorable review coming soon.
Image sampled from music video. Special thanks to Julio Leonel Bonilla for song suggestion.
