Category: Featured

SONG OF THE DAY: HIIO & John Dish – “Rock & Roll”

There is a certain big room electro sound that has been overly-prominent lately. A sound or sample becomes de rigueur and suddenly every track on the beatport 100 seems to be using it (see Daleri’s “Mashleg” for an extreme example). What sets a producer apart is a new sound, vibe, or influence which brings a fresh taste to their track. South American duo HIIO have been on a rampage this year with a slew of club tracks featuring quality vocalists and elements of soul and gospel for a different take on big room electro. For their new track “Rock and Roll,” they’ve teamed with rising producer John Dish and added an element of ’90s dance music that has yet to be explored in the current flashback meme – euphoric sounds a la Rollo/Faithless. If you listen closely to the synth line you will hear the big room sounds inspired by the early epic classics like “Insomina” and “Salva Mea.” What this has to do with the sampled vocal, I am not sure – but the contrast makes “Rock and Roll” stand out from the majority of tracks being churned out by the pack of EDM producers on an hourly basis.

Image Courtesy of CR2 Records.

SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Robin Thicke – “Give It 2 U” (Sander Kleinenberg Remix)

Following up the official song of the summer “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke moves from the Marvin Gaye “inspired” sound to a more modern, electro synthpop groove while keeping the trademark rapey- oops, lothario- lyrics in place. This time around, rather than waiting for bootleg mixes, club DJs can jump on Beatport and grab a banging electro mix by none other than Dutch producer/DJ Sander Kleinenberg. Returning from a bit of an absence, Sander ups the tempo, keeps the synth vibe, and dirties it up with some glitch and sick studio tricks. Yes, it’s still a mainstream-leaning remix, but his rework makes it cool enough for the big room DJs to play as well.

SONG OF THE DAY: Jessica Sutta – “Lights Out”

When singers work with dance producers, there is often a conflict regarding the amount of lyrics in a song.? The singer wants to be the one telling the story, whereas the producer wants the beats and tracks to be the focus.? “Lights Out” stands out as a club track with pop lyrics where the shared focus elevates both elements.? As a member of the Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Sutta is no stranger to the pop world and her forays into clubland with Paul van Dyk, Dave Aude and as a solo artist (“Show Me” / “Again”) have been quite well-received. The track, by Waste Management, varies in styles seemingly inspired by Bingo Players, Zedd, and deadmau5, with enough rhythmic and mood changes to satisfy anyone afflicted with ADD (and yes, that’s a compliment). What others would consider a chorus is simply a bridge for Jessica as she goes for the money shot with the hands-in-the-air chorus.? Whether the song is written to a lover, to a DJ, or simply to a party is unknown but the plethora of hooks (‘oh oh oh’ chants, ‘put my hands higher and higher’ refrain) make it one of the stronger vocal dance records out right now.

Image Courtesy of Citrusonic Stereophonic.