Category: Featured

SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Damon Paul ft Patricia Banks – “The Sun Always Shines On TV”

When classic songs get covered, it’s like old friends coming over for a visit to relive wonderful memories. Originally recorded by a-ha in 1985, “The Sun Always Shine on TV” was covered by europopsters Diva in the mid ’90s and again by Milk Inc in 2003. Ready for 2013 comes German DJ Damon Paul who obviously likes to inject some fun into his production (note the playfully named Miss Vio Line who performed on his last single “Next Life”). Straight-ahead europop with elements of stadium is the production style with the obligatory dubstep breakdown is the approach, though the absence of a seemingly omnipresent (and unnecessary) rapper is much appreciated. Frequent collaborating vocalist Patricia Banks (“Last Christmas,” “Ai Se Eu Te Pego”) contributes a quality vocal which fits the track perfectly. For club consumption, more aggressive mixes by Guenta K and Bodybangers toughen the track up while keeping the full vocal in place. DJs looking for a track that mixes perfectly (and ironically) with the recent Pitbull/Christina Aguilera collaboration should definitely drop this one.

Image Courtesy of Future Soundz.

SONG OF THE DAY: Maison & Dragen ft Jeremy Carr – “Never Gonna Stop”

Finnish duo Maison and Dragen continue their streak of solid releases (“Rio De Janeiro,” “Hour of the Wold,” “Excalibur”) with the solid electro-houser “Never Gonna Stop.” Enlisting the vocal talents of Jeremy Carr,? the song gains a bit of a gospel feel – not dissimilar to “Ordinary People” and “Messiah.”? Actually, the song is quite reminiscent of theme songs from ’80s action movies -? close your eyes and you can imagine it playing with a film trailers as a building explodes.? I have a feeling that the track will get the same energetic reaction when I drop it in my sets this weekend.

Image Courtesy of Zouk.

SONG OF THE DAY: Giuseppe Ottaviani & Eric Lumiere – “Love Will Bring It All Around”

Remember the classic trance track “Anthem” by Filo & Peri ft Eric Lumiere. It was one of those rare tracks where the production, song, and voice were all superior and combined to be even greater than the sum of their parts. Nearly five years later, “Love Will Bring It All Around” is the long-awaited followup. Yes, Eric Lumiere has done several good records since “Anthem,” but his vocals in the hands of Italian trance producer Giuseppe Ottaviani elevates them to the epic place they deserve.? The track is gorgeous, and on its own would be peak time material for any trance/progressive set.? The warmth of the chords lifts your spirits and give it an accessible feel while not going all the way to cheese.? The vocal production is exceptional and the intonation of the title lyrics bears a slight resemblance to the major vocal hook of “Anthem.”? There is, however, one thing which I must mention here – when did it become essential for the majority of vocals to be placed over an extended dropout in the middle of a track??? Seriously, there is a good two minute stretch here with no beat that will easily clear many floors.? Yes, as DJs our job would be to find a click track/drum loops to play behind it, but the overabundance of these big room vocal tracks with massive dropouts is getting tiresome – it’s like the early mid-’90s all over again. Of course, this track will sounds amazing on dance radio and podcasts, but it would also be great to get a version that would work in all kinds of clubs and not just the superstar-led big rooms.? With that being said, “Love Will Bring It All Around” is a massive vocal monster with solid production which will no doubt dominate big rooms throughout the festival season.

Image Courtesy of Black Hole.