Category: Featured

SONG OF THE DAY: Vato Gonzalez – “Army of Bastards”

Which would you rather have, an army of monsters, Barbies, or bastards?? The Dutch master of “dirty house,” Vato Gonzalez, unleashes the incessant and aggressive “Army of Bastards” as almost a uniting call to arms.? While the haunting vocal chant in the intro could easily veer into a Saturday Night Live/Dieter parody, as soon as the synth hook kicks in (with the rhythm perfectly engineered to get the crowd clapping and pumping their fists as well),?you know this is going to be a serious monster.?? A quick, teasing drop is your last chance to breathe before the piercing electro assault completely takes over . Yes, this massive track that Vato created to lead off a mixtape (with tracks produced by his following) could easily spiral into his biggest choon since “Badman Riddim.”? As for the intro question, I think I would go for “Hooligans,” as coined by Vato’s fellow Dutchman Don Diablo in his track with Example a few years back.

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SONG OF THE DAY: Tomcraft ft Sam Obernik – “The Noyz”

German producer/DJ Tomcraft throws us a curveball with his new track “The Noyz.” Known for darker and more underground progressive productions, “The Noyz” borders on the unabashedly commercial. The track starts off subtle, then builds to a horn blast which ushers in the first dropdown. The horn builds up again and then that synth hook comes in. I say “that synth hook’ because it sounds so familiar, like it’s from an 80s pop song which I just can’t place (having a Galleon deja vu moment). Just when you think you can ID the hook, the horn comes back to usher in another dropdown where chameleon vocalist Sam Obernik channels her inner Shirley Bassey. The whip noises, vocal sample, and hook are all reading 80s Hi-NRG pop, but somehow the cool production still keeps Tomcraft’s edgier flavor. Both remixes are quite good, keeping all of the original elements in place: Lissat & Voltaxx pumps up the energy for a quite fun, bouncy remix, while Ain’t & Fish darken things with a more progressive feel that is still dancefloor-friendly. As the second single from Tomcraft’s upcoming ’20 Years’ album, we anxiously await hearing more.

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SONG OF THE DAY: Maya Von Doll – “Open Chequebook”

Last week, I DJed a fashion show and the producers requested that I use Soho Dolls “Stripper.” So when lead singer Maya Von Doll drops her solo debut “Open Chequebook,” she was already at the forefront in my mind. Teaming up with French producer Dimitri Tikovoi (Placebo/Goldfrapp), she has written quite a biting attack against a rich girl trying to infiltrate the EDM scene by buying a hit to become famous. The rock-influenced electro production with its touch of glitch borders on pop but has just the right amount of edge for Maya’s coyly-accented bravada vocals. Imagine Garbage slagging off Paris Hilton for a point of reference… Club DJs looking for a harder mix should check out Oliver Twizt’s electro rub.

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