Category: Featured

SONG OF THE DAY: Leonardo GloVibes ft Juiceppe – Electrica Salsa

Those crazy Italians… ? Between the rise of Moska, Felguk, and HiiO, and the massive Fatboy Slim ‘Bem Brasil’ album,? there’s definitely a South American trend going on in EDM right now. When I first saw the title “Electrica Salsa,” I was expecting either an update of the Sven Vath “Baba Baba” track, or a reworking of salsa in the same vibe that the Royal Gigolos did in their heyday.? This track is neither of those.? Yes, there is a salsa sample in the track, but somehow Italian DJ/Producer Leonardo GloVibes was inspired to sample Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock’s classic “It Takes Two” (in a similar way to how he used Black Box’s “Strike It Up” on his “Move On” track)? and add singer Juiceppe, affecting his best drag queen reading voice.? This track is really something random and crazy that just comes out of nowhere, but it is definitely memorable and gets a reaction when an adventurous DJ works it into his set. Trust me, I remember when I heard Leonardo play it poolside during the Winter Music Conference and kept wondering what it was and when it would finally get released (the answer being June 23rd).

Image Courtesy of Go Deeva.

The Chainsmokers Interview (2014)

It’s been an insane year for Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, a/k/a The Chainsmokers. Their novelty track “#Selfie” exploded from the clubs to become a massive crossover pop hit around the word and has led to an insane tour schedule and a last minute fill-in slot on the main stage of Ultra Music Festival. To think that this is all because of a track that they did as a joke and that is unlike anything else they’ve produced. I caught up with the duo in Nashville, Tennessee, for a quick chat before they performed at Anthem (the first of 6 gigs in four cities that they did over the course of 48 hours). That’s what you call an insane tour schedule…

Interview conducted April 2014. Produced in conjunction with Fusion TV..

SONG OF THE DAY: Disciples – Poison Arrow

What would happen if Disclosure experimented with bassline house?? That might come off as too dismissive of the Disciples new track “Poison Arrow,” but it seems like the perfect reference.? The followup to their buzz tracks “Catwalk” and “Remedy” is really a fresh-sounding mesh of classic house, dub, and bassline with incredibly catchy hooks and some incredible vocal production. The vocals are layered and effected to such extreme that in places they sound more like an instrument than something human. Then there is the religious/spiritual nature of some of the lyrics which might be channeling the gospel house/inspirational sounds of the late ’90s and might be a common theme of their songs, given their chosen artist name.? You can definitely hear the deep house influence of Shadow Child (aka Dave Spoon) who did some additional production on the track. The overall effect is similar to Disclosure with a touch of Hot Since 82 – electronic dance production with classic influence and a polished pop feel. On the remixes, Kilter goes leftfield, while Purple Disco Machine keeps the original vibe adding a bit of synth-pop. One thing that stands out is the guy shouting “Poison,” which might give you a Bell Biv DeVoe flashback (and if it does, then track down the superb mash-up of BBD and Disclosure called “When Poison Starts to Burn”). Together with Oliver Heldens vs Becky Hill “Gecko (Overdrive),”? it looks like ffrr is finding some really great record for the summer.

Image courtesy of FFRR.