Frankie Knuckles has passed away. The Godfather of House Music spun at The Warehouse in Chicago during the late ’70s and early ’80s, which is where the term “house music” came from. Recipient of the first Grammy for remixer of the year, he has worked on just about every important soulful vocalist in the past 30 years – Diana Ross, Patti Labelle, Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, and Patti LaBelle just to name a few. His spirit touched us all and his influence on our world will be felt every time we whistle…
Category: Featured
SONG OF THE DAY: Adassa – Backfire
After enjoying a week of BANGERS at Winter Music Conference, it’s nice to return home and hear a great vocal record with an incredibly strong set of remixes. Let me introduce to you- Adassa. Fans of Latin music already know her as the “Reggaeton Princess” and she is entering the world of dance-pop with different singles aimed different countries. While other markets are getting records featuring Flo Rida, Pitbull, and Snoop Dogg, US DJs are getting “Backfire,” a record showcasing her strong vocals (think a Latina Leona Lewis) and songwriting skills (a deep, almost confessional record where she considers sabotaging a relationship to ensure a painless breakup). The darkness of the lyrical content fits in the realm of Zedd “Stay the Night,” making a great fit for radio. Of course, DJs are all about the beats, and there is a mix for everyone – Danny Mart (a modern fusion of electro and tribal), DJ Samuel Kimko & Don Candiana (a commercial take on progressive stadium house), JC (bouncy funky house a la Crazibiza), Lucas Reyes (subtitled as tech-house, but sounds more like nu-House to me), and Simec (trap pop). All that is missing is an over-the-top Mariah Carey-ish music video featuring her working hard to get noticed and loved by her unappreciative spouse and we’ve got a major hit contender for the spring.
Image Courtesy of Kult.
adassa backfire
SONG OF THE DAY: Showtek & Ookay – Bouncer
Another great example of blending genres, Dutch duo Showtek add a bit of trap to their aggressive electro sound. Though this isn’t just your typical banging track, there’s also a good bit of happy synth-pop, like a hybrid of Cash Cash and Walden. The three different elements work really well together, and adding the rapper Oookay with the line “Let Me See You Bounce” just takes it way over the top. The video features clips of their fans dancing (and bouncing) in their unique style – kind of like the infamous “#Selfie” video and it fits absolutely perfectly. Add “Bouncer” to another in the line of massive Showtek hits from the past year – “Booyah,” “Cannonball,” “We Like To Party,” – maybe the next track should be called “Unstoppable.”
Image Courtesy of Spinnin.