Category: Song Of The Day

SONG OF THE DAY: Roger Sanchez ft GTO – “Troubleman”

With massive club anthems (“Another Chance,” “Lost”), epic remixes (Kylie’s “In Your Eyes,” Basia’s “Drunk on Love”), long-term Ibiza residency, and a Grammy award for best remixed recording, Roger Sanchez is one of the hardest-working legends of house music.? So as classic underground house starts making a comeback, now seems the perfect time for him to step in and show the newcomers how it’s done.? Teaming up with GTO (singer of “Turn on the Music”), Roger releases “Troubleman,” a soulful house track with influences of blues and jazz. GTO’s gospel-like vocals warn of the problems to come when we do the wrong things with our life.? The backing vocals are repeated and effected so that they sounds like a spiritual hymn. For a looped-out, dubbier take, check out DJ Sneak’s remix.? The video is moving as it contrasts dancing and protests with evildoers of the past century.? This is the kind of political statement that rarely gets expressed in dance tracks, and hopefully it will lead to more artists going deeper with their music.? As the first track from his upcoming album ‘Roots,” we anxiously await wait to hear more from the Stealth leader of house.

Image Courtesy of Stealth.

SONG OF THE DAY: Fedde Le Grand & Sultan + Ned Shepard – “No Good”

Ever since “Put Your Hands Up for Detroit,” Dutchman Fedde Le Grand has been a fixture on the international club scene, packing dance floors with his energetic sets.? He is one of those DJs (like Benny Benassi) that you can watch DJ and feel how good of a time he is having. This also comes through in his original tracks and remixes.? With aims for the big festivals, he has found a special niche of updating club classics with a 2010s feel through remixes (Sono “Keep Control,” Everything but the Girl “Missing,” Fatboy Slim “Praise You”) and covers (“So Much Love” as a cover of Together’s? “So Much Love to Give”). For “No Good,” Fedde teams with talented producer/DJ duo Sultan + Ned Shepard for an electro update of The Prodigy’s classic jungle anthem “No Good (Start the Dance).”?? The track is an energetic (and entertaining) mix of dancehall, electro, stadium, hardcore, and even a breakbeat section reminiscent of the original track.? As divergent as that sounds, the flow is perfect and this track will be massive on any dance floor.? For the video,? the style is similar to that of his previous track “Rockin and Rollin” with the addition of live action dandies with cartoonish Jedward-styled bouffants.? While the goose-stepping might be a little off-putting, the idea of consecutive videos with a similar animation harkens back to Daft Punk’s Interstella 5555 space-age narrative.? We could only imagine the story that would come from playing these Fedde Le Grand videos back-to-back.

Image Courtesy of Spinnin.

SONG OF THE DAY: BT – “Skylarking”

No one does pretty soundscapes better than BT. “Skylarking” is a gorgeous, bordering on epic exploration of synths and keyboard melodies, starting from a hybrid of ambient and classical music which gradually builds in intensity until the beat comes in – leading to an almost-Hi-NRG-style production. Not to sound cliched, but there is definitely a ’90s feel here, reminiscent of the beautiful trance-y circuit tracks that would bring a warm feeling to all those dancing.? If there was ever a track worthy of the label ’emotional technology,’ it would be “Skylarking.”? What make this track sound classic also makes it sound timeless – it is neither overly aggressive, nor formulaic stadium – it’s a pretty track that will sound perfect in an opening set for a trance night or a closing set for a progressive night.? For DJs that require a more primetime mix for their floor, Ilan Bluestone goes progressive electro while Maor Levi toughens it up with a harsher, glitchy remix. The video is absolutely stunning using time lapse footage of the Northern Lights over Alaska. The breathtaking visuals perfectly capture the emotion of “Skylarking.”

Image Courtesy of Armada.