Category: Song Of The Day

SONG OF THE DAY: Gorgon City ft Zak Abel – Unmissable

Mixing Nu-House and soul, Gorgon City release another solid track from their forthcoming ‘Sirens’ album. The organ intro sets the classic vibe for Zak Abel to deliver the emotional lyrics. Last heard on Wookiee’s “Higher,” Zak joins the current generation of UK male soul singers (Sam Smith, John Newman, ETML) with a deep voice that has a bit of Example’s toughness to punctuate the vibe. The backing gospel singers elevate the song as well, leading to the hooky chorus which is truly “unmissable.” As the follow up to the top 10 hits “Ready For Your Love” and “Here For You,” this song solidifies the Gorgon City sound. All three songs showcase manage the producer, the singer, and the excellent songwriting as equal parts – something which is rare in the dance and pop music worlds.

Image courtesy of Atlantic Records.

SONGS OF THE DAY: Duke Dumont – Slow Dance / Mumble Man

Just as the big room EDM guys alternate releases between big room electro monsters and progressive pop confections, Duke Dumont is doing the same, alternating big pop records like the upcoming “Won’t Look Back” with more club-focused tracks in a series called For Club Play Only. For Part 3, he does two more underground takes on his nu-House sound. “Slow Dance” is sparse, with the bassline as the focus, a keyboard breakdown, and classic acid sounds coming in towards the end. The vocals, obviously sampled because of the placement and structure, say “I wanna slow dance with you” and fit the vibe perfectly. “Mumble Man” is just as the title says, a guy mumbling a line over a retrohouse track. The call and response of the vocal and the effected version is quite humorous, especially considering what they are saying “you deny me… got physical” and “now my body has arrived,” which makes it sounds like a sexual encounter gone awry leading to, erm, self-satisfaction. Both of these tracks will fit a sexy house set, and even though they have the vibe of tracks from twenty years ago, they sound modern and fresh at the same time. If you haven’t heard “Wont Look Back,” do check it out here…

SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Erika Jayne – Painkillr

With six consecutive chart-topping club hits, Erika Jayne is definitely clubland’s favorite pretty mess. It’s been a hot minute since her last collaborations with Dave Aude and Luciana (“Party People” and “One Hot Pleasure”) were released, and though we’ve been teased with “You Make Me Wanna Dance” (with the hot video filmed in the Phillipines) and “Get It Tonight (featuring a rap from Flo Rida), our patience will soon be rewarded with “Painkillr.” Seemingly inspired by aptly named comic book character “Painkiller Jane,” the lyrics about love being her painkiller would be in SciFi talk, the source of her regenerative life force. OK, so I am reaching, but “Painkillr” is a solid pop song with a memorable chorus (and thankfully they dropped the E at the end of the title rather than changing it to a 3). For clubland, a full spate of remixes from tribal to electro to progressive come from Oliver Twizt, Cole Plante, Lynnwood, Mike Cruz, and Victor Dinaire & Bissen. In the next few weeks, we can probably expect a super sharp video as well. How hot would it be for Erika to transform into a superhero for some cosplay?

Image courtesy of Pretty Mess Records.