SONG OF THE DAY: Guinevere – “Fly Away”

“Dance all night and sing all day.” What a great message. Not everything has to be deep and visceral. Sometimes a simple pop dance song does the trick. Following the club hit “Crazy Crazy,” the feisty Guinevere unleashes “Fly Away,” an electropop song seemingly made to be sung along to on your car stereo or at the club. The song is super catchy with a repeated chorus and a fly away chant. Guinevere sounds great – like a cross between Ke$ha and Selena Gomez, the perfect balance of playful swagger and joyous innocence. Already soaring up the club chart thanks to electro and disco house mixes from Jump Smokers, Pagano, KoKo, and 7th Heaven, “Fly Away” could be one of those big summer records that crosses from the clubs onto radio.

Image Courtesy of Tommy Boy.

SONG OF THE DAY: S69 ft Krista Richards – “Can’t Quit”

Back at WMC 2004, there was a song that kept getting a major reaction every time I heard it played. It wasn’t until a party on the last day that I was able to approach the DJ and ask what it was (this, of course, was pre-Shazam). The song was “Put Em High” by Stonebridge ft Therese, and wouldn’t you know that Stonebridge was the DJ spinning (and he even gave me a promo CD of the song to play). Fast forward to WMC 2013 and I go to a lounge to hear Stonebridge spin. In the middle of his set a gorgeous singer, Krista Richards, comes out and beings to perform. In the middle of her performance, I heard a catchy melodic progressive song which I couldn’t place (and neither could Shazam). The only lyrics I remembered were “can’t quit, can’t exist,” so I went up to Stonebridge later in his set and asked about the song. He said, ‘oh that’s a new single on my label Stoney Boy Music by S69 and Krista Richards called “Can’t Quit.”‘ Rather than handing me a CD, he offered me a thumb drive, which I anxiously walked back home to listen to. It its original version, it feels quite like an ’80s record with a modern feel- not exactly new wave that we are used to, but a sort of somber keyboard track, a dance song with a new wave retro feel. Stonebridge ups the BPM on his mix and adds a modern progressive/electro feel to it. Daniel Beasley’s mix is a unique combination of house and electro, with a bit of a broken beat vibe that gives the song a completely different flavor. Throughout the different remixes, Krista Richards sounds uniquely strong with her seductive, pretty voice that exudes power in a very pleasing yet emotional way. “Can’t Quit” is definitely a major tune to watch out of WMC 2013.

Image Courtesy of Stoney Boy Records

SONG OF THE DAY: Rene Ablaze & Jacinta – “Secret 2k13” (Clokx Remix)

So I was walking down Collins Avenue on South Beach during the Winter Music Conference, enjoying the different DJs playing in every hotel lobby. As I was walking by the Dorset a track caught my attention, so I went in to see who the DJ was and it was the singer Jacinta – now known as DJ LoveFreq.?? She was rocking Abelton with an Akai APC-40, seamlessly blending tracks and singing on top of them.? I asked her if she would ever consider doing a remix of “Can’t Keep It a Secret” – one of my all-time favorite songs, an uplifting personal growth anthem about helping someone find their truth.? On its original release, it was embraced by many in the LGBT community as a coming out song.? She said it was funny I would ask that and to listen to her next song.? Then she played a new mix by Clokx that was recently released on Redux records.? Gone are the tribal beats of the original, replaced with a smoothed-out progressive energy feel and hints of stadium and electro.? Hearing her sing live over the track was an extra special treat and will definitely stand out as one of my highlights of WMC 2013.? And yes, as soon as I got back to my hotel room, I rushed onto Beatport to buy the remix for my next DJ set!

Image Courtesy of Redux.