SONG OF THE DAY: Arcader – “Pillowtalk” EP

As the music industry prepares its descent on Austin, Texas for the annual South by Southwest festival, it seems a perfect time to highlight Arcader, one of the rising EDM talents from there. I wrote about his funky techno remix of Tyler Hampton’s ode to ADHD “The Knight” a few weeks ago, and here he returns with the Pillowtalk EP- two tracks of funky dance floor madness. The title track isn’t exactly retro, but the shuffling beat changes subtly throughout and contains many references to old school house, yet modernized with a smooth progressive feel.? The vocodered voice is a nice touch, giving a kind of ominous, robotically-structured feel to a constantly-changing track.? Bermuda doesn’t necessarily have a tropical feel to it, but it does have a rhythmic feel that sounds like a vacation track.? I could almost imagine someone singing “Break My Stride” on top of it.? It’s also one of those rare tracks at a relatively slower bpm (124) that has more energy than much faster electro tracks.? The bouncy beats and swinging shuffling groove are deceptive in the way they suck you in without you even realizing it. With a topline vocal added, Bermuda could be come one of those leftfield club records that gets big out of nowhere, like a “King of My Castle” kind of thing.

Purchase this track on Beatport.

Image Courtesy of Academik.

SONG OF THE DAY: Cahill & Kimberley Locke – “Feel the Love”

verse and chorus sung by a truly talented singer. In the mold of “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland and “Love’s Got a Hold On Me” by Frenchie Davis,? “Feel the Love” is an emotional and uplifting dance record with a pop feel and enough edge to command attention on a commercial dance floor.? The song is full of energy without resorting to aggressive electro or cliched old school NRG (not that there is anything wrong with either extreme). Cahill’s production is near perfection, not a surprise considering their consistent track record as remixers, with a real depth of transitions as the song progresses.? Kimberley Locke is an amazing vocalist, as anyone who has seen her perform live can attest to, and in the hands of Cahill she expresses both power and beauty with a truly multilayered performance.? It doesn’t hurt that the song is fully-realized and well-written with a universal message.? Just as Cahill tends to work on multiple singles by artists (Agnes, Cascada, Nicole Scherzinger), let’s hope this is just the first of many collaborations by these two gifted entities.

Image Courtesy of 3 Beat.

SONG OF THE DAY: Boyan & Boyer ft Emma Shaffer – “Touch” / “Rave Crave” EP

When an artist releases a double single, it is often hard to decide which one to feature. “Touch” is an exploration in contrasts – emotionally vibrant and melodic vocals from 17-year old newcomer Emma Shaffer sung over dropouts that are really harsh and aggressive, if not angry, electro – bordering on the chainsaw sound you would expect from someone line Bl3nd or R3hab. Some of the vocal effects allude to a “touch” of retro rave sounds which are more fully explored on “Rave Crave” – a full on retro-rave monster. There’s a trend for the electro guys to sample classic ’90s techno in the productions, well “Rave Crave” is much more realized. The operatic stabs, rhythm structures, and yes, the almost comical transition noises- recall the fun and simplicity of old-rave/wave, yet the modern production makes it fit perfectly in 2013 DJ sets. You know how Disney movies are aimed at kids but contain jokes for their parents, “Rave Crave” is the EDM version of that – containing the sounds of today for club kids with references to old-school rave for their parents who drive them to the party.

Image Courtesy of EnMass.