SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): DJ Snake & Alesia – “Bird Machine”

You got to love anyone whose bio simply states “We make music, fuck a genre. If it’s good, it’s good.” Frenchmen DJ Snake and Alesia team up for a trap/moombahton/downtempo/electro/wtf track based on samples of birds chirping. Yeah, it’s further proof that you can make a dance record from anything, but the manipulation of the natural sound of birds to “that” piercing sound you always hear in these records is quite brilliant. The sprinkling of retro ’90s hip-house samples just takes it to the next level. “Bird Machine” is so sick and cool that I wouldn’t be surprised if Azealia Banks drops a vocal bootleg sometime next week.

Image Courtesy of Mad Decent.

SONG OF THE DAY: Daddy’s Groove – “Stellar”

If you are looking for a song to lure die-hard techno haters into the EDM world, here’s a good gateway. Italian producers and members of David Guetta’s inner circle, Daddy’s Groove unleash one of the most interesting hybrid records of the season.? Starting off with alt-rock male vocals singing a One Direction-ish pop song with the oh-so-edgy “fucking stellar” hook, it gradually builds to a full-on stadium house chorus that sounds like the peak hour climax of an Avicii set.? Effortlessly going back and forth between pop/rock verses and the stadium house chorus makes “Stellar” live up to its title. The video is worth checking out -? a quite earnest (and humorous) take on the ultimate nerd fantasy of winning the love of a beautiful woman through sheer ingenuity.?

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Image Courtesy of Robbins.

SONG OF THE DAY: Afrojack ft Chris Brown – “As Your Friend”

Grammy-winning Dirty Dutch producer/DJ Afrojack has proven himself to be one of the few craftsmen that can create pop hits (“Give Me Everything,” “Take Over Control,” “So High”) as well as big room/underground club jams (“Polkadots,” “Rock the House,” “Prutataaa”). “As Your Friend” partners him with R&B/pop star/noted humanitarian Chris Brown for a club-and-radio friendly blend of electro, stadium, and house with emotional chords supporting the chorus made of the repeated title.? Not a stranger to repeating titles for choruses (“Don’t Wake Me Up”) nor collaborating with dance producers (Benny Benassi, David Guetta), Brown delivers a soulful performance which adds depth to the almost frantic production. Being the trainspotter that I am, the song kept reminding me of another R&B/pop hit which took me forever to place.? It wasn’t until I was driving and heard Jay Sean’s “Down” that it hit me – though the similarity doesn’t come as a shock as both songs share the co-writer Jared Cotter.??? As the first taste of his long-awaited forthcoming debut artist album, “As Your Friend” seems to set up the project as an R&B/pop/electro hybrid a la David Guetta, though knowing Afrojack’s eccentric style we can definitely expect some surprises in the final lineup.

Check out our Afrojack interview.
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