Category: Song Of The Day

SONG OF THE DAY: The Chainsmokers ft Priyanka Chopra – “Erase”

Judging by their name and bio, it’s obvious that the The Chainsmokers don’t take themselves too seriously. Just some fun-loving guys, they make hard electro tracks with a pop vibe as if they were the offspring of R3hab (with the Chainsaw sound) and Jump Smokers (sharing a surname and jokey vibe). “Erase” is an aggressive, if not grating electro track, not dissimilar to R3hab’s chainsaw sound buoyed by Swedish House Mafia-esque synths in the breakdown. Seductive vocals by Bollywood superstar/Miss World Priyanka Chopra soften the track a bit, making it a tad more accessible while maintaining a properly aggressive feel. If hard electro isn’t your thing, check out the more AC-vibe rock mix by Samantha Ronson. The merging of NYC hipster models and a RedOne protege – this is definitely a track to expect some big things from.

Image Courtesy of 4AM.

SONG OF THE DAY: Aly & Fila vs Bjorn Akesson – “Sand Theme (FSOE250 Anthem)”

Egyptian trance producers Aly & Fila celebrate the 250th broadcast of their Future Sound of Egypt radio show with the aptly titled “Sand Theme.” The original mix, a collaboration with Swedish producer Bjorn Akesson, melds classic soothing trance elements (is that a reference to Chicane “Saltwater”) with sitar-like strings and glitchy noises for a sparse yet uplifting feel. Fully embracing the “trance 2.0” vibe, Argentinian producer Chris Schweizer intensifies the energy with aggressive synths and harder beats that propel with the build up to a pounding, erm, sandstorm. All puns aside, lovers of harder electro trance should definitely check out this international flavored track.

Image Courtesy of FSOE Recordings.

SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath” (Lenny B Remix)

In a world where uncredited engineers do the work of others who buy the credit, it’s great to see a real musician/producer stay true to himself. Lenny B has produced remixes for everyone from Rihanna and Britney Spears to Faithless and Armand van Helden, always managing to engage the sounds of big room club music with a commercial feel. His recent remix of One Direction “What Makes Your Beautiful” gained massive club play by taking the boy band into the electro realm while keeping the hooks and melodies perfectly in line. “Catch My Breath” is not the first song of Kelly Clarkson that Lenny has remixed, he also did “The Trouble With Love” a few years back which she then chose as her tour version. It’s always a challenge for a producer to rework a song with a powerful vocal – the vibrato and tone don’t always fit when the tempo changes for club play. In Lenny’s masterful hands, the mid tempo pop ballad transforms into a powerful club anthem as electro/stadium house hybrid. The vocals are so perfect, it sounds like she sang this version as the original take. Lenny’s mix would perfectly in a credible club set by someone like Swedish House Mafia or David Guetta just as easily as it would in a commercial club by your local resident dj. That kind of universal sound is what Lenny B is really known for – taking pop records and giving them a modern club feel. Now, let’s just see if the label is smart enough to realize that this is the perfect mix for radio and gives it the push it deserves.