SONG OF THE DAY: DJ Fresh vs TC – Make U Bounce

With “Bounce Generation” by TJR & Vinai and “Bouncer” by Showtek & Ookay getting major club play, it seems like “Bounce” tracks done as collaborations is the summer theme. Producers DJ Fresh and TC (aka Tommy Boy) step up to the (dub)plate and create the infectious hard-hitting track “Make U Bounce” which blends aggressive electro, dirty dutch staccatos, stadium synths with the drum and bass sounds they are known for. The video game noises scattered throughout are a nice touch as are the really fresh sounding vocal efx. Little Nikki (last heard on her catchy update of Simon Says called “Little Nikki Says”) nails the vocal performance with the party starting song with a much more personality than you might expect from an uncredited vocalist. The remixes are incredibly strong acoss the board with Jus Now (atmospheric breaks,) TC (aggressive drum and breaks) and Manhattan Clique (commercial electro yet incorporation all the elements of the original.) Its often said that you can judge a man’s virility based on the size of his hands, so the video featuring a woman with massive hands fighting back against overly aggressive men is a playful yet direct attack on stereotypes. Subversive EDM, yeah that sounds good to me.

Image Courtesy of Ministry of Sound.

SONG OF THE DAY: Umek ft Jay Colin – Burnfire

Do we call this NuGarage? On “Burnfire,” Slovenian DJ/producer Umek blends two step and speed garage for a modern, bouncy take on two urban dance music styles. It sounds both classic and current at the same time. With those gated, stuttered vocal effects, it’s as if they are channelling an Armand Van Helden remix of Artful Dodger from 1997. Jay Colin’s toasting goes in a ragga/dancehall direction which fits perfectly with the track. “Burnfire” is quite a brilliant and fun track, and it stands out for being both really well-produced and sounding different than everything else that is out there right now.

Image Courtesy of Spinnin Music.

SONGS OF THE DAY: Lush & Simon ft XOV – City of Lights (Vocal Mix) and Lush & Simon – Hunter

Back in November, I was really excited about the track by City of Lights. I wrote it up here and ended with:

‘It sounds like something that one of the big guys like Armin or Zedd would be releasing for the fall season. As a track it?s incredibly strong, but it feels like it?s calling out to have a great topline on top of it. With the title ?City of Lights,? the lyrics are almost in mind as I hear the song play.’

A few months later and the Italian duo Lush & Simon enlisted the vocal talents of XOV. What’s surprising is that they chose such a dark and downbeat vocalist for such an uplifting song. If you listen to XOV’s solo songs like “Lucifer” or “Fireman,” his lyrics come from such a dark place that it make Dido or Lorde seem like they’ve overdosed on happy pills. However the darkness works for the track, and while the lyrics are uplifting his tone and delivery gives it a bit more edge so it doesn’t go saccharine or cheesy. As much as I love the original track, this new vocal version elevates it to a higher level.

As pretty an uplifting as “City of Lights” is, Lush & Simon’s other new single “Hunter” is a much more aggressive electro banger. It’s similar in vibe to their track “Adrenaline” with a touch of old school Chemical Brothers in the mix. It’s easy to see why Nicky Romero signed this to his Protocol label.

With all of these tracks mentioned, and of course the gorgeous “Drag Me To the Ground,” the Italian duo Alessandro Miselli & Simone Pioltelli continue to amass a strong catalog of original productions. They are definitely a team to watch as future superstars.

Images courtesy of Trice and Protocol Recordings.