Category: Song Of The Day

SONG OF THE DAY: Erik Arbores – Galactic?

During Winter Music Conference, a topic often discussed was how so many of the big tracks sound nearly identical.? Leave it to a young producer to bring a fresh taste to the current trends.? Sixteen year-old producer Erik Arbores caught everyone’s attention a few years ago when he was discovered by Armin van Buuren, signed to Armada records, and became the youngest person ever to top the Dutch iTunes chart with his ‘Take It EP” and named Best New Dance Artist.? Fast forward a few years and together with a few friends around the same age (Martin Garrix, Julian Jordan, and DeeWayne) they are unleashing some of the biggest international club records.? On “Galactic,” he starts with the triplet sound which was made massive by “Tsunami” and adds the twist of a ’60s horn vibe as the rhythm line.? When you say that out loud it does sound strange, but when you hear it works so well and gives the big room EDM sound a different, happier vibe that is less dark and foreboding.?? Keeping that happy vibe, the video features well-breasted females dressed in bright candy colors while trapped in a gumball machine and trying to entice little boys out of their pocket change.? Yeah, that seems a bit inappropriate, but the ending is so cute that you can almost look past it.

Image courtesy of Spinnin Records.

SONG OF THE DAY: Chocolate Puma ft Kris Kiss – Step Back

One thing you quickly realize about EDM producers is that they tend to change names every few years, so if your favorite team suddenly disappears, just do a discogs search on the members and there are bound to be other aliases.? As The Goodmen, Dutch duo Zki & Dobre had a massive club hit in the early ’90s with “Give It Up” featuring tribal batucada drums that was inspired by a Sergio Mendes track (“Magalehna”) and ended up inspiring a massive pop hit by Simply Red (“Fairground”). As Riva, they had the major pop hit “Who Do You Love Now” with Dannii Minogue.? With their current name Chocolate Puma, they’ve released several massive club records like “I Wanna Be U,”? “Always and Forever,” and collabs with Bingo Players (“Disco Electrique” and “Touch Me”). ?For their new single, the duo literally “Step Back” to the ’90s with a speed garage bassline-oriented track that feels equal parts Artful Dodger, Armand Van Helden, and Sharp Boys.? Like the better Nu-House tracks out there, it is a modern update- not just a direct retread of the original sounds, which they accomplished by adding a modern breakdown with a hint of Eric Prydz-style progressive synth work. The track on its own is quite strong but by bringing in vocalist Kris Kris they seem assured another pop crossover record.? It also makes you wonder if they’ve gone back to their old DATs from the ’90s to mine bits for inspiration.

Image courtesy of MixMash Records.

SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Boy George – My God

With it being Sunday, I was feeling a bit spiritual- and while looking through my playlists for something meaningful and emotionally uplifting, I came across “My God.” The youngsters of today might just know Boy George as the DJ who sang “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” that they hear on retro nights, which is actually quite sad. George is a legendary soul singer who changed the way the world saw gender, fashion, and music. Thirty years into his career, it’s a testament to his talent and vision that he can create a song as touching and meaningful as “My God.” While not a dance record based on current 128 BPM house standard (that obviously wasn’t the point), there’s a groove that you can definitely swing to and it’s the lyrics which are the focus. Protesting the use of religion as a weapon, he makes his point on a personal and global level. While it may not convince a zealot to refrain from violence, the song expresses a viewpoint which is often shunned in our brainwashed political consciousness. That he chose the singalong, back-country gospel soul production just highlights how fitting the song is for everyone. Although this would make me him cringe, at least based on his comments in the recent Details interview, I could imagine “My God” as a production with Avicii that brings in the country vibe. While I would never expect to hear this in one of his DJ sets, I could just imagine his creative mind figuring out a way to work it in an unpredictable way. It would also be a wonderful song for ending a late night Saturday set before heading directly to Church.

Image courtesy of Cometmarket.

boy george my god