Category: Song Of The Day

SONG OF THE DAY: Tom Staar ft Chrom3 – “Faces”

Listening to a set online the other day, I heard a song that immediately caught my attention. It sounded like Seal was going back to his club roots with a lushly-produced EDM track called “Air You Breathe.” It stuck in my mind, and no matter where I looked online, I couldn’t place it. Imagine the pleasant surprise when someone told me to check out this new track on Wolfgang Gartner’s Kindergarten label and it ended up being that song. Rather than a Trevor Horn production of Seal, it ended up being Tom Staar with vocalist Chrom3 on this track called “Faces.” The dropout is what reminded me so much of classic Trevor Horn/ZTT, with full-sounding synths and meticulously gorgeous production that sounded great in the ’80s/’90s sounds even better when contrasted with the harder more electro sounds of clubland right now. Actually, the prettier part of the record overshadows the electro part so much that it feels like the track started as an ambient track and it was pumped up with electro as an afterthought. While reminiscent of Seal, Chrom3 sounds especially fresh because there is no one else singing on club records that sounds like him right now. There is raw passion in his vocal performance that elevates the song to a new level. As great as this song sounds in the clubs, I wouldn’t be surprised if an ambient version with the lush downtempo part and the full vocal popped up on a movie soundtrack or a television show in the very near future.

Image Courtesy of Kindergarten Records.

SONG OF THE DAY: Le Youth ft Dominique Young Unique – “Dance With Me”

Last year, producer Le Youth released “C.O.O.L,” a chilled, downtempo house record based on the r&b song “Me & U” by Cassie.? The vibe was so different and refreshing that it became quite a big buzz record.? He simply has a knack for reimagining r&b sounds – reworking the lyrics to become something totally different and fresh.? For “Dance With Me,” he takes snippets of vocals from TLC “No Scrubs,” slows them down to sound masculine, and rebuilds a new verse structure with them.? The effect is? hypnotic, as the first time you listen, the song sounds so familiar but you just can’t seem to place it.? The original version has been up for a while on his Soundcloud, so when I heard there was new version with a rap from Dominique Young Unique, it struck me as odd.? Luckily, the rapper, who is currently riding high in the UK charts with “Earthquake,” felt the vibe and really flowed well with the groove.? In case you are wondering what a current pop song would sound like with a Le Youth remix, check out his brilliant- yet unrecognizable-? take on Foxes “Youth.”

Image Courtesy of Sony.

SONG OF THE DAY: Benny Benassi – “Back to the Pump”

Benny Benassi is one of those wonderful DJs who is always fun to watch and dance to – if for the simple reason that every time you look up at him, he is smiling and having as much as you are.? Ten years ago, he released the classic “Satisfaction” and continues to release tracks that alternate between massive, aggressive electro workouts (“House Music,” “Who’s Your Daddy”) and prettier, progressive vocal songs (“Beautiful People,” “Dance the Pain Away”). “Back to the Pump” is one of the former, a straight-for-the-jugular energetic monster that you can’t help but to jump up and down to.? While there are lighter passages that could be extended to become a pretty, progressive track, the main focus is prime time banging electro beats.? The only question is if whether the “Pump” in the title is a reference to “fist-pumping” or to his label’s remix name “Pump-Kin.”

Image Courtesy of Ultra.