SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY?FUNDAY):? PERSIA ft Daddies Plastik – “Google Google Apps Apps”??

Drag queens started the riots at Stonewall which launched the gay rights movement, yet over the years they’ve been marginalized by the “mainstream” gay movement and turned into glamorized dolls that lip-sync for tips. While an edgy queen pops up from time to time (and of course there are the genderqueer and radical faerie movements), it’s quite heartening to find someone use the power of drag (and dance music) to call attention for political action.? With its ’90s eurotrash disco beats and earworm of a chorus, “Google Google Apps Apps” is the most entertaining treatise imaginable about the gentrification of the Bay Area. You’ve probably heard about the problem, a distressed area of a town has low rents, which attracts low income people who build it up over time. As things get nicer (or trendier), wealthier people come in to be part of the action and make the area unaffordable to the original people who made it cool.? What happened to Williamsburg, Long Island City, and Astoria in New York is happening in the Bay Area.? Using biting satire, Drag Queen Persia and visual artist collective Daddies Plastik repeat throughout the clip “I Wanna Be White” leading to a reworking of Madonna’s “Justify My Love” to “Gentrify My Love” for a parody which ranks up with Lady Bunny’s classic medleys.? Even the title is a play on the oft-used Google Maps.? While issues of gentrification and race might be a lot for?Sunday?Funday, it’s all about offending some people and making the laugh while getting a point across – so this NSFW clip has been on repeat for me since I first heard about it on Popbitch earlier this week.

Image courtesy of Persia.

SONG OF THE DAY: Felix Cartal ft Koko LaRoo – “Young Love”

To many people, pop is a bad word.? Just because something is enjoyed by the masses doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s low quality or dumbed down, though.? This is the probably the logic behind the efforts of Canadian producer Felix Cartal to rebrand EDM from electronic dance music to everybody dance music.? That’s what he brings on his new single “Young Love,” a summertime anthem with something for everyone – electro beats, glitchy vocal effects, classic house piano, catchy hooks, and a singalong chorus.?? Vocalist Koko LaRoo (aka Kandace Ferrel, who sang on the Richard Dinsdale/Alex Kenji collaboration Songs in the Sky) sounds like the offspring of Dragonette singer Martina and Bright Lights with a perfect of airy and raspy tones to her voice.? “Young Love” is a great pop song that could easily crossover, especially with the recent successes of Icona Pop and Krewella.? The video furthers the summer appeal, capturing a battle between guys and gals with sneak attacks of water balloons and water guns.? Like the song, it’s all in good fun and its great to see both people of both genders as active participants and not just as sexual objects to be ogled.??

Image Courtesy of Dim Mak.

SONG OF THE DAY:? Andreas Rodlund & Matt Hewie ft Jonny Rose – “All We Have”

A DJ friend of mine was messing with me last week.? He was all excited about this “All We Have” track, so he sent me a listening link.? The track, from Swedish producers Andreas Rodlund and Matt Hewie, is a well-produced pop-leaning electro track – starting off relatively soft and building up until a big breakdown to a simple (but pretty) keyboard line before slamming back with hard electro. Sure, there is a cheesy synth in the mix and the ubiquitous dubstep breakdown, yet it was a good track but I couldn’t see why my friend was getting so excited about it. When I called back, he laughed at me and said, oops, forgot to mention the vocal version. What a difference a topline makes!? The song about living in the moment and appreciating the present elevated it from sounding like a typical Beatport track to something much more special.? Jonny Rose’s vocal performance is emotional and adds depth to the song with an expressiveness rarely heard on dance records.?? I have a feeling that “All We Have” would sound as great on the radio as it does in the clubs.

Image Courtesy of Southside Recordings.