SONG OF THE DAY: Example – “All The Wrong Places”

On my first listen to “Hooligans,” his sickeningly aggressive raver track with Don Diablo, Example’s personality and flow instantly made me a fan. Through a succession of both energetic and somber singles, as well as collaborations with producers as varied as Skream, Laidback Luke, Calvin Harris, and Flux Pavillion, and his recent appearance as a featured rapper on a Pet Shop Boys album, he has morphed from a party boy MC to an intelligent and emotionally succinct singer with the ability to play both roles and everything in between.? With his new single “All the Wrong Places,” he uses the contrast of old school rave and hardstyle to showcase his rather strong vocal performance.? It’s an interesting way to stage a political statement, especially since a large portion of the listeners might not get the message.? Forthcoming remixes by Starkillers, Quinitino, and Jack Beats are sure to be massive, as will be his new album which is said to be inspired The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, and Faithless.? Now, that’s a ’90s-inspired project I cannot wait to hear.

Image courtesy of Ministry of Sound.

SONG OF THE DAY: BT and Aqualung – “Surrounded”

Have y’all noticed the pattern where producers alternate releases between big room club bangers and more commercial-oriented vocal songs? Of course Brian Transeau has his own unique spin, as he often does, with singles from his forthcoming ‘A Sound Across Wires” album – alternating between instrumental, somber electronic tracks (“Vervoeren,” “Skylarking”) and more commercial-friendly, vocal pop-leaning songs like “Must Be the One” and the new single “Surrounded.” Enlisting the vocal help of British singer/songwriter Aqualung (aka Matt Hayles), the song has an accessible feel with an emotional verse and chorus without veering into cheesy pop. If you are a fan of Armin van Buuren’s “This is What It Feels Like,” or Arty’s “Together We Are,” then “Surrounded” should definitely be on your to-buy list. Like other tracks from ‘A Sound Across Wires,’ you can hear the influences of big room festival sounds reinterpreted by BT with his trademark pristine and exceptional production. If you listen to “Surrounded” and “Vervoeren” back to back, you can hear some of those ideas reinterpreted, along with elements you might expect from a Madeon or Zedd track. Though all the the remixes keep the vibe of the original, they each have a unique flavor that blends two different sound – big room trance and electro (Super8 and Tab), ’80s synth-pop and two-step (Tony Awake), and elements of Zedd and Arty (MK Kirin). “Surrounded” maybe not grab you on first listen, but it is definitely a grower that improves with each listen.

Images courtesy of Armada.

SONGS OF THE DAY: Botnek – “Through the Night” and My Digital Enemy & Jason Chance “Feel It In the Air”

These are probably two tracks that you wouldn’t place together, unless of course you were a lover of ’90s italohouse and clocked both vocal samples as coming from diva Ann Marie Smith. Coming off the heels of a massive mix of “Easy” by Matt Zo and Porter Robinson, Canadian duo Botnek has been ceremoniously anointed the next big thing by Dim Mak founder Steve Aoki. Tracks like “Panama Bass” and “Rass” laid the ground work of the electroglitch sound that they’ve developed succinctly over the past few years. For “Through the Night,” they nicked the vocal line which sounds like a sample of Sharada House Gang featuring Ann Marie Smith “Dancing Through the Night.” Starting off like just about any other stadium house track, the magic comes as the vocal is deployed throughout the intro, leading to a drum fill that crescendoes into glitchy electro madness. Whether that vocal effect becomes the “Botnek” trademark or just another sound in their wheelhouse is yet to be seen, but for now they’ve got a massive record that is set to be a massive festival anthem this season. The collaboration of My Digital Enemy and Jason Chance led to the recently unleashed, frolicking “Feel It In the Air.” The energetic mix of tribal and piano house has a definite feel of a big nineties club track with a bit of electro to keep it sounding current. Playing it in my club sets since it was released, the vocal sample has been driving me nuts because I kept thinking it was Motiv8 “Rockin for Myself.” It wasn’t until I heard the Botnek track that it hit me, the sample is from “Move Your Feet” by 49ers featuring Ann Marie Smith (the song which Motiv8 sampled). When combined with “Move On” by Leonardo GloVibes, these tracks point out that the current ’90s house revival movement is also paying its due respect to Italohouse.

Images courtesy of Dim Mak and Zulu Recordings.