SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Wideboys – “Wonky”

It’s Sunday and you’re sitting at home after a long night clubbing. The pounding beats are still reverberating in your skull as you are recovering from your intake from the night before. Well, “Wonky” is not the track you want to listen to speed up the process. The Wideboys rose up from the bass and garage underground and built a following for their energetic electro remixes with a pop edge (LMFAO, Rihanna, Leann Rimes, Pet Shop Boys, Britney Spears, and Ke$ha are just a few of the big pop stars who have benefited from Wideboys reconstructions). For their new Crucial Cuts EP, they’ve captured several different sounds of clubland – a bit of ’90s underground hip-house (“Party People”), a Zedd/Daft Punk fusion (“Chip Funk”), and a modern take on the Nightcrawlers/Mark Kinchen vibe (“Preacher”). For me, the standout track is “Wonky,” an absurdly happy and bouncy track that just works on every level. Imagine if the DNA of Robbie Rivera’s “Funk-A-Tron,” Sash’s “Intercontinental Invaders,” Mr Oizo’s “Flat Beat,” and Wolfgang Gartner’s earliest work were recombined to create a super track that does nothing but bring joy and energy to everyone on a dance floor. So yeah, it’s not good for Sunday afternoon recovery but it might just motivate you to make it a three-day weekend.

Images courtesy of World Wide Phonographics.

SONG OF THE DAY: Disclosure – “F For You”

Singer/songwriter brothers-turned-EDM duo Disclosure are being credited by many as leading the wave of ’90s underground house. Tracks like “You & Me,” “Latch,” and “White Noise” blend ’90s house and two-step with synth-pop. It’s as if one of the New Order offshoot bands (Revenge or Electronic or The Other Two) were timewarped twenty years ahead to today. With “F For You,” they’ve hit the jugular with the perfect US radio-friendly pop song that will mix perfectly with Capital Cities and Imagine Dragons while getting people dancing in the clubs with synth-led beats that you can dance to without smearing your make-up (or breaking too much of a sweat). Dance music that you can dance to- what a concept… This isn’t alcohol-fueled “throw your hands up” party music, but rather an intelligently-written song that would transcend any genre. As great as all the featured vocalists were (Sam Smith, Eliza Doolittle, Aluna George), it’s also quite impressive that the brothers are singing what will most likely be their US crossover record. With “F For You” being the fourth single, there is no doubt that their album ‘Settle’ will be one of the biggest albums of the summer.

Images courtesy of Island/Def Jam.

SONG OF THE DAY: VenSun – “Love is Love”

French producer David Vendetta and clubland favorite Sylvia Tosun have teamed to create VenSun, a collaboration focusing on vocal house that will span the genres from underground to commercial. First up is the seemingly perfectly-timed “Love is Love,” an uplifting anthem about the equality of all love that is shared. David Vendetta’s production is quite forward-thinking – it has elements of both the current reigning clubland sound (stadium house) and what’s coming next (’90s-inspired underground house). The two sounds are melded together seamlessly, making this the perfect DJ transition record between sets. Sylvia sounds amazing, not a shock since she is a trained operatic vocalist, and her lyrics are just as emotional and uplifting as the track itself. To mark the historic events of the week (the defeat of DOMA), a special version features spoken samples from Martin Luther King, President Obama, Congresswoman Maureen Walsh, Ellen DeGeneres, and Hillary Clinton interspersed in the mix, giving it a historic feel – as if to mark the exact moment of time right now. With Macklemore’s similarly-themed “Same Love” gaining massive support on top 40 radio, it seems that “Love is Love” just might be the perfect dance song to follow on dance floor (and radio) around the world.

Images courtesy of SeaToSun.