SONG OF THE DAY: Martin Brodin ft Mikael Surdi – “Don’t Stop The Dance”

If you are ever in London, there are two Sunday night parties that you must check out. For tea dance time, a stop in at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern for the Dame Edna Experience and Hi-NRG girl twirls spun by DJ Almighty is the place to start the party. As the night gets later, say around 10pm, venture up the block to the Eagle to Horse Meat Disco where real underground disco is played. This isn’t the chart pop disco that you hear at weddings, but the real stuff is played for aficionados and scenesters who respect the good stuff. Keeping that same vibe is Swedish producer Martin Brodin, founder of Deeplay Music, who has recently launched MB Disco – a label showcasing that is true to the roots of the disco with its feel yet updated with modern sounds. His latest track “Don’t Stop the Dance” is a cover of Bryan Ferry’s UK top 40 hit with vocals by Mikael Surdi. The production is a mix of disco and the nu-disco vibe which reappears every couple of years. It’s not in-your-face pounding beats, a nice change from a lot of stuff getting released now, but with its shuffling grooves it sets a mood and a tone. Listening to the track, I feel like I am back on the floor of Horse Meat Disco, partying away on a Sunday night. On point remixes keep the nudisco vibe but expand it be funky (LeSale) or synth heavy (Ytre Rymden). The video has footage from early ’80s balls, very Paris is Burning, and fits the vibe of the track perfectly.

Image Courtesy of MB Disco.

REVIEW: Armin Van Buuren – ‘Intense’

Written by: Jason Haynes

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When it comes to trance, there is no bigger name in the field than Armin van Buuren who has established himself as the top representative of the genre. Not only has he been voted the number one DJ in the world for the past few years, but he has also maintained a massive presence in the EDM community with his highly popular State of Trance radio series and live shows worldwide. I was definitely curious, though, to see what direction Armin would take with his fifth studio album, considering his last release, Mirage, was something of a disappointment with its more commercialized sound. One had to wonder if Armin was going to follow the path of Tiesto and create more radio-friendly music, which would feel like a sellout to his true fans. Intense finds the highly acclaimed DJ trying to find his inner voice and moving forward and while the new release is an improvement over Mirage, fans are still left however with an enigma that never truly captures the vision and sound that originally catapulted Armin to fame.

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SONG OF THE DAY:? Audien – “Ciao”

Why is he saying goodbye?? Rising electro producer Audien continues his bipolar schedule of releases – literally alternating between big room electro tracks (“Sup”) and pretty, progressive vocal tracks (“Leaving You”). “Ciao” has Audien back in aggressive electro mode with sections of guitar-led prog rock leading to stomping, energetic electro.? The fusion of electro, stadium, progressive, and rock make the track stand out from the stream of tracks ending up on Beatport each week.? If you aren’t following Audien’s music, “Ciao” might be track that convinces you to do so.? Be sure to go back and check out his remix of Arty’s “Together We Are,” one of 2013’s most uplifting vocal remixes.

Image Courtesy of Trice.