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SONG OF THE DAY: Diplo ft Billy the Gent and Long Jawns – “Butters Theme”
Taken on its own as a track, “Butter’s Theme” is a quite strong mix of moombahton with Indian and hip-hop elements strung throughout. While not totally in your face, it does get quickly ingrained in your memory. The minimal vocal chants about watching booty are syncopated perfectly, and this track would work equally as well in a gentleman’s or hipster/electro club. Most of the buzz on this song, though, is coming from the video being featured on the Potato (a collaboration of Diplo, A-Trak, and Skrillex) YouTube channel. A kaleidoscopic (if not hallucinogenic) masturbatory fantasy for teenage boys, the clip features multiple girls clad in diverse fetish gear synced to each beat and phrase of the song. Imagine Terry Richardson doing a promo clip for an American Apparel or Frederick’s of Hollywood or Nylon collaboration to get the idea. The video is truly worth watching, as it’s a visual masterpiece with so very much going on at once. While I find myself drawn to heavenly hula hoop girl, there’s been much speculation as to whether the pretty blonde is really Ellie Goulding. Seeing as she used to date Skrillex, it could be a possibility, but I just can’t imagine the British songstress agreeing to be part of something like this. While an Azealia Banks version is probably forthcoming, Stella Mwangi’s flow fits the track quite well.
Image Courtesy of Mad Decent.
INTERVIEW: Firebeatz (2013)
2012 was a massive year for the Dutch duo Firebeatz, Jurgio Ratello and Tim Benjamin.? Their track with Chocolate Puma, “Just One More Time,” was a big Beatport hit and gained massive support from Pete Tong.? A slew of solid remixes, including Pink’s “Blow Me,” has expanded their reach from the underground to the mainstream.? With so much going, they were quite in demand during the Amsterdam Dance Event, and I caught up with them for a quick chat.
RS: How did the two of you meet up?
Jurgio Ratello: We met at School of Rock in Tilburg.
RS: Were you DJs first or producers?
Tim Benjamin: I was a DJ first and played music, and then I started to create the sounds that I played. In the beginning, it was mostly drum and bass/hip-hop stuff. Later on when we met at school, it was more house music and that genre.
Jurgio: I started DJing first and was more into the original house sound. That is where we get this unique combination of all different influences.