There was a period of two months in the late ’90s when it seemed like every club record was about “Joy” – “Let the Joy Rise,” “This Joy,” “Unspeakable Joy, ” etc. The meme now seems to be “glowing,” first with Karishma’s infomercial-promoted “Glow in the Dark,” then tyDi and Kerli “Glow in the Dark” and Patrick Hagenaar and Mark Harley “You Got Me (Glowing in the Dark)”. Now Nikki Williams with “Glowing.” Her name might be familiar to you, as the South African-born singer/songwriter created a lot of buzz with her graphic and edgy debut single “Kill, Fuck, Marry” which has racked up over 700,000 views on Youtube. “Glowing” is Europop with an edge starting off quite pretty and ballad-like, building with a beat in the verse leading to the dirty electro sound of the chorus. It’s one of those rare songs that would sound right at home on the radio but is cool and edgy enough that the hipsters won’t be embarrassed to sing along to it.
Granted, it would be hard to sing it as well as Nikki does. Her enchanting, effortless voice increases in strength and power as the beats increase in intensity. As a DJ, I am of course looking for a club remix and the best I could find is one by DJ Steve Watt & Jukebox which sounds like a bootleg, a very well-done bootleg, but a white label nonetheless. Here’s hoping that the crew at Island give the record the official remix treatment. And since I’m asking for late holiday presents, let me request a solid remix of “Kill Fuck Marry” because it would slay dance floors as well. Then again, Nikki Williams has such a great voice that if she sang my grocery list over a catchy electronic beat, clubbers would go crazy for protein bars, eggs and milk.
Image Courtesy of Island/Def Jam.
