SONG OF THE DAY: Joshua Micah – “When the World Ends”

Since you’re reading this, the world obviously didn’t end on December 21st.? But what if the world was going to end, what would you want to do differently? ? That’s the question answered by singer/songwriter Joshua Micah in his debut single “When the World Ends.”? Sounding like a cross between singers Gabe Saporta (Cobra Starship) and Sean Foreman (3OH!3), he asks and answers questions about what will happen as we embrace our fate over an upbeat electropop beat with a slight touch of stadium house in the mix.? The repeated refrains are quite catchy, as is the “woh oh” chant used in the chorus. ? For clubland, remixes by Sted-E & Hybrid Heights and Matteo Marini toughen the beat and increase the energy while keeping the remarkably strong vocals in the forefront.? Turning a negative into a positive, the video shows Joshua walking around the world (Barcelona, New York) as people hold up placards with slogans and concepts one could do to improve their existence. ?It was interesting to watch people’s reactions when I first played the clip at the video bar, since it caught their attention as they were drawn into the song and the story.? With such a strong debut single, Joshua Micah is definitely an artist to watch out for.


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INTERVIEW: Shannon (2012)

Shannon is often credited as having creating the freestyle sound. Her signature record “Let the Music Play” is the genre-defining classic which continues to be a massive club anthem to this day.? If you look around online, there are many conflicting stories about how the song came to be. At the Promo Only Summer Session in Atlantic City, I chatted with the legendary Shannon and got the real story.? Watch for a special 30th Anniversary “Let the Music Play” tour next year, along with long-awaited new material from the legendary Shannon.

Ron Slomowicz: You started as a jazz singer, how did you make it from jazz into dance music?

Shannon: Someone was looking for a singer and had a particular style in mind; I guess I fit the bill. The producers were looking for a singer because ?Let The Music Play? was a rap song and they had put a basic melody to it. When I came, I had a unique style because of the jazz, it was very sultry and yet I could really belt it. I have a pretty loud voice when I belt, I was belting out the notes and adding little additions to the song. They loved it and said I was their girl.
Continue reading INTERVIEW: Shannon (2012)

SONG OF THE DAY:? Fake Blood – “All In the Blink”

Sometimes a song is just too good to be pigeonholed as ‘just club music.’ ?Let’s face it, so much of dance music is just of the moment and forgettable enough that its shelf life is less than 6 months.? So when a song like “All in the Blink” comes along, it really deserves notice.? Fake Blood, also known as Theo Keating – who was part of The Wiseguys (“Start the Commotion” & “Ooh la La”) knows how to create catchy songs with a hook and a good big beat. ?With “All In the Blink,” he channels ’70s pop a la The Alan Parsons Project and Toto via a Hot Chip filter.? This results is an incessantly upbeat song that sounds retro but is completely current with electropop production.? On first listen, I thought it was a cover because it just sounds so familiar.? On first play in my mixshow, I got eMails and texts asking what the song was.? With his leftfield vibe, I can only imagine how sick the remixes are going to be.? The video shares the same kitschy feel as his video for “I Think I Like It,” switching the focus from sparring TV shopping salespeople to unearthed ectenic energy (supernatural) scientific experiment videos. The campy clip completely fits the retro feel of the song.

Image Courtesy of Different/PIAS Music.