Tag: benny benassi

SONG OF THE DAY: Afrojack ft Chris Brown – “As Your Friend”

Grammy-winning Dirty Dutch producer/DJ Afrojack has proven himself to be one of the few craftsmen that can create pop hits (“Give Me Everything,” “Take Over Control,” “So High”) as well as big room/underground club jams (“Polkadots,” “Rock the House,” “Prutataaa”). “As Your Friend” partners him with R&B/pop star/noted humanitarian Chris Brown for a club-and-radio friendly blend of electro, stadium, and house with emotional chords supporting the chorus made of the repeated title.? Not a stranger to repeating titles for choruses (“Don’t Wake Me Up”) nor collaborating with dance producers (Benny Benassi, David Guetta), Brown delivers a soulful performance which adds depth to the almost frantic production. Being the trainspotter that I am, the song kept reminding me of another R&B/pop hit which took me forever to place.? It wasn’t until I was driving and heard Jay Sean’s “Down” that it hit me – though the similarity doesn’t come as a shock as both songs share the co-writer Jared Cotter.??? As the first taste of his long-awaited forthcoming debut artist album, “As Your Friend” seems to set up the project as an R&B/pop/electro hybrid a la David Guetta, though knowing Afrojack’s eccentric style we can definitely expect some surprises in the final lineup.

Check out our Afrojack interview.
Continue reading SONG OF THE DAY: Afrojack ft Chris Brown – “As Your Friend”

SONG OF THE DAY: Tomcraft – “Loneliness 2k13”

Wow, it’s hard to believe that this track is more than ten years old.? Originally released in 2002, the dark electro track by German producer Tomcraft is based on a vocal sample from Andrea Martin’s “Share the Love.”? With a stomping Benny Benassi remix, it topped the UK pop chart and was a club hit around the world.? Fast forward to 2013 and the release of his ’20 Years’ album (preceded by his catchy curveball track “The Noyz” with Sam Obernik – reviewed here), this rerelease is perfectly timed.? While it sounds like the vocals are resung, they are quite close to the original.? The production is also true to the original, just tweaked and updated a bit with a little more of an electro and rock vibe.?? The “Loneliness 2k13” Club Mix is by far the strongest version on this rerelease with the Tujamo remix sounding oddly dated and the Jaxxon remix just losing the point.?? Going back to the original 2002 version (and Benny Benassi remix), you will notice how close they sound to many current records out right now.? “Loneliness” stands out as one that was way ahead of its time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Image Courtesy of Tommy Boy.

INTERVIEW: Krewella (2013)

Krewella is one of the biggest buzzing EDM acts of 2012.? Formed in 2007 with two sisters (Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf) and producer Rain Man, their track “Killin It” became a meme of its own, gaining major attention from DJs and music lovers all around the world.? Their EP “Play Hard” and recently-released remix EP ‘Play Harder” show the depth of their musical tastes, covering the full spectrum of dance genres.? ? Although they are gigging constantly, they are looking forward to taking a break to complete the work for their forthcoming debut artist album. ? I spoke to them when they played in Nashville, right before New Year’s Eve 2012.

Ron Slomowicz: So, where did the name ?Rain Man? come from?
Rain Man: I was doing a hip-hop beat competition in Chicago a couple years ago, and one of the judges asked me my name and when I told him, he said ?no you?re not that, you are rain man because you will have money raining down on you one day.? He was one of my biggest inspirations and mentor for a while and it has stuck.

RS: Speaking of names, where did the name Krewella come from?
Jahan: We came up with it about 4-5 years ago; it was actually before Yasmine was even in the group and while we were trying out other girls. I thought of it when we were writing down lyrics, we were thinking of darker, evil, sexy, feminine lyrics and the name popped in my head and I didn?t even question it. I thought it was the perfect name for a group that would have heavy masculine beats and feminine vocals.

Continue reading INTERVIEW: Krewella (2013)