Tag: dave aude

SONG OF THE DAY: Vassy – “We Are Young”

“We Are Young” might sound familiar, as it’s been recently used in several major ad campaigns – Chevrolet Orlando, Skechers, Google, and the Little League World Series. Australian singer/songwriter Vassy has a playful, yet husky and soulful, voice which is quite memorable as well, especially for those who heard her belt out the recent club hit “History.” In its original version, the uptempo dancehall reggae vibe of “We Are Young” is punctuated with an infectious hand-clap rhythm and an “oh oh oh” chant – the perfect background for Vassy’s dynamic voice (which channels a young Billie Holiday). For the clubs, remixes by Dave Aude, Ivan Gomez, Dirty Freqs, and Reidiculous are now making the rounds – each with a unique sound fitting just about every commercial club genre (electro, classic house, chainsaw, and stadium house). Equipped with a graphically edgy video, watch for “We Are Young” to heat up clubs all winter long.

Image Courtesy of Audacious.

SONG OF THE DAY: Tammy Wynette – “Stand By Your Man” (Dave Aude Mix)

A good song is a good song, regardless of the genre it starts in.? Country music, often called a songwriter’s genre, is home to some of the best lyrics and stories in contemporary music.? This is why country songs are often remixed for dance floor and pop success and get covered by dance artists.? But to take “Stand By Your Man,” the signature song by the First Lady of Country Music Tammy Wynette to the dance floor was something that I could never have imagined. The song itself was controversial when first released, seen by many as a critical response to the nascent feminist movement in the late 60s. Someone at the label got a great idea and hired producer Dave Aude to work his magic, and the results are shockingly good.?? By no means is this a peak night floor-filling anthem, but more a groovy energetic house track with classic NRG flourishes.? Honestly, it sounds more like one of the better Almighty remixes rather than anything I have ever heard Dave Aude produce. The song is such a classic that everyone knows it and if you play it in a club set, before you realize it the crowd is singing along.? Believe it or not, this is not the late, great Wynette’s first experience with electronic dance music.? In 1991, she recorded “Justified and Ancient” with The KLF, which topped the charts around the world and even reached no 11 on the US pop chart. Whether this solid remix of “Stand By Your Man” will repeat this level of success is unknown, but it is definitely a respectful and dancefloor-friendly version of a true country standard.


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REVIEW: Madonna – “Girl Gone Wild” (Remixes)

By: Ben Norman

Alright, so Madonna’s MDNA album has been out for a while, and her second single from it, “Girl Gone Wild,” has already been getting airplay. Peaking at #6 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under, it’s obvious that the track doesn’t have the push for the top of the chart that “Give Me All Your Luvin” did. Perhaps it’s the self-indulgent diatribe at the beginning that seems to be begging for Lady Gaga’s attention, but at the same time Gaga only does these things to get Madonna’s attention. Perhaps Madonna is vying for her own attention. When it comes to the video of the track, it’s pretty sexual. But at the same time, it’s hardly anything that we haven’t seen from her before, and fairly tame in retrospect. Androgynous pop group Kazaky perform as backup dancers, rocking those heels like they always do and looking hot while they do it. While I have yet to understand why this video was removed for raciness, I can say it’s quite entertaining and was the turning point in my enjoyment of this track. And try as he might, Benny Benassi’s production is fun but wasn’t what finally got me to like this track, and it certainly wasn’t Madonna’s use of the words ?808 drums.? I kinda wanted to slap her after that. No, it was definitely the video, giving me all those images to attach the track to and I finally gained appreciation for it.

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