SONG OF THE DAY: Weekend Heroes & Matan Caspi – Frozen Memories

As a traveling DJ, one thing you quickly start to tune out is the flight attendant’s safety spiel when the plane takes off. “Frozen Memories” builds a deep, techy track around a dropout with a female flight attendant saying those lines. The Israeli trio (Weekend Heroes is a duo) of producers actually incorporate elements of classic house, so much so that the track borders on future house, or something you might expect from Tchami or Mr Belt and Wezol. The effected vocals have a hallucinogenic effect, as if you are hearing them while floating in and out of of consciousness. If the original is hallucinogenic, then the Francis Preve remix has a stoned feeling with most of the original elements slowed down in a haze. The female part of the vocal is dropped in favor of the male voice – which is presentable but not understandable – kind of like if you are completely under the influence of something and can’t grasp what you are listening to. The sampled vocal loops comes across almost like breathing, as if you are hearing your surroundings changing with the beat. This is an odd way to describe a track but it feels spatial, like the environment of a soundtrack. Completely unlike anything Francis Preve has done before, yet fitting his style for creative spins on progressive house.

Image courtesy of Audiophile Deep.

Notable Dance Podcast #048

Chasing Grace – Free (Paul Woolford Remix)
Klingande – Jubel (Original Mix)
Matt Lange & Francis Preve – Glow Ballz (Original Mix)
Muzzaik – Gravy (Original)
Tujamo – Hey Mister (Original)
Chardy & Steve Mink – Yoo (Original)
Afrojack – Move (Original)
Mark Sixma & Jerome Isma-Ae – Refused (David Gravell Remix)
W&W – Bigfoot (Original)
Walden – Zilent (Original)
Tomas Heredia – Memories Of You (Original Mix)
Suspect 44 – Amazing (Original Mix)

Picture of W&W taken at Amsterdam Dance Event 2012.

Notable Dance Podcast #048

SONG OF THE DAY: Matt Lange and Francis Preve – “Glow Ballz”

One of the many reasons why I liked “Here and Now” by Cash Cash & Kerli was that for the big drop, they actually used a water drop.? The clever deployment of sound effects can elevate a track from being good to being quite memorable.? “Glow Ballz,” by Matt Lange and Francis Preve, does precisely that.?? Take a look at the neon green bowling ball and then close your eyes and listen to the track.? The groovy techno track seems to trace the path of the ball and it colliding with different things in the path while cosmic bowling.? Picture the drop at?1:30?as the moment when you are lifting your arm to launch the ball down the alley. Time seems to slow down as you set your aim. The beat kicks back in just as soon as the ball hits the ground. The ball is sliding down the path, granted for it to roll for two minute means it’s a long alley (and you have amazing projectile strength), the different sounds are the blacklights and strobes hitting the shiny surface of the ball.? The second drop is that slow-motion hitting of each pin and those precious moments of suspense to see how well you did.? The beat kicks in just as the ball enters the return to make its way back. Can’t you just see the visuals/music video in your head?? Check out the Jan van Lier Mix for a more amped-up version with a retro ’90s feel and a less-pronounced breakdown.? Deep techno might not be your thing, but “Glow Ballz” shines one of the more memorable tracks in the genre.

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Image Courtesy of Academik.