Tag: paul oakenfold

SONG OF THE DAY: Christian Burns, Paul Oakenfold & Jes – “As We Collide (Orjan Nilsen Remix)”

Life after a boy band is always a challenge, yet after the break up of BBMak, singer Christian Burns has done quite well by embracing EDM. He collaborates with some of the best (Armin van Buuren, BT, and Tiesto), and continues his trajectory by working with the legendary Paul Oakenfold. “As We Collide” (Why do I always call this song “As Worlds Collide”?) is an energetic big room club track that acts as the background for a gorgeous and inspired vocal duet by Christian and the much-loved Jes. Vocals in club records are often relegated to the background or simplified and auto tuned to the point of being robotic. On “As We Collide,” both singers shine with emotional performances that show their range and true vocal talent. Somehow I missed this when it was originally released back in October, but Norwegian producer Orjan Nilesen?s remix here really grabs me. He completely reworked the track and added a new melody line similar to Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” or maybe the interpolated pattern of September?s “Cry for You.? A more lush feel is given to the emotional nature of the song while its energy is increased for the dance floor. If you missed this track the first time around, it would do you well to check it out along with this hot new remix.


Image Courtesy of Armada.

SONG OF THE DAY: Cher – “Woman’s World”

With the current wave of electronic dance music taking over the airwaves, Cher is one of two artists that I have been waiting to hear from (the other being Missy Elliott.) “Woman’s World” is exactly what you would expect, a hybrid of europop and electro with Cher’s effected vocals singing a song of female empowerment (think Beyonce’s “Run the World,” set in a club and free of expletives.) Cher does sound great, and the production is incredibly slick, but the song kept reminding me of something that I couldn’t place. When I read “Woman’s World” was produced by Paul Oakenfold, it hit me… “Celebration,” the song Madonna did with Oakie. (Note to mashup DJs, “Celebration” and “Woman’s World” would go perfectly together.) As much as I would love Cher to work with someone more up-and-coming, her working with Oakenfold makes perfect sense, as I predict the two legendary artists are about to experience another boom in prominence with a new generation of clubgoers. The song title is probably a play on her 1995 album title It’s A Man’s World, the album that contained “One By One” – of which the Junior Vasquez remix supposedly influenced Cher to step back into dance music to create “Believe.” Club play will be massive as there is guaranteed to be an insane set of credible club remixes, but it will be interesting to see if Cher can capture the attention of commercial radio for a full-on mainstream crossover.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.

AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT 2012 (August Update)

Amsterdam Dance Event 2012 is shaping up to be probably the biggest and best edition ever. New panel information released today included a Q&A session with the legendary producer Trevor Horn by Dave Clarke. Trevor Horn, dubbed “The Man Who Invented the Eighties,” has produced everyone from the Pet Shop Boys and Frankie Goes to Hollywood to Cher, Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams. From one legend to another legend, Paul Oakenfold will present a Tracklist of My Life about his influential edm career. Other new topics recently added include ‘How to Run Your Business as an Artist – Who’s the Boss’ hosted by Francois K and what will no doubt be a controversial Media Round Table about ‘Does Music Criticism Matter in Electronic Music?’ hosted by Todd Burns (Editor in Chief of Resident Advisor.)

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