Tag: pitbull

SONG OF THE DAY: Mayra Veronica “Mama Mia” (UK Version)

Oh wow, this sounds like it’s gonna be massive! ?Back in January, Mayra Veronica released the spanish-flavored “Ay Mama Mia,” which we described as having the festive vibe of classic Miami Sound Machine songs updated with modern elements and sounding like “Get Get Down” from Paul Johnson.? After topping the Billboard Chart, the song got picked up by SyCo for UK pop release.? The new pop version is fully fleshed-out with a two new vocal toplines, both sung by Mayra. The bridge brings in the vocal line “Get Get Down,” turning it into a command to dance while paying homage to the ’90s house classic. The second line has a Luciana-like feel, with playful lines (“hot like jalape?o”), which essentially makes herself her own featuring artist. Rather than bringing in Pitbull or another guest rapper, she did it all herself. It’s not as multiple personality as say an Azealia Banks or Nicki Minaj record, but the distinctly different vocal lines take what was essentially a floor-filling dub with minimal vocals and turn it into a fully-realized pop record. In addition to the updated mixes by Dave Aude, Sick Individuals, Chocolate Puma, Robbie Rivera, and Razor N Guido, a new and aggressive mix by Genairo Nvilla blends the dirty dutch sound with tribal grooves for an energetic take just for big room European clubs. Add up the elements – ’90s house sample, spanish vibe, talk-sing vocals, a latin bombshell artist – and with the promotion power of Simon Cowell’s SyCo label, you got what could be a massive summer radio and club smash around the world.

Image Courtesy of Syco.

SONG OF THE DAY: Infinity Ink – “Infinity”

This one is a bit difficult to write about.? London duo Infinity Ink released the buzz track “Infinity” over a year ago.? A throbbing piece of minimal electro house with a ’90s vibe (and a possible reference to Guru Josh), the incessant bassline is instantly memorable and similar to heroin with its addictive nature.?? The spoken male vocal adds to the trippy vibe, as do the two music videos – the kaleidoscopic original video released on Crosstown Rebels and the Trainspotting-esque hallucinogenic video created for major release on Warner a year later.

A plethora of official remixes exist, with Skream’s speed garage take getting a lot of buzz.? Over the past year, this track and bassline has been covered, mashed, and reworked in an infinite number of ways – some of which are quite amazing, and in one way that is clearly diabolical – namely “Can’t Believe It” by Flo Rida and Pitbull. It’s not that there is anything innately wrong with Flo Rida and Pitbull’s modus operandi of singing/rapping over electro tracks as it has created some fun party tracks (“I Cry,” “I Know You Want Me,” “Good Feeling,” “Don’t Stop the Party”). However, “Can’t Believe It” is so horrifically bad and lazy – the raps don’t even fit over the beat – and are so smutty as to appeal to middle school boys.? Not to mention the video, which rips off “Butter’s Theme.” While Inifinity Ink have received criticism online for allowing their track to be sampled, they said on their Facebook page, “Given the choice between Flo Rida using our original bassline or Flo Rida making an almost exact copy of it, we gave permission for it to be sampled.”? With that in mind, we strongly suggest you ignore “Can’t Believe It” and embrace “Infinity” if you haven’t already.

Image Courtesy of Big Beat.

Image Courtesy of Big Beat.

SONG OF THE DAY: Kwanza Jones ft Pollo Del Mar – “Made U Look”

With all these serious trance and progressive superstar DJ/producers, it’s nice to see someone making dance songs simply for the point of having fun.?? Kwanza Jones has been making her presence known in the club world with diva vocal records like “Time To Go” and “Think Again” that have made it on the Billboard Club Chart.? For “Made U Look,” she’s done a record for the club kids- the ones who focus on appearance as a method of artistic expression.? With a campy, playful vibe she sings over a jaunty electro beat colored by the frenetic vibe of Stacey Q’s “Two of Hearts.”? Choosing a drag queen as her featured rapper is brilliant on many levels – challenging the notion of masculinity in the rap world, drag queens focusing on capturing (and keeping attention), humor and camp going hand in hand, etc.? San Francisco-based drag queen Pollo Del Mar serves up an inspired comical flow that manages to reference both the ‘The Facts of Life’ and ‘Exorcist’ (with the brilliant line “turning heads like Linda Blair”). ?The featured rap is so good it makes you wonder how much more fun pop radio would sound if artists would choose to feature Pollo Del Mar (or another drag queen) as a rapper rather than the standard Ludacris, Pitbull, or Lil Jon. She’s like a tranny take on Nicki Minaj when she does her comedy schtick.? Competing with a drag queen in a visual performance is quite a challenge, yet Kwanza holds her own, rocking a multitude of sparkly and fluorescent outfits that reflect both her energy and the fun vibe of this playful song.? Hey drag queens out there, quit doing Beyonce/Nicki Minaj songs for all your performances and try this one out as a game-changer.

Image Courtesy of Innovation Music.