SONG OF THE DAY: Ferry Corsten ft Jes – In Your Eyes (Dirty Chips Remix)

When I go out clubbing, I love it when a DJ mixes both fresh new tracks along with a few hidden gems that they personally love.? With the deluge of new music coming out each week, it’s easy to miss something wonderful, but when you hear it in a great mix it suddenly flies to the top of your downloads to buy list.? That’s the case with “In Your Eyes” by Ferry Corsten featuring Jes. I normally don’t buy DJ-mixed compilations, but after enjoying Jes’ ‘Unleash the Beat’ for the past few months,? I decided to take the plunge and buy her Platinum Mix from iTunes.? The set is a great mix of trance, electro, and progressive which highlights both her mixing and programming skills.? Each time I listened, “In Your Eyes” just stood out and screamed at me.? Originally released in February 2012 off Ferry’s wonderful WKND album, the track is pretty, progressive, and a bit poppy with Jes’ angelic voice floating in space and beckoning you in.? The compilation features a new mix by Lebanese trio Dirty Chips which keeps the feel of the original but elevates the energy by increasing the contrast between the aggressive and the pretty.? You can definitely tell that they are influenced by the Swedish House Mafia. As this is their debut project, I will definitely be keeping my “eyes” open for more productions from the Dirty Chips.

Image Courtesy of Magik Muzik

SONG OF THE DAY: Mischa Daniels ft Nicole Jackson – “Let’s Connect Tonight”

There’s a fine line between commercial and cheesy, and Dutch producer Mischa Daniels has seemed to perfect the balance.? “Let’s Connect Tonight” is a galloping and bouncy eurodance pop song complete with singalong vocals, courtesy of Nicole Jackson, and catchy hooks that get ingrained in your head.? Lines like “I’m on your frequency, I’ll be there when you need me” are kind of geeky when you read them, but when you put them into the context of kids who live online all day, they make perfect sense.? Elements of the production feel like Avicii/Swedish House Mafia-style stadium that have been sweetened up a bit to make them a bit more happy-sounding.? The Muse Arctic mix takes it a little more progressive but keep the main hooks and vocals completely intact. “Let’s Connect Tonight” is probably not going to get a lot of love from big room superstar DJs, but those who play commercial floors will get a good reaction to it.? With a really cute video, this could easily make a dent in the mainstream and even Disney world.

Image Courtesy of Armada.

INTERVIEW: Laidback Luke (2013)

Laidback Luke is an energetic character – something you get when you listen to his productions or see him perform live.? Take a listen to his recent track “Pogo” and that infectious joyous energy comes through.? Although he’s been producing tracks for twenty years, his work with the different members of the Swedish House Mafia in 2006/2007 really launched him into the stratosphere.? His solo tracks, as well as collaborations with everyone from Steve Aoki and Hardwell to Robyn and Sander Van Doorn, appear in the crates (or on the hard drives) of every big DJ around the world.? He launched his own label MixMash as a breeding ground for new talent, and having helped launch the careers of Avicii and Afrojack, you know that’s definitely a label to watch as well.? We caught up for a brief chat at WMC in March.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: Are you having a good conference?
Laidback Luke: Yes, it has been an amazing conference. Every year it seems to get bigger and better and I must say that it seems like a Dutch invasion as well.

RS: Well you have Dirty Dutch and Trance Superstars, what else do you see coming out of Amsterdam now?
Laidback Luke: Tons of stuff, we have Showtek coming up, those guys were a hardstyle before. We crashed Benny Benassi?s party at LIV?on Monday?and you would expect all the Italian DJs to be there but all the Dutch DJs were there, it?s crazy.
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