Drum and bass doesn’t often cross over to mainstream but when it does, it’s massive.? Think back to the ’90s when N-Trance “Set U Free” and Baby D “Let Me Be Your Fantasy” were major pop hits.? Soulful singer Kathy Brown, best known in clubland for her hits with Praxis “Turn Me Out” and Soul Central “Strings of Life (Stronger On My Own),” was looking to update her song “Somebody to Love,” and through the networking platform Music Gateway met the drum and bass duo Artificial Intelligence.? This new version of the song starts off with an ’80s R&B feel, like what would be a love theme on the soundtrack to the movie ‘Breakin,’ before building up to slamming drum and bass beats.? Kathy sounds great as always, and the alternating and contrasting beat structures of R&B and D&B enhance the emotion of the lyrics.? If you aren’t a huge drum and bass fan, check out the Alessio Caforio mix for a sexy Crazibiza-ish house vibe.? The video is absolutely adorable, showing the story a little boy pining for his lost robot toys as they magically find their way back to him – a cross between the video for Chris Malinchak “So Good to Me” and the movie Toy Story.??
Image Courtesy of Music Gateway.
Artificial Intelligence and Kathy Brown – “Somebody to Love”
Tag: turn me on
SONG OF THE DAY: 2 Shoes – “Turn Me On (Turn Me Out)”
Kathy Brown’s classic acappella “Turn Me On” widely circulates among DJs and every time a new style of EDM evolves, it invariably gets a bootleg update. The most popular was the Praxis speed garage version subtitled “Turn to Sugar.” So, I was joking with a friend a few weeks ago wondering when the dirty Dutch version would come out. Enter the lovely ladies of 2 Shoes. Coming from the UK?s X-Factor, which seems so much more fun than its US version, the duo of Charley Bird (perfect name for a dance vocalist) and Lucy Texeira didn’t do so well on the show. They were eliminated by their mentor Tulisa after singing Girls Aloud?s “Something Kinda Ooooh.” For their debut single, they’ve done quite a romping cover version of “Turn Me On” complete with air horn blasts, progressive-ish breakdowns, and hands-in-the-air chorus. The Rudedog Mix stands out as the most energetic with Supasound and Jay Wainwright both going more progressive, and 7th Heaven going a little more pop. The quite campy videoclip is sure to be an instant favorite in gay clubs around the world. Modern technology is used in attempting to construct the perfect man (imagine the video for Liberty X “Being Somebody” combined with the budget of the movie ‘Weird Science.) It’s all in good fun and I look forward to hearing more fun pop dance from the duo.
Image courtesy of AATW (screengrab of video).