South American duo HIIO (pronounced H2O) have arrived in 2013 with their attempt at creating a classic house tune. There’s definitely some classic house vibes here in the synths, the Planet Perfecto influence is pretty obvious. But this track is much slower than anything Planet Perfecto ever put out, and as a result it’s not got the same bounce or energy, exuding a more progressive feel.
The lyrics are pretty decent, tying in nicely with the build up and drops. Peter Gelderblom’s remix is more punchy and the D.O.N.S is more energetic. A decent house tune, if not particularly memorable, with remixes providing improvement.
BT is a legend of Trance production, Nadia Ali is a legend of Trance vocals. Any team up between these two is bound to be good, but when you throw in relative newcomer but excellent producer Arty into the mix as well, are we witnessing collaborative genius or are too many cooks spoiling the broth?
Thankfully not, and Ali’s vocals demonstrate exactly what the vocals in the last track we reviewed failed to, sophistication and some actual meaning that ties in well with the decent video.
Arty will have no doubt also benefited from working with two names that have been around the scene since he was a child, and “Must Be Love” certainly demonstrates a maturity and class in production.
The only down side is the synths seem to have a little too much noise attached, but that’s just preference.
Who is Kirsty? We don’t know either, but this looks like her attempt to crack the commercial dance scene and she’s enlisted the help of Afrojack who provides remix duties. Apparently Sander Van Doorn said “supporting!” and David Guetta said “huge!” Although we’d question how much thought they gave to their answers when questioned.
The “bleepy” riff is heinously irritating and Kirsty’s vocals are talent-less and forgettable. This is a track that suddenly makes Avicii’s latest offerings look incredibly sophisticated in comparison. A crappy video of Kirsty trying, and failing, to look as amative as possible does nothing to enhance this shoddy single that should never have seen the light of day. How many more times do we need to hear the lyrics “Ooh! Ohh! I like what you do to me!”
The sad thing is, for as long as nonsense like this exists, there will always be a commercialised side to dance music looked upon by others as a bit of a joke. Please Kirsty, if you love the genre of dance music, go away.
Do you remember Avicii before the vocals? We do – Bromance was a hell of a stonking tune that is sadly lost in the obscurity of his past. But whatever you think of Avicii’s current offerings, he’s brought house music the the forefront of everybody’s minds.
And with his new Le7els label, he’s looking to explore new talent. Syn Cole is just that talent, and with “April” he encapsulates much of the original formula that projected Avicii into the mainstream.
April is catchy, fun, and bursting with energy without needing to scream down your face. It’s weighted perfectly and will surely be blowing the roof of many a club. Roofers are going to have brisk trade.
The question is…at what point will it be layered with vocals and pumped into the top 40?
What happens when you throw producers Dimitri Tikovoi (Velvet Underground, Placebo, Goldfrapp, The Saturdays), Area Star Production (aka Andre Rudenko & Timofey Reznikov (Akon, Katy Perry, Fergie, Pitbull)), and a British songstress in together to create a song?
Well, apparently, this. “Hello” is a pop song…but like so many in recent years, it’s heavily influenced by dance music and there’s plenty of synths and heavy bass beats. The lyrics are, frankly, terrible with gems such as “Ii got inside your room and it was snowing there i got inside your soul and there was rain”. Er, right.
But then maybe that’s missing the point. It’s a song about nothing, but then most pop songs are, and even Adele is guilty of waxing nonsensical lyrical (set fire to rain..). The production is also of a very high quality, and the tune is catchy, and certainly wouldn’t sound out of place on the radio. It’s also helped by an expertly assembled video.
Shockolady herself has a style that’s clearly heavily influenced by Lady Gaga, which is a problem because, well it’s already been done. But she does have a decent enough voice, hitting high and low notes with equal conviction.
“Hello” will not quite a star make her, but with some work on giving her a slightly more unique style, and a equally catchy song just with more meaningful lyrics (hopefully she can retain the same producers, a name change wouldn’t go amiss either) and perhaps this British pop act can achieve some significant success. We certainly wish her the best!
Ever since I hear Moudaber’s utterly sublime remix of Carl Cox’s Chemistry, I’ve always recognised her to be one of the most important techno acts to emerge in recent years, and definitely one to keep a close eye on.
Her close workings with the legend that is Coxy, most notably in her residency at Space Ibiza for a fourth term, have now surely cemented her position as one of the most accomplished, proficient and reliable techno producers in the world.
Roar is her latest effort to grace Coxy’s Intec label and it doesn’t disappoint. This is a track that teases with its frenetic hi-hats and looping vocals, a continual build up to a drop that seemingly only comes in the following track of the mix. This is a tune designed to push you right to the edge of the precipice and leave you hanging by a note. The question is, what comes after to push you off?
Ahh, Rusko. In a world of dubstep that seems to have been diluted with kids running around headless screaming along to Skrillex, it’s nice to have a release pop up in our inbox’s from an old master. Hopefully Rusko won’t mind us calling him old, we’re sure he will understand! Sorry mate.
Ok, so Rusko has hardly been quiet this year, Kapow is his fifth EP so far. But it’s arguably the most important for the Yorkshireman. It’s kicked off by “Yeah”, the vocal samples and build up typically Rusko. We’re straight to business, this is a cutting, vibrant tune with melodic trancey synths; and the no nonsense carries through to Booyakasha. This initially sounds like some dodgy dance pop number but I’ve a feeling Rusko’s just teasing us, the track soon descends into a fiery ensemble that definitely reeks eerily of Prodigy-esque vibes, their influence clear and undeniable.
Bring it Back is more funky and edgy but less hard core, while Like This is a sort of hiphop glitchy affair. I’m definitely getting told to “jump jump jump” and “dance dance dance” here and that’s kind of the effect.
Oh, and did we mention, this entire EP is free? Yes, FREE, FREE, young squires! Download it, run away and spread the word to the people!
The fourth single from ‘Rising and Falling’ gets the remix treatment. Argentinian Guti injects South American samba vibes as well as his early jazz influences also seeping through. Russ Yallop prefers a more big beat trippy style yet still retaining the smooth and silky vocal samples. Then comes Just Be, a Matt Bushwacka alias, who creates a more symphonic melody that seems to drag you deeper and deeper into a state of hypnosis.
Guti’s remix is undeniably the coolest, Just Be’s the most deep and Russ Yallop’s an energetic yet sensuous offering. There is, essentially, some obscenely cool house here for everyone.
