Hell featuring Bryan Ferry - "U Can Dance" - Courtesy of Gigolo Records
With the reverence that bloghouse and nuDisco has towards 80s music, it seems about the right time for the voice of Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, to make an appearance on the electro scene. Teaming with German electroclash DJ/Producer DJ Hell, the two have constructed a subtle yet powerful midtempo vibey track. With influences of minimal and progressive, the "U Can Dance" will definitely cut across genre lines. Remixes by Carl Craig, Simian Mobile Disco and Tim Goldsworthy of DFA should help as well.
Video - Vimeo
Liquid 360 - "Change Has Come (For Christmas)" - Courtesy of Tunecut
Lovers of synthpop rejoice, you've now got a synth pop Christmas song. Best known for their remixes and covers of Erasure ("Chains of Love") and Depeche Mode ("Strangelove"), the duo of Mitch Williams and Bruce Donally wrote a new electronic song with a great holiday sentiment. The production would fit perfectly on the recent Alphabeat CD - an 80s new wave synth vibe with enough modern sounds to make it feel current. While the children's voices might be a bit too precious sounding for some, Bruce's lead vocals carry the track. Definitely worth a download for electronic music lovers looking for holiday music that fits their genre.
Video - YouTube
SpekrFreks feat L10 - "Music's Got You" - Courtesy of System Recordings
Electronic dance music is often all about finding the newest hottest talent. Based in California, the SpekrFreks are the duo of Edwin Jesus and Bryan Philip and they jump onto the scene with You're Invited EP. The first single "Music's Got You" is an energetic glitchy electro track with cool vocals and a sick dropout in the middle. As a taste of what's to come from the SperkrFreks, this is an invitation that I will gladly accept.
Audio - Youtube
Riddler feat. Craig Smart "Higher" Courtesy of Amerada Music
The move from remix to original production is always a big and scary step. Born Rich Pangillinan, The Riddler, has achieved much success as part of the remix/production teams Mynt and Al B Rich and as a mixshow DJ - winning the Best Mixshow DJ IDMA with mixshows on WKTU and Z100. For his first solo production, "Higher" is not quite what you would expect - its more progressive "Beatport-sounding" with a tech intro that drops down to vocals and then explodes with a bigroom crescendo for the meat of the track. I can easily picture any of the top international DJs dropping this track at peak hour and people going nuts for it. If there is one quibble I have with the track, it is the lyrics. Not the vocals, as Craig Smart (who recently sang "SOS" with Ian Carey), delivers the lyrics perfectly. The lyrics themselves are dance music cliche 101 - "lift me up, take me higher, spread your wings and fly away with me." Not that we would expect Shakespeare or anything - but you get the idea. Overall, "Higher" is a solid track and we should all expect to see more from the Riddler in the near future!
Audio - Youtube
Space Cowboy feat. Cinema Bizarre, the Paradiso Girls, Far*East Movement, and Cherry Cherry Boom Boom - "I Came 2 Party" Courtesy of Cherrytree/Interscope
Sure, this song has been featured before. But this new version gets the track another mention. Already it is a derivative track, borrowing from a lot of pop media already to attain the "party vibe". On this new version, Space Cowboy ups the amount of people involved almost exponentially. Let's break it down, shall we? Space Cowboy and Cherry Cherry Boom Boom are both solo, Cinema Bizarre has 5 members, as does The Paradiso Girls. The Far*East Movement has 4 members. The track was produced by Red One. That means "I Came 2 Party" consists of 17 performers total. I hope the new remixes do them ALL justice, because I have no clue how the 3 minute track manages to do so. Still, there is a certain amount of bubbly fun with everyone involved on this effervescent, pop dance track.
Video - Youtube
Delerium featuring Kreesha Turner - "Dust in Gravity" - Courtesy of Nettwerk
Delerium is best known for both ethereal and dark soundscapes as well as their international pop hit "Silence" with Sarah McLachlan. To preview their forthcoming album Remixed: The Definitive Collection, they've released "Dust in Gravity," a gorgeous midtempo electronic track that brings a flavor of pop to the dark moodiness, seemingly inspired by the global economic downturn. Fellow Canadian Kreesha Turner adds a touch of the updated Motown flavor she highlighted on her brilliant single "Don't Call Me Baby." The video brings a human touch to the apocalyptic destruction of the earth which the song acts as a startlingly perfect soundtrack for.
Video - Youtube
Hyper Crush - "Keep Up" - Courtesy of Universal/Motown
What do you get when you cross 3Oh3 and Aqua? Hyper Crush describe themselves as a "Doo-Hop, Electro, Death-Core super group" but I would put them more in the camp of the electronic dance-rock that mainstream radio has recently been warming up to. The song is instantly catchy and singalong, like an Aqua classic, with a bit of the rock edge of the 3Oh3 sound of the moment. Apparently the Hyper Crush people were really inspired by the "Helen Keller" part of 3Oh3's "Don't Trust Me," as their bio is offensive to not only women but also the mentally retarded. After you listen to "Keep Up," be sure to check out the Benny Benassi mix of "Sex & Drugs" for a real electro club jam.
"Keep Up" - Youtube
"Sex & Drugs" (Benny Benassi Remix) - Youtube
