Big Room goes booom with “Let’s Get This Thing Started” by Dutch producer @DJJohnChristian

JOHN CHRISTIAN, “Let’s Get This Thing Started”

Big Room is no longer a dirty dance music term when people like John Christian decide to make a huge anthem like “Let’s Get This Thing Started”.  John’s a Dutch producer whose White Villa Studios has been the destination for Madonna, Usher, Black Eyed Peas, Tiësto, Marshmello, and many more A-List performers.  So he’s not so well known to the rest of the world as a recording artist but “Let’s Get This Thing Started” should change that.  This is high quality, instantly enjoyable dance music with a frenetic pace that’s going to kick off many a festival set.  Be prepared to bounce for three and a half minutes of high energy fun!  Oh yeah – and that sneaky, familiar melody that slips in quietly?  Remember Hot Butter’s 1972 hit “Popcorn”?

Listen to the potent acoustic collaboration of @GoldFishlive and @MarcosZeeba with “It Was You”

GOLDFISH and ZEEBA, “It Was You” (acoustic)

Though I’m not familiar with either performer, the video of an acoustic alliance (recorded in Santiago, Chile!), “It Was You”, is a welcome introduction to both.  GoldFish is an electronic duo (Dom and David) with South African origins, now situated in San Diego, who are both well-educated, diverse musicians as well as producers.  Zeeba is an American singer, based in Brazil and of Brazilian heritage, who is most noted for some recent successful collaborations, particularly with producer Alok.  So it’s no wonder that Armada, of all labels, has taken a chance to release “It Was You”.  Strip away all of the electronic trappings and you can always see who truly shines.  Zeeba’s convincing vocal supported by the grand piano and saxophone from GoldFish meshes together silkily, and though it’s a short effort at only 2:32 it’s one that you’ll definitely want to hear again and again.

 

“Heart Beat Faster” is sexy, slick deep house from @UNOMASmusic and @TeoMandrelli

UNOMAS & TEO MANDRELLI, “Heart Beat Faster”

Leave it to some sexy, slick deep house music coming out of Miami to be one of your winter warmers!  Both UNOMAS and Teo Mandrelli are based out of Miami, though with Teo being from Italy, there’s definitely a more European flavour to this collaboration.  The lads have been well-represented through a feature on Oliver Heldens’ mix series, and have recorded for most major dance labels such as Ultra, Spinnin’ and Heldens’ own label.  The carefree melody and appropriately enticing female vocal make “Heart Beat Faster” worthy of major club attention.  Both producers know how to mix harder edged sounds and graceful synths to come up with a memorable song that’s easy to digest.

“London” will leave you kinda sorta breathless from Nashville’s @thisisMokita

MOKITA, “London”

If you’re not entirely familiar with Nashville vocalist Mokita, the name may be ringing a recent bell or two thanks to his stellar tones on R3HAB’s latest and very memorable “All Into Nothing”, which I wrote about last month.  Mokita’s latest solo work, “London” is a straight-forward travelogue about missing the one you love.  BUT it suddenly leaves you tongue-tied and kinda sorta breathless with a *deep sigh* that should say it all by the 35 second point when Mokita sings acapella “you would die if you knew I was here”.   And after that, there’s no turning back, you’re swept up and transported to London and engaged in a delightful love story that maybe ends a bit too soon.  “London” is delicious but lighter electronic dance pop than usual (and kudos to Armada for going with it), and strangely enough it uses a lot of the same tricks of more hardcore tracks – like pauses that could be otherwise be drops – that make you want more.  “London” could be a dark horse radio-hit-in-waiting to watch.

Get this Banger, with no mash: It’s “Tea Time” with @WinandWoo

WIN & WOO, “Tea Time” (free DL)

Despite the headline, “Tea Time”, the latest from Chicago’s Win & Woo, has absolutely nothing to do with anything to do with England unless you want to have tea.  But unlike the alternately fanciful or emotional dance pop they’ve released over the last year or so, “Tea Time” is most certainly a Banger (capitalized)!!  It’s a brisk, fun song that’s probably going to be sampled by others to incorporate into festival or radio mixes, but it gets on quite well on its own, thank you.  For the last number of years, Win and Woo have been go-to remixers for many and have grown in their craft.  You can hear the finesse and sophistication in the mix of “Tea Time”, despite the lack of lyrics this time.  So it’s definitely a trade off with its memorable “it’s time for tea” drop, but “Tea Time” serves as a kick off to what looks like a super fun 2019 for Win & Woo!  Get it for free while it lasts at the link above.

NYC’s @AndyxSuzuki @andtheMethod crank up a bluesy jam with “Medicine”

ANDY SUZUKI & THE METHOD, “Medicine”

As an introduction to their third album “Alibi”, NYC’s Andy Suzuki & The Method – singer/songwriter/guitarist Andy Suzuki and hand-percussionist/co-writer Kozza Babumba – offer up a bluesy, rhythmic jam with “Medicine”.  This is the kick-ass, guitar-heavy kind of rock music that the duo creates to floor their concert audiences on a regular basis, so you can expect nothing less than similar quality in the rest of the album.  They’ve enlisted producer Juny Mag as a co-writer as well, and if “Medicine” is any indication, their overall sound has been honed tighter than ever.  Kozza’s unique hand-percussion is something rarely heard in pop music these days, and this talent partnered with Andy’s top notch voice should find more new fans and reacquaint older ones – like from their performances on “The Rock Boat” cruises – with songs like “Medicine”.  

“Heaven” returns as a bigger bolder dance anthem courtesy of @Dzekomusic & @RiggiandPiros and @beingVeronica

DZEKO and RIGGI & PIROS and VERONICA, “Heaven”

Indeed, the 80’s #1 by Bryan Adams that originally started life as a ballad in a film called “A Night In Heaven” with Christopher Atkins and Lesley-Ann Warren has been reinvented and transformed many times, but none more successfully than DJ Sammy’s Europop version that became a worldwide smash in 2003.  As readers know, I’m particularly selective about what cover versions I enjoy.  And while some may think that 15 years may not have been long enough to welcome a new version to clubland, Toronto’s Dzeko and New Jersey’s Riggi & Piros fire it up and set it ablaze, aided by a winning vocal by another Torontonian, Veronica, who did well in Europe (and particularly Belgium with a #1) last year with “In The Mood”.  So this new version is definitely less pre-fab and more anthemic than the DJ Sammy version, from which it still draws inspiration.  And does it work?  Yep it sure does, for both clubs and radio. I’ll put money on radio stations – particularly in Canada, to support homegrown talent of Dzeko and Veronica – playing it to follow up Dzeko’s collaboration with Tiësto on “Jackie Chan”.  And I’d love to hear some remixers share their new takes on this pop classic to help broaden its appeal to receptive club DJ’s.

Add sparks to your “Sunday Morning” by @Matomaofficial and @JosieDunnemusic in an @iamAlyxAnder remix

MATOMA and JOSIE DUNNE, “Sunday Morning” (Alyx Ander remix)

An acclaimed debut album of 2018 that still seemed to fall somewhat under the radar was Matoma’s One In A Million.  With four stellar singles recorded with Becky Hill (“False Alarm”, #6 on my personal chart), MAX (“Lonely”, #10), Enrique Iglesias, (“I Don’t Dance (Without You), #20), and The Vamps (“All Night”), the multi-talented Norwegian musician and producer proved beyond a shadow of the doubt that he could flourish in dance, electronic, and pop genres.  Single #5 from the album is “Sunday Morning”, featuring Nashville-based vocalist Josie Dunne.  It gets a sparkling remix by Miami’s Alyx Ander that will make you want to put on your dancing shoes instead of stumbling out of bed for your coffee on a Sunday.  When the song isn’t full throttle in pick-you-up mode, it beautifully focuses on the soulful edges in Josie’s voice, making there plenty of reasons to enjoy the song.  It also happens to make a perfect companion to mix into Avicii’s “Wake Me Up!”, so your Sundays really may never be the same again!  

#Pandamagic “This Time” by #JaydenPanda with @CelineFarach and @Matluckmusic is cheerful, empowering EDM

JAYDEN with CELINE FARACH and MATLUCK, “This Time”

In pop music, there are no rules.  Joining Deadmau5, Marshmello, and a host of other masked dance music musicians and producers, we welcome Jayden into the electronic dance music genre.  The mystery man dresses in a panda outfit with an oversized head, which is equally goofy as the rest.  But where the difference here is the branding – a magical panda DJ/producer who can turn you into a kid for a few moments and then back again, making anything seem possible.  So is the basis of the story behind the video for “This Time”, Jayden’s first single, which has already amassed 1.6 views on You Tube in two weeks of release.  He’s already got a huge following of over 250K on Instagram too.  So establishing the visual presence was important, but so of course is the song.  “This Time” is cheerful and empowering, with a solid, memorable melody, and thank goodness for the infectious presence of two US singers, Céline Farach and Matluck (who you already know from some dance releases with Nicky Romero, Mike Williams, and Dzeko).  These two, with their voices, smiles, and attitude, all help bring the song to the next level.  Like with Marshmello, there will be an upward battle to break through, but don’t be surprised to see Jayden make some magical waves by mid-year.

Meet British folk singer @KateyBrooksOFCL with the compelling and heartfelt “In Your Arms”

KATEY BROOKS, “In Your Arms”

Folk music is hardly what I would call a genre that I actively listen to a lot, but much of today’s pop music was founded on what we would now call the music of folk singers who long preceded the pop and rock era (say, before 1955).  And when a voice is as commanding as that of British singer and guitarist Katey Brooks, then I want you to know about it!  You may hear, as I did, potential influences from classic singers like Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins or Stevie Nicks in “In Your Arms”.  The song starts off so quietly as if to not really want to grab your attention.  But once you start hearing the story, her voice becomes an expressive charmer – duly compared to Florence Welch for power – and there is no turning back.  And then, a bit more than 3 minutes later, the song just stops tidily, leaving you to ponder.  Even though she is British, Katey’s music reminds me of how the songs and poetry of Patti Smith somewhat symbiotically connected with the rock audience of the late 70’s.  In today’s alt-pop and alt-rock, which includes folk music, you’ll find other talented women, and Katey Brooks can certainly compete with the best of them.