MENRVA, PINK PANDA and JESSICA HAMMOND, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”
UK/Irish producers Menrva are on a real roll this year, first with the fun and amazing “Play It Cool” and latterly with powerhouse vocalist MOYA on the buoyant and bubbly “You”. Now the lads unite with veteran UK producers and renown DJ’s Pink Panda and former UK contestant on “The Voice”, Jessica Hammond, for the swinging deep house of “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”. The song is solid, no nonsense house at its best, with a smooth vocal that really shines. It’s perfectly tailored for clubs and must be eyeing the UK singles chart with the sudden dance presence on that chart currently a welcome sensation. You simply can’t go wrong with a track like “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”.
What starts out like it might be another fine European-flavoured Robbie Rosen pop/dance track is immeasurably improved even more after 30 seconds when “The Boss” launches into deep house mode. This fun track is brought to you from two rising and prolific French producers, Coopex and Charles B (whose “Losing My Mind” I wrote about a while back), who know their way around structuring a production to maximize what the song has to offer in a scant 2:14. As Robbie has proved time and time again, his voice is highly adaptable to any dance music setting though it’s put a little further into the mix this time to offer a sophisticated edge to the song. “The Boss” is a blast, even providing a surprise salute to Diana Ross’ same-titled 1979 hit along the way. But what it really begs for is an extended dance remix to focus on its killer of a chorus.
Colombia-born Esther Anaya has spent her life in the entertainment business. From age 6 she has been immersed, which has led to performing as a singer (opening on Maluma’s worldwide tour a few years back), actress, violinist, and producer/DJ. Now based out of Los Angeles, I saw her recently open for Cash Cash in Las Vegas in a DJ set, in which she pulled out her violin and gave another dimension to some classic dance tracks over which she played. I later found that she had recorded a version of Samuel Barber’s classical piece “Adagio For Strings” – and despite having already been interpreted by Tiësto and Armin van Buuren – Esther puts her own stamp on it, bringing the mix down a few times for listeners to soak in her exquisite violin playing, before relaunching into a whirlwind of trance-flavoured synths. Be sure to check it out!
“A Little Magic” is intent on putting a smile on your face while you strut your stuff to its old school disco rhythm. It’s by London-based electronic producer Rory Carney, who so far has released a handful of singles after working behind the scenes in the biz for a number of years. “A Little Magic” is a rather straight-forward production with a compelling hook, a singalong chorus, and an ear-catching vocal by Matilda Mae. In these days in dance music which often means huge synths and big effects even in independently released productions, sometimes less is more when the song is strong enough. Such is the case with “A Little Magic”, and though a touch long at over 4 minutes, it could get a big boost from a more uptempo remix to match its happy vibes.
As older favourites depart, new ones arrive, so in this edition of the BILLCS Top 30 there are five debuts. There’s all kind of movement throughout the chart and it’s fun to identify your surprises every two weeks.
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However there are no surprises at the very top. Harry Styles’ “Daydreaming” (above) is locked in at #1, while “Superstar” by Sweden’s Darin (below) stays tightly put at #2.
“Dusk” by Manila Killa and Lights (above) moves 5-3 and is a song to keep your eyes on, while the enduring “Memories” by Conan Gray (below) climbs 7-4.
Three songs land in the Top 10. First up rising 11-7 is Francesco Yates’ fun tribute to all things Hendrix called “Jimi”. Francesco is currently in the US opening for the Backstreet Boys on their tour.
Then moving up 12-9 is Javi’s delightful cover of Sade’s “Cherish The Day”. It’s Javi’s third visit to the Top 10 in one form or another. He had a solo #3 with “Situation” (Monsieur Adi remix) in 2010 in the days of free downloads, and then later provided vocals for Native Underground’s “Till It Hurts” which peaked at #9 in 2011.
The Fastest Riser on the chart soars 26-10 and it’s the latest from Jessie Ware, “Free Yourself”. It’s her 11th Top 10 on this chart, and with that big jump, has designs on the top of the chart. Check out its new video above.
Petawane’s gorgeous soul song “Music” is also off to a grand start, climbing 22-15. Try to count how many songs and performers the song name-checks!
“Let’s All Dance (Our Last Summer)” by Canadian-German electronic duo Lola Dutronic moves up 23-19 and is a grower that will sneak up on you.
“Summer Nights” by DVBBS and Brandyn Burnette rises 28-21 and also is just outside of the Top 20 on the Canadian Top 40 charts. It’s a great song for both radio and festivals.
The Highest Debut at #22 is tailor-made for festivals and clubs and is destined to be an enduring electronic classic. Burning hot British producer/DJ Fred Again.. collaborates with Swedish House Mafia in reworking Future’s “Turn On The Lights” as “Turn On The Lights Again”. This one is so powerful it would generate cheers even if you didn’t know the song, and is definitely Fred Again..’s ticket into the A list club of producer/DJ’s. It’s only Swedish House Mafia’s second time on this chart, their first of course being with the #1 “Don’t You Worry Child” almost 10 years ago.
Another huge producer, Paul Van Dyk, scores his first chart entry since 2008’s “Let Go” (#4) with the cover of the 80’s Depeche Mode track “But Not Tonight” at #26. The vocalist is Christian Burns, who last appeared on the chart in 2007 with Tiësto on the #3 “In The Dark”. Christian was also a member of British pop trio BBMak back in the day, and they reached #6 in 2000 with “Back Here”, the first of three entries for them.
LF System’s “Afraid To Feel” arrives at #27 and is starting to make big noise on dance radio in North America at last. It’s been #1 in the UK for six weeks, quite a feat for producers Conor and Sean right out of the gate. The song samples the American R&B group Silk’s 70’s track “I Can’t Stop (Turning You On)” featuring vocals by Debra Laws.
Greyson Chance returns to the chart for the fourth time in three years with “Athena” (#28) from his upcoming album Palladium. Greyson is now recording independently with releases on Lowly Palace. “Athena” follows the #2 “Dancing Next To Me” and the outrageously fun #3 “Hellboy”.
And with a warm and inviting message, Dutch dance producers Showtek are back, this time working with NYC rapper MC Ambush for “Welcome Back Home”, which bows at #29. It’s Showtek’s fourth chart entry, and their first, “Cannonball (Earthquake)” (with Justin Prime and Matthew Koma), got to #1 in 2013.
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
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I’ll say it right now – “Stay Away” is one of my new favourites. It’s brought to you by enigmatic singer/songwriter/producer Analias (as in “an alias”), who has been releasing music for the last three years or so and previously was a contestant on France’s “The Voice”. What I like best about “Stay Away” is its well-produced breezy synth melody, which is in turn countered by some direct and sincerely sung lyrics as the singer clearly doesn’t want someone close to him to get hurt. The chorus is “stay away / stay away from all the fuckboys” and it packs a unique and unexpected punch. So as is, you won’t hear the song on the radio, but then again readers of this blog know that the best songs aren’t on the radio anyway! But if you’ve ever known someone who’s about to enter a life of trouble, “Stay Away” could’ve been their musical guide. Analias has also achieved another feat with “Stay Away” – making you want to hear more from him.
Officially called “Storybook Volume III: Jupiter Outlaw”, you’ll find that NYC-based electronic producer and violinist Bud Cahill wants you to create your own personal journey through his music. “Jupiter Outlaw” is an progressive house instrumental that begs visuals, and industry sync coordinators would have a field day placing the song in a video game, short feature film, or even a commercial. Bud is obviously very heavily influenced by trance, techno and other electronic music sub-genres, and his music in “Jupiter Outlaw” opens the door to whatever kind of fantasy you want to envision. The song has a majestic flow to it, not so much caught up in the bass end of melody as it is the higher tones, which balance quiet and bold as well as some interpolated medieval-sounding female vocals. Check out either the edit above or the extended version below, and you’ll find lots to enjoy.
NYC-based Greg Oakland is new to the electronic music recording scene but with “Sanguine Energy”, it’s obvious he’s been carefully studying the experts of the trance sub-genre, which could include Above & Beyond, Gareth Emery, BT, and early Tiēsto and Armin van Buuren. “Sanguine Energy” is a complex instrumental that combines lots of the best elements of current trance music and in turn fits like a glove. It also makes a strong impression because of all of the detail that has been captured, which allows the song to ebb and flow and generate spontaneous reaction from its listener. You’ll find the sly edit above but the full, almost 7 minute version below. Let “Sanguine Energy” take you away to a special place where you will move and groove and enjoy. Very well done!
Stepping away from the thoughtful storytelling of recent single “Nightmares in New York” for a second, L.A. based electronic artist Shoffy offers up a bright dance bop this time called “Love Ya”. It’s a straight-forward song about telling your special someone how much they are loved, and how much you want to be around them. It’s also a clever production that abandons its lyrics in favour of its melodic hook for almost the entire last minute of the song. That makes “Love Ya” a bit of an unanticipated rave up. I can see remixers having fun with this one, and not surprisingly the song has already garnered early support, including from Apple music. Oozing positivity, “Love Ya” is from Shoffy’s upcoming album Onward, due next month.
After a series of engaging releases through to last month’s “Toxic” comes the latest from L.A. singer/songwriter Kacey Fifield and “Like Us”. With a mature sound and tight, uplifting production by Albania’s Marin Hoxha, “Like Us” scores a personal best to date for Kacey. Co-written once again with the illustrious Robbie Rosen, “Like Us” is a true pop anthem that encourages everyone to unite and stand up for being human. We all make mistakes, fall in and out of love, and don’t always make the right choices, but in the end we are “Us” and sometimes take for granted all of what we do right. “Like Us” boldly celebrates all of us, set to an engaging electronic pop backdrop, with Kacey the growing 17 year old voice to lead it. Be sure to give “Like Us” repeated plays and you’ll certainly feel great afterwards!
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