dinsdag 17 januari 2012

Our Top 50 Favorite Tracks Countdown - 05 - 01

Yessir, it has started, the countdown of the 50 best tracks of 2011! Everyday I’ll post one track in the Daily Clip section, but if you missed one don’t worry, after each batch of five I’ll be sure to post those songs with links on the site (you’ll find it in the main post). So for the next 50 days, nothing but the best, here we go!
This is awesome. So much raw energy, got to love the strong vocals, but also the frantic pace and all those little things that Steed Lord does to give it just a boost, like three packets of Red Bull. I just want to jump up and down when I hear this one, it’s amazing how much energy it provides. And as said, those vocals, and all the DJ/producing tricks Steed Lord gets out to enhance the experience, it’s awesome. The whole EP is amazing, but this one takes the crown for me.
I’m still waiting for them to get touring Europe, and I’m still waiting for them to release their album, but if all the EPs and tracks they released in 2011 are anything to go by it will be worth the wait. This track got remixes by some of the best guys out there, like The Juan MacLean, Mano le Tough, Holy Ghost!, and Steffi, and it is easy to see why this DFA product is being so highly touted. Strong vocals, and they’ve stolen a fair few away from Hercules and Love Affair’s original backing band to get the disco vibe right. It just rolls on so nicely, thanks in part because of that bass of course. It also has this kind of romantic view of being at night going on, the search for love, the amazing opportunities night time brings if one allows a bit of a romantic slant to its views. “I will let you in to my heart”, she confides, if only you “drop me a line”. Yearning for pure love, that must be in the top 3 of disco motifs right there.
I live in the city, but I don’t live in the CITY, if you get my drift. Despite that, I’ve seen Motor City Drum Ensemble DJ two times in 2011, and he delivered both times despite widely varying crowds. This is an original release he did for his awesome DJ KICKS entree. “Wherever you go, my heart is there, I’m yours”, and then the music kicks in again. It’s danceable, it’s got atmosphere, and it is smooth. It knows when to turn it down, when to get the pace up, and when to go vocals. I believe Resident Advisor had him in their top 100 DJ list this year, and rightly so. Kid got skills.
For all my love for Jacques Renault, I also do love the other half of Runaway, Marcos Cabral. And this track is as good an example of why I love him as any. Gotta love the bass and beat at the start, getting the thing rolling. So if you’re on the floor you won’t get a pause dancing on this one. Slowly the extra sounds come in and the vocals are added. I love how it gives the vocals plenty of room and then pushes the pace when they stop. That’s exactly the right thing to do in my opinion. Let the people focus on the vocals and when the bass and beat come to prominence again let them dance. The music really keeps this one going and strutting along, and the vocals give it some emotional oomph by at one point exclaiming Stop, you’re tearing up my heart. Tremendous song, danceable, got some emotion going on there, and I’ll happily dance to it or drop it in a set.
I love what Late Nite Tuff Guy has been doing recently, taking these old classic songs and actually making them better. Or well, putting a different, more dancefloor ready spin to it, but in this case I actually prefer this one to the original simply because it’s not verse-chorus, but it really builds up to that tremendous chorus with those absolutely fabulous vocals by former Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald. That build-up really makes those vocals jump out even more, and if you can bring out Michael McDonald’s voice better then you know you’ve got something golden. “I keep forgettin’ we’re not in love anymore”, McDonald sings, to in the chorus add that he keeps forgetting that “every time you smile”. Dang. Also love how, in the verse before the chorus comes in, Late Nite Tuff Guy strips most things away and clears it all out for McDonald to come in with an extra punchy beat. My favorite song of the year, had this on repeat for forever.

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