This is just another one of those mashup cases where someone decides to mix two spectacular pop tracks together and f*ck it up somewhere along the way … except he doesn’t.
I’m not quite sure how Acala put together Ellie Goulding’s “Under the Sheets” & Foster the People’s “[Funked] Up Kicks” so clean, but I do have an idea.
Taking two tracks that have gotten major airplay in our heads over the last few years and making it sound fresh is no easy task. But the key is to never get off key. I hear so many potentially good mashups fall apart eventually by simply not having the ear to understand THIS JUST WON’T WORK.
Fortunately for Alcala, this does and although I do have my reservations with the intro and a few other parts throughout, when that Ellie chorus hits, shit gets magical.
Here’s a collection of all the best of lists for 2011. I gotta admit there’s a lot of remixes & mashes on here, but when you’re working with underground producers, their access to great vocals is limited to well-known acapellas (for the most part). But don’t let that get you down, music snobs, there’s still some find work all over here!
I’m not gonna bullshit around this, I’m not a big fan of Eva Simon’s voice. I can definitely see her doing well on backups, but she lacks the power & personality to be the main act. Thankfully, we get Zedd to bring in some powerful production with that signature breakbeat electro house. If anything, this is just another case of pop progressing past that all too repetitive, outdated EDM.
Hip-Hop isn’t dead, it’s just not the most progressive genre anymore. It may not have slowed down, there are many instances of hip-hop’s progression nowadays, but electronic music is far surpassing it in experimentation and pushing the boundaries of music is (whether ya like it or not).
That said, hip-hop still has their classic sound to fall back on to and Piece of Mind does it just right. “Rap Phenomenon” sounds more like a 90′s style of rap, not relying on hard bass or House music to keep it fresh. And until hip-hop starts busting into the online scene, hopefully with the help of SoundCloud where music is progressing faster than ever, keeping with that old school viibe is fine with me.
I don’t see enough of my favorite 90′s – early 00′s groups getting mashed, but Fullhaus comes through once again with a solid flowing mix of two. Taking vocals from Wiz Khalifa’s “Rolled Up” & that nostalgic beat from 311′s “Mixed Up,” Fullhaus puts on one clever show. It may be a little difficult for 311 fans to grasp at first, but once you let it start flowing, it’s one smoooooth ride.
When Sweet Treats Vol. 1 was released a few months ago as a three track sampler, it seemed more like a single for Skrillex’s track “Needed Change” with a couple extras rather than a compilation. I was sure the idea had died and no more freebies would be released, but then Vol. 2 was just released last week.
Free Treats Vol. 2 is dope. The sampler features over 20 artists on 19 tracks, with contributions from The M Machine, Alvin Risk, Bare Noize, Topher Jones, and a quite a few more. [side note: it sounds like Nick Thayer has finally gotten a proper introduction to OWSLA]. There are too many tracks to dissect them all, but this release is well worth your time to listen to. I think its safe to say we can expect big things from OWSLA in the near future.
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Yukimi Nagano’s voice is truly one of kinda. I hear a hell of a lot of good female vocals everyday, but nothing with the mystique like Yukimi’s.
In Vindata’s remix of “Little Man,” Yukimi’s voice is on another electro level with a lot more fuller sound than the original. The intro also reminds me of The Five One’s cover of “Never Been,” but that might just be me.
A good chorus isn’t just catchy, it sucks you in. Dato’s “Letting Go” isn’t just some new flavored disco making its rounds, it’s gotta chorus that’ll float around your head for dayyys.
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