Reach Out

I figure this would be an appropriate title, and track for a post on Mother's day. Dirty Harris introduced himself in 2010 by winning the Funkagenda - Afterclub remix competition for Toolroom records. His infectious tribal, tech mix will feature alongside Funkgenda & Riva Starr. Enjoy, although given the day I would suggest using headphones.

Dirty Harris- Reach Out
Bonus: Funkagenda ft. Big Ed- Afterclub (Dirty Harris Remix)

Mainstream This.

Deadmau5 has been busy at work lately producing a huge group of new tunes. This guy lives and breathes house music. A lot of people have lately been proposing that Deadmau5 is now too mainstream and too well known. My retort: Who cares? Being popular doesn't devalue your work unless you let it. Maybe some people just need to feel they are always on the cutting edge and once the secret is out, so are they. I understand where this thinking comes from as it's always nice to share a niche (musical, cultural or whatever) with a group of friends but what I'm not agree with is that an artist is too 'played out' because every Joe bro knows them and has googled how to make a Deadmau5 mask. The problem I have with bands/producers going mainstream is the assimilation of their sound to a radio friendly, cheap-pop style of music that will appeal to the masses simply to appeal to the masses. In no way does Deadmau5 fit this criteria; he does things his own way, and hopefully always will. He constantly pushes the barriers of his genre and has now released a couple new tunes to further support his case, which brings us to the reason for this post (sorry about all that, feeling a tad preachy this morning).

First up, his remix of Pendulum's 'Watercolor'. I really like the vocals on this track so it gets off on the right foot with me immediately. Keep in mind this song, like the majority of his new tunes, is made for an arena or a festival. It may not sound too terrific playing out of your 5 year old 2.1 logitech speakers you're 'borrowing' from your roommate. If you've ever seen him live just visually implant this song somewhere in the set and you'll see what I mean. If not...it's called Youtube. Deadmau5 masterfully uses a catchy chorus to elevate this song to another level. It has me salivating for the next time I see the man live, and hopefully it will have you too.

Pendulum- Watercolor (Deadmau5 Remix)

Next, his original production 'Some Chords'. This song definitely has the Deadmau5y sound to it. At nearly 8 minutes long you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it through its progressive journey, starting out slow and moving its way to one of his trademark energy infused chorus'. Somehow he has managed to keep his original sound and kept our ears excited with new melodies and synths that will have you scratching your head and hitting the rewind button (in a good way).

Deadmau5- Some Chords

Hey Hey

Dennis Ferrer entered the dance music scene by combining with Jerome Sydenham to create "Sandcastles" in 2003. Since then he has produced and song-written for a myriad of genres ranging from acid, techno, gospel and soul. His his latest release, "Hey Hey" is a soul-stirring, modern house tune that reflects Mr. Ferrer's wide range of musical tastes. We have included the Riva Starr, who is a favourite of ours, remix, however the vocal mix is far superior.

Dennis Ferrer- Hey Hey (DF's Attention Vocal Remix)
Dennis Ferrer- Hey Hey (Riva Starr Paradise Garage Remix)
Dennis Ferrer and Jerome Sydenham- Sandcastles

Bingo

While this song was released a few weeks ago, and given my scan of the blogosphere, did not get the respect or praise it deserves. Dalhback takes this track in a different direction than he is known for; it's a bit less progressive and underground, and a bit more house and mainstream. Nonetheless it's a gem.

John Dahlback ft. Elodie- Bingo (Extended Mix)

SHM

I'm really not going to go to in depth on this song. You have all by now heard of the Swedish House Mafia's new single 'One'. Everyone believes it's the best thing since sliced bread and it just might be. There have been rumblings of a vocal mix which I would personally love to see, but until then I guess we'll just have to settle for the biggest song released this year. Woe is me.

Coming soon to a set of speakers near you:

Swedish House Mafia- One

Morning Sunshine

As I awoke in my own bed for the first time in a few months, I thought to myself, "how can I make this morning better? Fresh new tunes of course!" Genius, ne pas? And so I quickly sifted through my iTunes recently added and mashed some of my favourite tunes together starting out relatively calm and slowly building.

The first song that really stuck out for me was Nic Fanciulli's remix of 'Two Dots'. Is there a better way to start a morning than to great vocals and a melodic up-beat tune? I think not. I suggest saving this one for the next lazy morning you have, and just kick back with a big bowl of Harvest Crunch and enjoy.

Luisine- Two Dots (Nic Fanciulli Remix)

The Longer the Better

While debating if I should mission it two hours to see Funkagenda play tonight I went off on a tangent of some of my favourite progressive tracks. All of these possess lovely long, drawn out build ups as they approach the crescendo. Most people are too impatient for these builds-they are foolish. As with most things that are leading to some big explosion or critical moment, the longer the the better, or at least that's what she said...

First up we have Sebastian Leger, a favourite of ours, this time with an edgy sounding tune using vocal samples from Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People".
Sebastian Leger- The People(Original Mix)

While David Guetta is notorious for his trendy electro collaborations with such artists as Akon, Kid Cudi and Will.I.am, his independent progressive collaborations are why I respect the Frenchman. "Grrrrr" and his remix of Calvin Harris' Flashback are the epitome of his talent, and versatility.
David Guetta- Grrrr (Original Mix)
Calvin Harris- Flashback (David Guetta 'One Love' Remix)

This post wouldn't be complete without some Funkagenda tracks- he was the impetus for this post after-all. I implore you to listen to these tracks on the best and loudest sound system you can get your hands on to truly appreciate the nuances and effort he puts into his music.
Funkagenda- H3lix (Original Club Mix)
Funkagenda- Flauta Magic (Original Mix)
Funkagenda, Mark Knight- Antidote (Original Mix)