Welcome back to the Shuffle Button. This week there’s no hard and fast theme, but the common motif of happy music. We’re going to start off mellow and uplifting before building into some more hectic stuff. The main goal is that everyone will be smiling by the end.
Maniqin – Slide 6
Promising that slow start, we’re highlighting a brand-new artist that released his first EP last month. Maniqin is completely unknown. Seriously he/she/they have one release on Beatport. We don’t know all that much about this producer except that the songs off I Am Maniqin are fantastic.
“Slide 6” is the epitome of chill. If there’s ever a song to start off a playlist in a relaxed mood, this is it. It’s always great when melodies just sound happy. It shows impressive skill to not have to rely on vocals to affect the listener. Whoever Maniqin is, this song is a hell of an intro.
Finn – Sometimes the Going Gets a Little Tough
Sticking on the new producers with cheerful songs kick, Finn’s “Sometimes the Going Gets a Little Tough” is the ultimate song to raise your spirits.
This track is infectious. The sample is so uplifting and happy that you can’t be upset when it inevitably gets stuck in your head. The bass-line is bouncy and is a little bit faster than you’d expect. Put together, these elements create a song that will lift your mood while it moves your feet.
Tori Amos – Professional Widow (Armand Van Helden’s Star Trunk Mix)
There are few sounds that are as unassuming, fun, and happy as ’90s electronica. It’s hard to hear a song from Fatboy Slim or Armand Van Helden from that time and not want to get up and dance. It’s pure party music. There’s no worry about genres or trends. In fact, at the time it was almost considered pop (the least cool genre of new music). Pop music can be good, that is, the kind of pop music that doesn’t age and can still rock a party 20 years after it’s released.
Armand Van Helden’s remix of “Professional Widow” is this type of really good “pop” music. It’s unbridled fun that encourages you to let loose and not take yourself too seriously. You don’t have to worry about whether EDM ruined the rave scene or what artist just sold out by doing a song with Avicii. Sometimes you need to just sit back and throw shapes.
Lone – Crush Mood
Starting to bring up the heat a little bit, Lone plays up the nostalgia in “Crush Mood.” Originally a hip-hop producer, he has continued to evolve his style throughout the years. You would be forgiven if you thought that he was producing music for warehouses 20 years ago.
His track throws a ravey vibe over a tech-house bass-line. It’s a great song that mixes a chill aspect with hints of a party on top. It starts off a little slow, but before you know it, you’re bobbing along with the beat and ready for more.
LSDXOXO – Burn The Witch
Okay, enough with the soft stuff. Now we’re well and truly getting into it. LSDXOXO is another artist that doesn’t have a ton of info online, but man his productions are all over the map. “Burn The Witch” is an incredible composition of jazz, Baltimore club music and R&B. It feels like you’re at a rave in a New Orleans jazz club.
Obviously, it’s hard to ignore the breaks as they underpin the song and will it to move. But the jazz aspects all over the song are the more influential component. They add an element of whimsy and make sure the true impact of the song is its marriage of two seemingly disparate influences. The jazz piano and clarinet combine with the Baltimore club breaks to combine a truly surprising and enjoyable tune.
CHOOOON of the Week
KW Griff feat. Pork Chop – Bring in the Katz
Baltimore club music has the distinct style of being manic, energetic, absurd, and fantastic. “Bring in the Katz” is a great example of the genre at its most extra.
Pork Chop’s screams make you want to go bonkers. The breaks always lurk in the background of the song to let you know that the hype is never far away. It’s party music that makes you want to get crazy.
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