Welcome back to the Shuffle Button. This week’s focus is all about drum and bass. We’ll also be ending with some summer songs that will either act as a farewell or an invitation to the warmer months, depending on what side of the equator you’re on.
Deadmau5 – Avaritia (Dimension Remix)
We’re starting off this week with a song that straddles liquid and jump up. Dimension brightens up Deadmau5’s “Avaritia” as he borrows the main melody but adds a hyper bass-line. It’s a very catchy remix. Unlike the original, Dimension’s take on the song will grab you by the collar and drag you onto the dance floor.
Virtual Self – Ghost Voices (Metrik Bootleg)
Staying with unofficial drum and bass remixes, Metrik premiered a bootleg to the super popular “Ghost Voices” by Virtual Self. Taking the opportunity to show the world his newest work on his residency, Metrik takes the original’s emotional melody and adds some pace and energy to the tune.
Luke Leadbelly & Samurai Breaks – Send Back
For this next song, Luke Leadbelly and Samurai Breaks will be acting as tour guides for our foray into experimental drum and bass. “Send Back” doesn’t fit the mold of the genre, and at 85 beats per minute, it doesn’t fit the usual bass-line specifications either. However, the freedom of breaking out of convention allows these artists to explore new sounds.
“Send Back” features a myriad of surreal and wacky noises. With an off-kilter rhythm of laser bubbles (that’s what we’re going with) laid over the top of a haphazard bass-line that’s somehow both fast paced yet downtempo, this song is sure to both confuse and delight.
Sam Binga feat. Rider Shafique & Tiffanie Malvo – Proud (Enei Remix)
Moving right along, a whole host of artists have a part in this next song that combines sub-genres of drum and bass. Bringing together ragga vocals (that are surprisingly uplifting) with a dark and rolling bass-line, Enei’s remix of “Proud” (an official one this time) melds multiple sounds to make a fantastic finished product.
Songs like this don’t blow you away with distinctive melodies. Rollers are more about how deep and low frequencies can affect the listener in subtle ways to portray a specific mood.
Fred V & Grafix – Major Happy
“Major Happy” describes this song in so many ways. It’s basically unbridled happiness distilled into four and a half minutes. The tune is upbeat and sunny. It transports you to a beach or a field or a meadow that’s bathed in sunlight. It’s warm and cozy. The song puts a smile on your face. The energetic bass-line, heavenly tones, and perfectly balanced groove puts you in the perfect mood.
Liquid drum and bass can do many things. It can try to portray many kinds of feelings. We reckon that Fred V & Grafix have been able to completely represent what a perfect summer day sounds like.
CHOOOOOOOOOON of the Week
The Magician feat. Years & Years – Sunlight
As summer winds down in the northern hemisphere and warmer weather shows hints of arriving in the southern hemisphere, we’re sticking with a summer vibe to finish off this week.
Fred V & Grafix showed us what summer feels like as drum and bass. Now we turn to The Magician to show us what summer sounds like over a house bass-line.
“Sunlight” immediately brings to mind summer days where you don’t have a care in the world. The Magician has basically reproduced the feeling of being drunk on sunshine.
In that headspace, we’re ending Shuffle Button 40 on good vibes only.
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