Euphoric

Madcon made a bit of an impact with their single 'Beggin' (which used that awesome Pilooski edit of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons), but I wrote them off fairly quickly, assuming they would be a bit of a one-hit wonder.

Whoops.

Although they might not be the best rappers in the world by any means, they definitely know good production when they hear it. The sexy electric guitar in '2000'n AA' is pretty much one of the best used samples I've heard in a long time. The drums are also great, really funky, and it's all mixed in with some horn stabs and a few electronic sounds. It sounds very smooth. And the lyrics aren't all bad, though they seem a bit aggressive for the track. (The way he sings 'we Madcon' sounds awesome as well). 'Liar' and 'The Sweetest Drug' are done in the same kind of style and are worth a listen as well. I think 'Liar' is quite possibly on a few BBC playlists... You can count that as a good thing or not depending on personal preference.

But it can't be all commercial hip-hop on this blog. In fact it hardly ever is. Because that would be no fun. So I turn to commercial dance instead - meaning the new Calvin Harris track in particular. I can't be the only person who spent the last week searching for a non-tagged version of the song, or one that wasn't horribly distorted by (non)virtue of being a radio-rip. Alas, I can't find one. To make do, I've listened to my less than ideal versions of the song about 50 times a day. I love the new direction he's gone in, moving from a 'disco' revival to some good, old-fashioned, mainstream house - possibly because he's trying to jump on the hype surrounding 'Pjanoo' and 'Infinity '08'. Not that I'm cynical. Regardless, 'I'm Not Alone' is a great song, it builds up nicely and it's about as euphoric as you could possibly want. Can't wait to hear it on a night out.

I won't put up the song, because it's on his myspace and all over the web anyway. I've put up an old remix of 'Dance Wiv Me' by Shazam instead, because it's pretty much amazing.

Sticking with the trance theme, I've linked an old Lifelike tune as well. I'm pretty sure he doesn't need any introduction or any hyping. Which is good, because I've already written far more than necessary.

Also, Damn Arms are quality. They've been getting a lot of attention recently, courtesy of their new EP. Their remix of 'Far Away' is one of my favourites, and I think I may have linked it before. Nevertheless, it's worth a second mention. The grainy electric piano in particular sounds fucking brilliant, and the treatment of the vocals is perfect.


Madcon - 2000'n AA Buy
Cut Copy - Far Away (Damn Arms Remix) Buy
Geyster - Under The Fuse Of Love (Lifelike Remix) Buy
Dizzee Rascal (feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome) - Dance Wiv Me (Shazam Remix) Buy