Videos of the Week April 8th

This week was some kind of special awesome video wise. Not only did we have Bert and Ernie goin' in on Warren G and Nate Dogg's Regulate, we also had 2 Chainz dropping ghetto analogies to explain Super Pacs in politics. Doesn't get much more random than those two videos, but that's why they got some love in the top five.

In the music world, both Benny Benassi and Lido released visuals for their latest singles. While Benny and Chris Brown went the typical party/beach route on their video, Lido went for more of an EDM opus on his video for Crazy. I love the Blackstreet sample on the that track. Kudos to Lido for the creativity on that. And last, but certainly not least, we've got a Jimmy Fallon and Melissa McCarthy karaoke war. Some videos don't need much setup and this one falls into that category...#LipSyncBattle
Sesame Street Covers Nate Dogg & Warren G's Regulate

2 Chainz Explains How Super Pacs are Trap Queens for Presidential Campaigns

Benny Benassi feat Chris Brown - Paradise (Video)

Lido - Crazy (Video)

Jimmy Fallon Lip Sync Battles Melissa McCarthy

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Tonight is the Last Night, I'll See You in Paradise"

Some duos just make great music when they collaborate. In the context of the song below, I'm talking Chris Brown and Italian EDM mainstay Benny Benassi. You may remember their previous hit single Beautiful People back in 2011. Press play for a refresher...

Call it a top 40 ballad if you want, but it's catchy as hell. Breezy plays the build up so well vocally on dance tracks, it's not a surprise that he gets called on often by EDM's finest collaboration opportunities. I can't say for sure who is going to stake claim for this on an album, but Chris Brown has been releasing so much new music, I'd put my bet on it finding a way onto his upcoming Royalty album. When really talented artists get together it doesn't always go well, but it did here, so chalk another one up for the good guys...#Paradise

Benny Benassi feat Chris Brown - Paradise

System of a Down Gets Down With Benny Benassi

I can't say I've ever been a huge fan of System of a Down, but when it comes to memorable voices, Serj Tankian sits atop the list. His soft, theater-esque, dramatic harmony generally seems like a complete mismatch with hard rock, but that's also what allows him to stand out. It's safe to say that his unique vocals fit in a similar way with Benny Benassi's balls to wall beat on Shooting Helicopters. The drama leading up to the drop is palpable, giving way to a face melting drop. Although my temptation is to consider this track a novelty, it's uniqueness makes it a really likable track...#ShootingHelicopters

Benny Benasi feat Serj Tankian - Shooting Helicopters

Benny Benassi Knows Nothing But Hits

I've been marinating on Kaleidoscope for a few weeks now and I've found it increasingly difficult to break up with. While normal songs last a week or two before sliding into the rear view, Benny Benassi's new one has appreciated like a fine wine. Led by Kerli's vocals, the track strikes a balance between top 40 hit and club favorite. Not too many people can do progressive house as well as Benny and below is further evidence of that fact...#Kaleidoscope

Benny Benassi feat. Kerli - Kaleidoscope

S/O to TSIS for the premiere

Blink Has Been Resurrected and Now Remixed

About a month back, I posted a new, rejuvenated version of his track Blink. Now, we get yet another take on the track by John Dahlbäck himself. Compared to his most recent take on the track with Benny Benassi, the new version is much more aggressive and hard hitting. The vocals are sped up a bit and as a result, the synths are much more high octane post-drop. Word has it the remix will be released via Ultra Records tomorrow and be available via Beatport/ just in time to add to your weekend party playlists...#BlinkAgain

John Dahlbäck & Benny Benassi - Blink Again (John Dahlbäck Remix)

Seven Years Later, We Get to Blink Again

Back in 2007, the GWDJ blog was in it's infancy, manifesting itself as a monthly song list sent to a group of friends and acquaintances. Seven years ago, EDM represented a very small piece of what I considered to be the cutting edge music of at the time. Back then Hip Hop and R&B led the way for exciting, limit pushing genres. As a result, I completed missed John Dahlbäck's original version of Blink, which is regrettable. If you were like me and missed it, free and check out the original, which laid the foundation for the new version below...

Now fast forward to present day, where Dahlbäck teamed up with Benny Benassi on a revamped version of the original. You'll note, Blink Again sounds a lot like the Blink, but there's quite a bit more to the new version of the track. For starters, the brief trap breakdown toward the end of the track is a welcome change of pace. Also, the vocals are a lot sharper and the drops are much more aggressive and hard hitting than the original. Call it version 2.0 or a new school update, whatever the case, it's packed with plenty of juice that is capable of fueling any dance party, leaving us in anticipation for another week until it's April 18th release....#BlinkAgain

John Dahlbäck & Benny Benassi - Blink Again (Clip)

"Kids, Kids Are Gonna Do What They Want"

I'll be the first to admit, I did not know who Mikky Ekko was until he surfaced on Rihanna's track Stay. It goes without saying, he shined all over that track vocally and was a worthy choice for the duet. Long story short he hails from Nashville, TN and had previously been known more for his writing prior to Ri Ri puttin' him on.

You can consider his Benny Benassi and John Hill produced lead single Kids his starting point toward a major label debut album. The track is about as easy listening as it gets with it's catchy, electro-pop sound. I find his southern folk-ish style Tom Petty-esque delivery interesting over soothing synths and I'd normally characterize him as an Indie artist, but this single will probably get it's share of top 40 love before it's all over. Keep an eye on Mikky, he's got a unique style that's worthy of note...#Kids

Mikky Ekko - Kids (prod by Benny Benassi & John Hill)

"How Can You Dance the Pain Away?"

On Memorial Day it's all about showing love to the men and women who have served our country over the years. There isn't much that is completely free in the world these days and that couldn't be more evident with the concept of freedom. Everything that is worthwhile comes with sacrifice, so tip of the cap to the service men and women of our country who do a lot of thankless things on a daily basis that don't get recognized.

In an effort to keep the feel good vibe going, below is a new potential summer anthem from two industry heavyweights, Benny Benassi and John Legend. For a quick visual, check out them debuting the track at Coachella about a month ago...

The track is an interesting mix of melancholy vocals and upbeat synth rhythms. The mainstream appeal is undeniable, but beyond that it's really cool to see two artists who are great in their own realm, do it together. Can't say for sure whether this will be on John's upcoming Love in the Future album due out on June 25th, but if I were a betting man I'd put money on it. Regardless, hope y'all have a relaxing day off today...#HappyMemorialDay

Benny Benassi feat. John Legend - Dance the Pain Away

"You Are My Cinema, I Could Watch You Forever"

The track below is a direct bi-product of my experience at Bamboozle last weekend. Chalk this one up to me not being down with EDM a year ago because when I heard @skrillex's version of Cinema in concert, it was noteworthy to say the least. The original version was released over a year ago in March 2011 and in case you missed it, peep the video below...

Yea it's a catchy ass dance track thanks in big part to the vocals delivered by @garygo, who I had not previously not been familiar with. I'm including both the original and the Skrillex remix because it's really 50/50 mood toss up if you asked me to pick a favorite. The original is more of a calm, sing along dance track, while Skrillex's dubstep seasoning takes the electronic energy of the track to another level. No doubt, @bennybenassi deserves some dap for crafting the original and for his set at the Indy 500 this weekend, but hearing Skrill chop it up with thousands of people going nuts to it on the beach was a memory I will not soon forget.

Much more to come in the form of a full, two part concert review for Bamboozle, but for tonight I needed to play catch up on the tracks below...#MemorialDayIsForRelaxingNotWriting

Benny Benassi feat Gary Go - Cinema (Radio Edit)
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Benny Benassi feat Gary Go - Cinema (Skrillex Remix)
|iTunes

"Can I Just Watch You, If You Don't Mind"

Ah yes, a nice mid-week shot of European club music from everyone's favorite Italian beat artist, @bennybenassi. Not sure really where @CLINTONSPARKS fits in on this one, but I'd assume he was behind the boards with Benny crafting the rugged, upbeat synthesizers. I relish in the fact that so little is required vocally on a track like this because it'll always be played in an extremely loud place, so enjoy it for what it is, a great dance track that you'll find at your local club this summer.

Out of curiosity, y'all remember Benny?  I know y'all remember Satisfaction, but I betcha didn't know Benny did the beat on @chrisbrown's single Beautiful People, did you? Or what about that track he did with @TPAIN, Electroman? I've been pretty hard on American pop music in the past, but this movement to infuse American pop culture with the best of European club/house/techno, whatever you wanna call it, was a great decision. Can't go wrong with upbeat, especially when it comes to imported music from overseas that isn't afraid to run shoulders with a collection of Hip Hop & R&B's best.

Benny Benassi feat Clinton Sparks - Watch You

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