Flux Flips Faithless Classic Into Drum and Bass Masterpiece

One thing I really appreciate is when modern EDM artists reach back into the archives to dust off a classic. Electronic music as a whole didn't begin to start gaining appreciation from an American audience until the decade after Y2K. As a result, there's an entire history of electronic music that not a lot of people know about. For example, if it weren't for Avicii and now Flux Pavilion, I wouldn't know very much about Faithless. Evidently, they've made a lot of great music in their day, including their 2001 hit We Come One (below)...

In hindsight, it was a pretty awesome track that I wish I had known about earlier. But, luckily, Flux has my back because he modernized the original by adding his own special sauce. There are few that can impart the type of awe inspiring drum and bass progressions that Flux Pavilion is able to generate. This isn't just a solid remix, it's a great remix that adds in a few exclamation points and a whole lot of a head nod worthy bass. If you want to know what in EDM specifically resonates the core of what I like about music listen to this exemplary display of drum and bass and you'll understand me a little bit better...#WeComeOne

Faithless - We Come One (Flux Pavilion Remix)

Avicii "Can't Go No Sleep" All Over Again

There's an undeniable allure that goes along with current artists mixing classic tracks. Hip Hop seems to be the genre of choice when it comes to dusting off the cobwebs on tracks, but EDM is finally at a point where the new generation of up and comers feel the need to pay homage to timeless singles that fans of EDM today may not know much about. Like for example Faithless's Insomnia, which was released waaaay back in 1995 when most people were still referring to EDM as "Techno" music. The chord progression on the original will take you back and any fan of electronic music will immediately recognize it. The word trance comes to mind when listening to it because of how melodic and formulaic is sounds compared to a lot of new EDM.

Last week it was announced that Avicii was going to take a swing at the classic by releasing an Insomnia 2.0. I'll admit, it doesn't sound like a huge departure from the original, but there's a bounciness that Avicii is able to bring to the original that is really cool. Better yet, the drop is even more exaggerated to meet today's standards. The ominous vocals on the track sound even more eerie on the new version too. I'll put it this way, if you like the original and like Avicii as an artist, your expectations won't be too far off with this updated version of a track released two decades ago...#Insomnia20

"They Say God is a DJ"

Y'all remember Lumidee Cedeno? You know the one who had everyone dancin' with that reggaeton infused clap beat on Never Leave Me?

I'll be the first to admit it had me sayin UH OH!! more than a couple times...plus Fab's verse on the remix hit the spot. You may also remember last year her upbeat track with Tony Sunshine, She's Like the Wind.

Regardless if you remember her or not, she's bounced back from the drug trafficking rumors she was hit with in '05 when she tried to smuggle a milly of frozen blow unsuccessfully. Now she's trying to carve a brand new niche for herself on more of a dance/techno R&B style with a couple new tracks that have surfaced. Considering how much David Guetta and Crookers I post on this site, this should come as no surprise that I would enjoy that combo. I've alluded to how strongly I favor techno/trance/dance being mixed into Hip Hip and R&B and this should serve as another reason why that's the case.

When I first heard her new single Insomnia, my first thought was I have definitely heard that techno sample before, but what is that song called? At first I thought it was very Brooklyn Bounce - Get Ready to Bounce sounding, but then I scoured my collection of Techno and found another song called Insomnia by Faithless. Yep, that was it and Lumidee's version is more or less a cover of that track with a little R&B sprinkled in. Listen to the original below:


I was tempted to flip this one into a Sample Justice piece, but figured not enough people would be familiar with the original sample, so it wouldn't be as cool of a comparison. Regardless, give Lumidee's version a listen and do yourself a favor by skipping the first 45 sec of the song to where it gets into the techno. Only thing that makes this almost as cool as the original is the chopped up dance beat after the synthesizer sample...check it...

Lumidee - Insomnia

As a bonus here's an "original" song by Lumidee which also has a Dance vibe to it, but is an interesting mix of Hip Hop, R&B and Euro techno...
Lumidee - Alors On Dance