"That Awful Sound, My Baby Shot Me Down"

Man, I'm at a bit of a loss with the track below. I'm a huge fan of Skylar Grey and almost as fond of David Guetta, but it's taking me a while to wrap my head around their remake of Cher's well-known track Bang Bang (Shot Me Down). For those of you like me who weren't even close to alive in 1966 when it was released, forgive me for the grainy black and white video I posted below...

As far as the remake is concerned, picking Skylar Grey to do the vocals probably wasn't a bad decision. In general, I like the ebb and flow of the dramatic vocals and the progressive house drops that follow. What I don't like is the extra minute of disorganized electronic madness at the beginning of the track. If you fast forward a minute, the track takes you on an entertaining dramatic roller coaster ride. Take that for what it's worth, but I'm still torn on whether or not they did the sample justice...#ShotMeDown

David Guetta feat Skylar Grey - Shot Me Down

Avicii x Diplo You Make Me Remix

Man, it doesn't take much to get excited about Diplo remixing an Avicii track. After a few listens, I'm all about the trap twist that the Mad Decent leader imparted on the original version. It's more than a bit wild and significantly heavier on the back end, which always adds to the excitement. Where the original was tame and radio friendly, this one caters more toward a live, in concert delivery. The only thing that could make more more excited than hearing this is getting to hear the studio quality version of Pharrell's new track with Major Lazer...#HolyShip

Avicii - You Make Me (Diplo Remix)

Mikey P Gets the Apollo Treatment

I'm not sure what it is about Mike Posner, but his music translates well to EDM. The latest example is the Apollo Festival Remix of Please Don't Go. The remix fits the growing trend of the big room progressive house sound that seems to be en vogue right now. The calming vocals leading up the drop will suck you in before jubilant release post-drop. The original track may be over three years old, but it's just as good as I remember...#SatNight

Mike Posner - Please Don't Go (Apollo Festival Remix)

Videos of the Week January 17th

Definitely a Hip Hop centric top five this week. Not sure about y'all, but I have my DVR set to record SNL this weekend with Drake hosting it. The promo for the show (below) is a bit over the top, but the whole "saddest boy in all of Toronto...no you know what Canada" bit around the 1 min mark with the heavy daytime-tv style dramatic acting was entertaining. I hope he continues to poke fun at himself for the generally accepted reputation of being a sensitive dude.

Really cool get a behind the scenes look and some reflection from K Dot as a promo for the Grammys. In a similar way, I'm excited to see more of Wale's documentary soul-searching trip to Africa. A one minute snip doesn't even begin to tell the story, but it looks interesting. From a user experience (UX) design perspective, it was cool to hear Pharrell talk about the experience he tries to create through his music. People may not realize it, but the producers that care THAT much about the opinion and perspective of the listener tend to be the best ones. Keeping with the UX lens, Bobby Ray's video for John Doe was well done with the storytelling angle he took. Even though it was a tough story to watch, it's much easier to connect with lyrics when I can see the meaning unfold in a real scenario...#JohnDoe
Drake Saturday Night Live Promo

Day in the Life: Grammy Nominee James Blake & Kendrick Lamar

B.O.B. feat Priscilla - John Doe

Pharrell Just Wants You to Jam

Wale - "I Am From" Documentary Trailer

Photo Credit: YouTube via NBC

Cleveland Stand Up! Here Comes E-V

You might listen to the track below and think, "hmm that's an interesting mix of EDM and Hip Hop," but what it amounts to is three good friends from the same town just having fun together. Proudly repping northeast O-H, the trio of DJ E-V, Machine Gun Kelly, and Lorine Chia from Cleveland put on for their city (as Kanye/Jeezy would say) with GoodTime. I'll always have the utmost respect for the artists that work from the ground up by grinding through the mixtape circuit for years before making it big. That's the path that E-V has taken, so if you feel so inclined to support a homie on a real come up, hop on over to iTunes and cop this one...#GoodTime

E-V Ft. Lorine Chia & Machine Gun Kelly – GoodTime

Chainsmokers Turn NONONO Into YESYESYES

In a turn of events that can only be described as awesome, The Chainsmokers just let loose their second freebie of the year. Yes, of the year, that same year that started two weeks ago. That sort of generosity isn't usually common AFTER the holidays.

In true Chainsmokers fashion, they took another great Indie track and blessed it with their own blend of magical progressive house. This time it happened to be NONONO's hit single Pumpin Blood. Hands down, my favorite part of the remix was the beat breakdown between 2:15-2:45, where they eased off the synth pedals a bit and slowed the beat to a more measured pace. Nice touch, especially when sandwiched between the uptempo bookends of the track. If you're like me, you need to hear the original to judge the remix, so feel free and give it a listen below...
Yep, the whistling is addictive and you'll end up repeating it the rest of the night. Still, not sure I would have enjoyed the original version as much as some of the other awesome Indie artists they have introduced me to like Tove Lo. Circle January 28th on your calendars kids, cause that's they day #Selfie 2.0 will be hitting Beatport. Get excited...#PumpinBlood

NONONO - Pumpin Blood (Chainsmokers Remix)

GTA 5 Has Some Hidden HudMo

Full disclosure, I am not a Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) player, but there are enough people around me talking about it on a daily basis that I might as well be playing it. Put it this way, I know that the folks at Rockstar Games nailed because of how effusive my friends are about the gameplay. Me, I'm equally impressed with their wide selection of music. And it's not a lot of music you'd normally hear, which is good for up and coming artists because it's a great opportunity to get permanent, long-term exposure with a song on a top selling video game.

Naturally, I flipped when I noticed a track I had never heard by Hudson Mohawke on the FlyMo FM station. Staying true to his roots, what erupts from the speakers is a loud, organ based beat that promises to rattle any self respecting deck. It fits well with my mental model of HudMo as a producer who doesn't settle for less than grandeur. My only critique is that the track amounts to a snippet at 1 min and 30 sec. I'm going to continue to hold out hope that tracks like 100hm and Scud Books will finally be finished and released for public consumption...#HudMo

Hudson Mohawke - 100hm

Image Credit: Grand Theft Auto - Rockstar Games

"You're the One Designed For Me"

With about four months to go before Sam Smith's debut album drops, I'm starting to run out of adjectives and superlatives to describe his talent. Not since the smooth vocals of Michael Buble have I been so excited about a vocalist. All his needs is a little bit of faint in the background to shine, which is rare. I believe the scouting folks would say he has plus plus vocals with a major league ready harmony. Make no mistake about it, this is a lights down low, put this kids to bed type of track. Feel free to enjoy this one with that special someone in hopes they'll make it to you...#MakeItToMe

Sam Smith - Make It To Me

"She Always Says She Loves Me When We're Drinking"

When it's freezing over the winter, sometimes all you need is a laid back, breezy track that takes you to a beach mentally. Cue up Aer new one Says She Loves Me. I'm not gung ho about the bubble gum, poppy sound of the track, but the lyrics make it worth listening to. The lyric "she always says she loves me when we're drinking, won't admit it but it's true" should resonate with everyone in some way shape or form because we've all had that friend who is head over heels in love, even though it's abundantly clear that the girl is using them (for whatever reason). The visuals directed by Jakob Owens do justice to the song's core message with a throwback theme to boot...

Aer doesn't get near the amount of hype they deserve, which is why you shouldn't sleep on their upcoming self-titled album due our in a about a week. It's never too late to join the Fresh Aer Movement, which is coming to a city near you soon...#Aer

Avicii Dabbles in Soca

And the hits just keep coming for Avicii. Not one to rest on his laurels, he's continuing to stretch the boundaries of his music after his chart topping album True. Below is a preview of his latest creation that features the vocals of Audra Mae called Dreaming of Me.

My first reaction when listening to the track was, is Gloria Estefan featured on the track? The Soca rhythms shine in the form of vibrant synths that seem tailor made for Miami club life. At this point it's open season for Avicii when it comes to pulling in different genres into his brand of dance music. No word yet on the timetable for releasing the single, but you can bet you'll find it here when it lands...#DreamingOfMe

Avicii feat Audra Mae - Dreaming of Me (Preview)

Videos of the Week January 10th

Bit of a random grab bag of videos this week led by the exciting news of Sam Smith's upcoming album. If he can put together anything close to the quality of music that he has so far, he should be in the discussion for album of the year. Most exciting video without a doubt was the lil 12 yr old Justin who went onstage at Jay Z's Greensboro, NC tour stop. What an awesome feeling to go up and spit his verse acapella. In other news, I continue to be a huge buyer of all that Timeflies does and I'm still a big fan of EDM and Ellie Goulding. In case you missed it, Timeflies released all of their Timeflies Tuesday tracks for the cost of one Facebook like, which is a hell of a deal...#StartedOnATuesday
Sam Smith - The Lonely Hour (Album Trailer)

Hardwell feat Matthew Koma - Dare You (Video)

Ellie Goulding - Goodness Gracious (Video)

Timeflies - Ride (Acoustic)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"It Ain't That Hard When You Got Soul"

I've mentioned him a few times on the blog of late, but Aloe Blacc might be the biggest unheralded superstar of 2013. He was the driving force behind one of the three best songs of 2013 in Wake Me Up, but his story doesn't end there. He also did a really dope track with Pharrell (Love is the Answer) and more recently had one his tracks featured on a Beats by Dre commercial with Colin Kaepernick. As if you didn't already love your Beats headphones, they can also shield you from the outside world when everyone is against you...

So yea, it doesn't get more soulfully uplifting than The Man. It's just humble sounding enough to not come off too ego driven, which is a fine line. The closer you can get to the line without crossing it the better. This tip toes the line, while taking you to church to celebrate the feel good, confident message. If Aloe isn't already part of your discography, shame on you, his debut EP is way to good to be ignore...#WakeMeUpEP

Aloe Blacc - The Man

Castle Walls Gets the Dubstep Treatment

T.I.'s Castle Walls was hands down my favorite track off his No Mercy album. The beat by Alex Da Kid, the hook by Christina and T.I.'s thoughtful verses all combined to make one hell of a track. Check it below for a refresher...

Fast forward three years later and we now have a ethereal dubstep mix of the original from Collin McLoughlin and Skrux. It proceeds at a slow, measured pace, but Christina's melancholy sample resonates over the heavy electronics. T.I. is nowhere to be found in this mix, but I'll concede that it would have been a challenge to seamlessly weave a Hip Hop verse into the instrumental driven remix. Cool out to this one y'all...#CastleWalls

T.I. feat Christina Aguilera - Castle Walls (Colin McLoughlin & Skrux Remix)

"Gotta Stay High All the Time to Get You Off My Mind"

Now that the new year has arrived, people seem to be keen on making positive changes. Rather than trying to fix what might seem broken with resolutions, let's focus today on something that was going right in 2013 and is now continuing to be right in 2014. That "something" just so happens to be The Chainsmokers' penchant for introducing me to talented, up and coming artists. Today, I learned and gained an appreciation for Tove Lo, a Swedish vocalist with an ever so sultry voice. Much of her notoriety so far in the US has come from her single Habits, which I now present to you below...

The lyrics are fraught with emotion, telling an engaging story about the trials and tribulation of love. Without question her hook does what it's supposed to do being memorable and it coerces you to sing along. 1 million plays on Spotify isn't a bad start. Frankly, I hope it continues to gain traction because it's a catchy track.

Yet, after listening to The Chainsmokers' version, I'm left feeling like the track needed tempo all along in order to go to that next level. On their Soundcloud page, I don't think they could have described their effort better when they said,

"... we are looking to close the gap between this big kick room house with the huge spacey middle and really melodic full progressive sound and combine it with our love for Indie emotion."

Really melodic progressive house...check. Not ruining the Indie vibe of tracks...check. Oh and that "huge spacey middle" is an oil field of great music that they are beginning to tap into. For starters, I can't wait for #Selfie 2.0 to come out, but beyond that, knowing The Chainsmokers are focusing in on a sound that I really enjoy is something that deserves much more than just mediocre excitement...#Habits

The Chainsmokers x Tove Love - Habits

Funk is Alive and Well in 2014 Thanks to Chromeo

2013 brought with it a new album from the electro-funk legends, Daft Punk. Random Access Memories has had a tangible impact on pop music in that funk has jumped back into the mix of cool again. That can only help Chromeo's chances of success with their upcoming album, White Women.

Their crisp new single enlists the vocals of Toro y Moi's Chaz Bundick in what amounts to smooth dose of funk. Come Alive is an easy listening, repeatable track that yo momma and yo daddy would be proud to jam out to. What I'm here to tell you is that just because they would like it doesn't mean you have to throw shade at it. Funk is alive and well in 2014, don't fight the movement, just roll with it...#ComeAlive

Chromeo feat Toro y Moi - Come Alive

Star Slinger Mixes His Favorite Divas

In hindsight, I was about a week early on my trip to Chicago when I went just before Christmas. I say that because I missed Star Slinger's New Years Eve set where he debuted four new songs the remix his favorite divas. IF you were one of the lucky folks at Beauty Bar on December 31st, you heard some great mixes featuring the likes of Anita Baker (I/IV) Erykah Badu (II/IV) Sade (III/IV) and Ella Fitzgerald (IV/IV).

If you've read any of my posts about Star Slinger in the past, I'm probably going to start sounding like a broken record when I give his work praise. When it comes to soulful, funky synthesizer music, there isn't anybody who can spin it like SS. Call it swanky lounge music, grown folks music or just plain easy listening soul. Whatever it is you call it, you can't hate on its infectious sound one bit. The best part about it is all you have to do is like his FB page to get all four tracks for free if streaming below isn't enough. As the saying goes, the only thing better than free music is awesome free music...#StarSlinger

Star Slinger - I/IV EP

"Now I'm Choosing Groups A-D Over Groupies"

Full disclosure, I don't know much about Vampire Weekend other than that they have a really devoted following and occasionally collaborate with artists that are routinely featured on this blog. Having said that, had I heard Step when it came last March, I probably would have posted the original version of their track (below)...

Occasionally, I come across songs that I have a really hard time wrapping my mind around. When that happens, it's generally a good thing because some artist or group has ventured off the reservation into a creative area that I haven't been to before. I'm still not quite sold on Danny Brown because his delivery is downright silly sounding, but he's hard to turn off in a freakish way. Especially when contrasted with the mellow, ballad sounding instrumental of Step, the track reminded me of ODB when he went in on Mariah Carey track. The vocals are so markedly different from the beat that it's a unique listen. I wasn't a huge fan of Heems (of Das Racist) verse, but I was a big fan of how Queens' own Despot closed down the track. So much lyrical ferocity during his verse, it was perfect for the "step to my girl" vibe of the track. It's hard to find a comp to this one, but that's a big reason why I like it...#StepRemix

Vampire Weekend feat Danny Brown, Heems, and Despot - Step (Remix)

Videos of the Week January 3rd

A bit of a mix between the Rockin' New Years recap and some interesting Hip Hop videos are on tap this week. I really enjoyed the throwback video game look of Snoop Lion's video for Get Away. All of you youngins who didn't grow up with Nintendo may not understand the 8-bit graphics and simple look, but it drums up some serious nostalgia with this guy.

Also, if you haven't caught any of Wiz Khalifa's DayToday tour vlogs, they give a lot of great behind the scenes footage tour life. Not many people appreciate the supporting pieces that go into making a show happen and as a result, there's usually a lot of fun stuff that's missed. I like that some of the supporting actors and actresses are able to get some love through these small, 15 min snippets. Selfishly, I hope Wiz swings back around toward the Midwest because it's been a minute since I've seen him live...#TaylorGang
Snoop Lion feat Major Lazer & Angela Hunte - Get Away (Video)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - New Years Eve NYC Medley

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines on Rockin' New Years Eve

Wiz Khalifa – DayToday (Europe Pt. 3, Final Episode)

Ke$ha – Dirty Love (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

The Super Mario Brothers Got Trapped by Just Blaze

So what happens when you mix house with Hip Hop? The quick answer is trap music, the long answer is holy crap Just Blaze is starting to seriously dabble in EDM. Maybe I'm not the only one whose tastes in Hip Hop have drifted toward the more energetic, upbeat synthesized sounds of dance music. With the help of Mysto & Pizzi, 1UP! is leaping out to the lead for most polarizing song of 2014. Just read some of the comments under the song on Soundcloud. The trap folks and Hip Hop heads are both either all for it or totally against it. Whatever you do decide for yourself, give it a full listen before you judge because there are more than a one awe inspiring drops throughout the track...#1UP

Just Blaze x Mysto & Pizzi - 1UP!

"Now I Don't Pop Molly, I Go Rob Ford"

Usually as a last post of the year, I've made a habit of posting Skillz's yearly rap up song where he touches on all the goings on the past year in Hip Hop. This year Skillz flipped the script and did a 2013 sports year rap up for ESPN's Numbers Never Lie. If you haven't heard it, it's a fun change of direction, but if you were expecting the usual pop culture stuff that he's been know to hit on in the past, it'll miss the mark.

This year, Timeflies picked up Skillz and did their own 2013 rap up to the tune of Eagle Eye Cherry's Save Tonight. You better believe Cal killed it on the verses too, touching on everything from pop music to government to chic drugs of 2013. He's one of the few artists that can go bar for bar on verses then deliver top notch vocals for the hook. Hands down, my favorite line in the track was, "cause I'ma tap that ass harder than the NSA." Plenty of good one liners and he even managed to pay respects to the late Nelson Mandela and drop a Boston strong in there. Definitely one of the best executed yearly rap up tracks I've heard in a while...#savetonight

Photo Credit: Youtube