Music

Top 5 Dance Releases: June Edition

by Ciaran Thompson

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Dance Tracks:
June Edition

 

Benny Benassi – “Control” feat. Gary Go

Renowned Italian DJ Benny Banassi returned this month with his fourth studio album, Electroman, and with it brought along various contributors such as T-Pain, Kelis and Gary Go, who is featured on four different tracks. One of those is “Control”, which opens with the English singer’s high-pitched falsetto before calming down to his regular tone in the first verse. The track’s soft then loud style works perfectly and is definitely one of the album’s standouts. Also check out “My House,” “Cinema,” and “Spaceship”.

Chris Metcalfe – “Never Forgotten”

Progressive trance DJ Chris Metcalfe has gained experience and credibility over the past couple years and has started to get bigger DJs like Armin van Buuren, who signed him to his Armada Music label, to pay attention. His debut single for Discover Digital is called “Never Forgotten” and contains a steady progression, a few high “epic” moments, but refrains from seeming over the top. Expect more good things to come.

Wolfgang Gartner – “Forever” feat. Will.I.Am (Tom Staar Remix)

Back in April Wolfgang Gartner released a collaborative track with Will.I.Am entitled “Forever” that’s supposed to be included on his as-yet-untitled album. Needless to say, the song was a huge hit and only now has it been given the remix treatment by Hook N Sling, Tom Staar and Canada’s own Felix Cartal. For people who aren’t particularly interested in Will.I.Am’s vocals or anything Black Eyed Peas related (myself included), Staar’s heavy-sampled remix essentially turns the original into something completely different. Listen to all three mixes at Sound Of My Shoes.

Pryda – “Mirage” (Original Mix)

According to one commenter on this track’s YouTube video, “This is the song I’m going to listen to when I lose my virginity.” Perhaps that’s exactly what Eric Prydz, who performs under the alias Pryda, had in mind when making the title track for his latest EP Mirage. The other tracks on the record (“Juletider” and “With Me”) are also equally impressive, making this a must hear for any past fans of the Swedish born, UK-based progressive house DJ.

Armin van Buuren – “Feels So Good” feat. Nadia Ali (Tristan Garner remix)

Dutch trance producer/DJ Armin van Buuren put out this fourth studio album Mirage in September of last year, but this month we received a hefty remix release containing 30 remixes including Tristan Garner’s take on “Feels So Good” featuring Nadia Ali. While the original was a soft-paced tuned focusing on the Pakistani-American’s vocals, Garner’s remix ups the ante considerably for a first pumping number destined to be played at clubs.

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Grammy Award-winning DJ Benny Benassi, often pigeonholed for his 2002 hit “Satisfaction,” storms out of the gate with his first LP (Electroman) in three years and provides enough club-ready jams for those who didn’t warm as much to 2008’s Rock ‘n’ Rave.

Disappointments: David Guetta’s latest single “Little Bad Girl” feat. Ludacris & Taio Cruz doesn’t really do it for me. It sounds just like another heavily auto-tuned number that relies on Ludacris’ fast rapping style to make it stand out, when in fact it makes it sound like a different song. Easy to forget. 

Out in June: Paul Oakenfold will be releasing a two and a half hour album composed of 41 tracks called Never Mind the Bollocks… Here’s Paul Oakenfold, which has been described as “a straight up two fingered salute to all industry politics, a complete focus of all energies on the music and nothing else.”