JOE has decided to further assist the Irish public in its never ending battle to keep iPods sounding fresh. Every week, we will be bringing you five essential tracks for dance music fans. Enjoy.
DJ Fresh, Gold Dust. Download here.
Dan Stein, aka DJ Fresh, is a UK based drum and bass artist, and one of the principal members of Bad Company. Gold Dust is the third release from his second album Kryptonite. First up was Heavyweight, dropped back in September 2009 and the second was the monster Hypercaine, which included a remix from Nero, in October 2009.
For me, Gold Dust ticks all the boxes at a time when drum and bass is becoming more and more mainstream, thanks to forward-thinking producers who have realised the potential of including an uplifting radio friendly vocal. There was a time when you’d never hear drum and bass making it on to daytime radio playlists. With tracks like Gold Dust, that is all changing.
Listen here:
Azari & III, Reckless (With Your Love) (Tensnake Remix). Download here.
Azari & III (pronounced ‘Azari and Third’ for some reason), have been making waves over the past couple of years with their style of powerful, retro Chicago house with analogue synths and big vocal hooks. Reckless with Your Love, released last year on Permanent Vacation, was no different, and helped springboard the Canadian duo into the limelight.
One year on and the summery house anthem gets the remix touch from the Deutsch disco don Tensnake – the soulful magician behind Defected’s Coma Cat. Throwing down a ‘90s beat and a cheeky riff from Snap’s The Power whilst maintaining the massive vocals from the original, Tensnake has managed to join all the musical dots from the past 20 years in one seven-minute long re-production.
Listen here:
Janelle Monáe, Tightrope (featuring Big Boi). Download here.
Janelle Monáe (pictured) is a Grammy-nominated American singer, songwriter, dancer, and performer. She is currently signed to the Wondaland Arts Society and Bad Boy/Atlantic Records.
I first stumbled across Janelle when I heard her live version of Sincerely, Jane back in 2008. Tightrope, featuring Big Boi from Outcast, is her second release from her debut album, The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III). Suite I, meanwhile, is an extended player titled, Metropolis (The Chase), which is also worth a look.
Monáe has stated her intention to shoot a video for each song on The ArchAndroid and to create both a movie and graphic novel based on the album.
Listen here:
Joy Orbison, Hyph Mngo. Download here.
Peter O’Grady, aka Joy Orbison, is a DJ and producer based in London. His style is generally accepted as a coalescence of dubstep, UK funky, UK garage, house and jungle. O’Grady achieved underground éclat with his debut single, Hyph Mngo/Wet Look, released via Hotflush Recordings.
O’Grady credits his uncle Ray Keith with introducing him to jungle and UK garage at a young age. At 13 he took up DJing and eventually moved into production in his 20’s, using Fruity Loops to create 8-bar grime loops before developing his sound combining house, disco and dubstep. He cites influences as diverse as J Dilla, My Bloody Valentine, GG Allin, Josef K, and The Beach Boys.
Hyph Mngo is his debut single and has been labeled as one of the most forward-thinking dubstep tracks thusfar.
Listen here:
Justin Martin & Ardalan, Mr. Spock.
Looking for the sort of bonkers track that made Dirtybird famous? Look no further than Mr. Spock, a collaboration between Db mainstay Justin Martin and San Jose label newcomer Ardalan. The tune does what the label does best, namely set up a wonderful bit of ridiculousness only to sweep it all away for an even more wonderful bit of booty bass.
You can hear Martin’s fingerprints all over it, and you have to imagine that he had a hand in the easy-to-mix intro and easy-to-mix outro. And, of course, the drop. Before that drop, though, there are the sort of operatic vocals that recall Italoboyz relentless cut-ups from a few years ago, building and building until everything falls away and the classic Dirtybird funk takes over.
Listen here:
JOE’s Dance Downloads is compiled by veteran DJ Craig G. The Dubliner has performed sets in numerous clubs during the course of his 18-year career including The Dragon Nightclub in Dublin and The Vic Nightclub in Galway. His mixes, meanwhile, have been featured on 2fm. Craig G has been working with Rampage School of Dance for the past eight years, putting scores for their live performances. Their last collaboration enjoyed a sold-out run at The Mermaid Arts Theatre.
