Forget the cheesy Christmas tracks – I’m all about the New Year’s parties. Below I bring you a selection of new tracks which are getting me excited, combining house, trap, hip-hop and dubstep. All are guaranteed to get you in the party spirit (aside from the surprise Jennifer Lawrence track, that is).
MNEK – The Rhythm
MNEK vaulted to 4 earlier this year assisting Gorgon City with ‘Ready For Your Love’ but thus far his own offerings have failed to amount to much. All of that is about to change. ‘The Rhythm’ combines elegant, soulful warbling and bubbling, deep house beats to create a song which quite literally makes the listener need to dance. Beginning slow, it perfectly showcases MNEK’s luscious voice before the thumping beat overtakes both the song and the listener. We suspect that this one will perform better than ‘Wrote A Song About You’, which only reached 66.
Jennifer Lawrence & The Lumineers – The Hanging Tree
Harrowing and heartfelt are just two words which describe Jennifer Lawrence’s surprise hit of late. Released only as a digital download initially, this track has taken over the internet recently. Lawrence’s vocals are refined and simplistic but within them she manages to convey the pain that her character Katniss Everdeen endures throughout the recent film. Her voice breaks with emotion. As such it’s one which shouldn’t be overlooked. J-Law is continuing to take over the world. Not that we’re complaining.
Breach – The Key
After releasing the fantastic ‘Jack’ and ‘Everything We Never Had (We Had It All)’ back in 2013 Breach receded and the world forgot. Until he debuted ‘The Key’, that is. Assisted by Kelis, ‘The Key’ is distinctly Breach: deep house beats, clanging percussion, and a breathy vocal. Given the right promotion this could top the charts. This song is destined to become a staple of New Year’s parties, and hopefully it’ll mean that Breach begins 2015 on a high. He is a DJ I am personally watching very closely. Every release thus far has been pure gold.
Clean Bandit – Show Me Love (Feat. Elisabeth Troy)
‘Show Me Love’ is a song that everybody knows, but Clean Bandit’s rendition is something altogether different. The same song is there, as is the same house beats, but it’s infused with classical elements akin to their debut album. Its baroque nature doesn’t deter however, and this song could easily bring about their second chart-topper.
Gorgon City – Imagination (Skrillex Remix)
Whilst ‘Imagination’ is without doubt the standout of Gorgon City’s debut, the Skrillex remix (thus far officially unreleased) is sensational. It builds upon the pounding house beats by infusing elements of dubstep to create something different yet equally addictive. The beats are hard and unrelenting, creating the perfect pre-drinking track. An official version of this needs to be released.
Baauer – One Touch (Feat. AlunaGeorge)
After creating the infectious and rather annoying ‘Harlem Shake’ last year, his newest release is thankfully far different. Trap is a new foray for AlunaGeorge and yet it’s one which Aluna’s silky, luscious vocals gel with insatiably. Hopefully they’ll experiment more with their new album. But here the beats get under the listener’s skin, revving them up constantly until it drops into a sweeping, euphoric ending. For a more hip-hop feel the AlunaGeorge and Rae Sremmur version needs to be heard.
Klangkarussel – Netzwerk (Falls Like Fain) (Feat. Tom Crane)
‘Netzwerk’ is soaring, sweeping, and totally infectious. Combining dance and refined electronic beats Klangkarussel delivers a worthy follow-up to ‘Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)’ and one which probably eclipses it. Tom Crane’s vocal is raw and harsh and the song as a whole has a feel-good nature about it.
Azealia Banks – JFK (Feat. Theophilus London)
In what is most definitely a diss-track aimed at Lady Gaga, Azealis Banks delves into opera. And yet it doesn’t sound as jarring as one may imagine; in fact it works exceptionally well. The hip-house beats pound throughout, never giving up, and Banks raps and sings impeccably to create one of many standouts from her debut album. The wait was long, but totally worth it – especially for her final verse of “I am Miss Icon” here. Prepare for goosebumps.
Mary J Blige – Follow (Feat. Disclosure)
After providing vocals for Disclosure’s ‘F For You’ it was only natural that they would return the favour. ‘Follow’ is undeniably Disclosure and instantly it gets me excited for the next album. Blige’s vocals are impeccable here, but there was never any doubt about that. The house beats sound organic, once more showing how much Disclosure have studied their craft, and the drops are hard and heavy – exactly as they should be.
(Originally posted on EQ View on 8th December 2014. Original link: http://eqview.com/2014/12/08/get-dance-playlist/)
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