Colton Vibe – Songs of the Week – Aug. 16
Dance music has reclaimed the pop landscape. Myles is back this year with six tracks you’ll want to add to your playlist.
This week’s Vibe hits the dance floor with (from left) Riovaz, KAYTRANADA, Steve Monite, Beyoncé, Drake, and Daft Punk.
Even though the pandemic isn’t exactly over, everything is reopening. People are returning to concerts, to bars, to clubs. Everyone wants to have a good time and dance again.
Cue the dance music.
Over this past year, established artists like Beyoncé and Drake have released high profile albums centered around house/dance music. They seem to be clued in to what everyone wants now that they are leaving their masks and vaccination cards at home.
This week on the Colton Vibe we are taking a look at house music as a whole, past and present.
“BREAK YOUR SOUL” – Beyonce
The Beyhive burst with excitement when Beyonce announced her new album “Renaissance.” This new era, new sound is something to rejoice over. With the latest craze in house music has many mainstream artists such as Drake, Beyonce and the rumored Frank Ocean trying their hand at it. On “BREAK YOUR SOUL” Beyonce pays homage to the 1993 hit “Show Me Love.” From there, she gives us yet another patented self-empowerment anthem.
“Calling My Name” – Drake
Drake’s attempt at House music is a shell of what the grene is known for. “Honestly, Nevermind,” released earlier this year, left many fans of Aubrey with a bad taste in their mouths. What they expected to be a summer album full of songs like “Views” and “More Life,” instead finds Drake giving us his take on House. I personally like when artists of a certain genre try something out of their comfort zone, but it would be nice if this had any personality and flavor to it. “Calling My Name” is a faceless song with no direction. What starts as a ballad of sorts randomly switches to a nightclub atmosphere. It’s a total tease.
“Vex Oh” (feat. Eight9FLY) – KAYTRANADA, Goldlink, Ari PenSmith, Eight9FLY
The Afrocentric House music that is “Vex Oh” is one of KAYTRANADA’s best on his 2nd studio album “BUBBA.” Laid back funk with future sounds—this is KAYTRANADA’s style. Eight9FLY’s lightly accented voice flows well with a mellow bass line throughout the song. Add to that a Goldlink verse to top it off and the vibe behind the song is a night at the club.
“Face to Face” – Daft Punk
One of the most influential House music records of all time, Daft Punk’s “Discovery” has many revolutionary tracks. “Face to Face” is a stand out. It’s like a spaceship moving through the vastness of space, each sound completely extra-terrestrial with sampling that transforms songs and vocals into something visual.
“Only You” – Steve Monite
Steve Monite’s 1984 hit “Only You” is a time machine whose only stop is a club in the 80s. It is six minutes and 30 seconds of Afro-boogie with Steve Monite’s voice almost sounding like a sample. Here the minimal lyrics don’t matter. Lasers and early synthesizers pierce your ears as the smooth bass line weaves in and out of your dancing muscles.
“I Feel Fantastic” – Riovaz
Tik Tok has been home to a lot of music, with Riovaz being the most recent act to blow up. Riovaz is trying to capture that early 2000s dance sound with “I Feel Fantastic.” His fast paced melody and chorus breakdowns are reminiscent of a Daft Punk track. With over two million regular listeners on Spotify, this Tik Tok star is a legit breakout social media success.
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Senior Myles Garza is a staff writer for the Pepper Bough newspaper. His interests are in music, film and sports. He is an avid reader, writer, and athlete...