Archive for May, 2008
Amazing new track from Taio Cruz
One of the roles of a good club DJ, in my view, is staying on top of what’s happening with music, and working actively to find new material that you can, in-turn, introduce others to.
It’s actually a tough job, because at this point, there’s such a strong flow of new music from all sides. A lot of it’s good, a lot of it’s not, and of course there are the standouts that are pathetically bad or surprisingly strong. Not surprisingly, most of it lives somewhere in the middle, but this week, I was really struck by a song I was previewing.
Taio Cruz is a British singer/songwriter, and honestly, until this week I’d never heard of the guy. Among his claims to fame is penning the song Your Game for Will Young, winner of the first season of Pop Idol in the UK (the original series that spawned American Idol), not that that would have earned him much recognition here in the States (it was a strong single in the UK, however).
This month, his label (Island/Universal) released his new single, I Can Be. The production on the dance mix struck me immediately; there was something about the chord progression or arrangement that just spoke to me. But when Cruz starting singing, and the lyrics registered, I was quite literally emotionally moved by the song.
The beautifully written and yet startlingly simple lyrics convey a message that virtually all of us need to hear and can relate to, one of triumph over difficulty; that we are far more capable than most of us think we are. I’m a sucker for uplifting lyrics of the “positive thinking” vein, and this is one of the best of that type that I’ve heard in a long time.
Regrettably, the single is not yet released in North America, and I have no idea if Island/Universal is planning to do so. But I assume promoting it to DJs here is a sign that they intend to. I hope they do; Cruz deserves all the success he can get putting out music like I Can Be.
You can hear the non-dance version of the song on Cruz’ web site, as well as see the video that accompanies it, on his web site at http://www.taiocruzmusic.co.uk.
Add comment May 29, 2008
Chart updated: 5/9/08
OK, well, maybe the chart wasn’t updated on the 9th, but the Top 25 Dance Chart for the week has now been posted for your enjoyment.
I’m a little surprised that the top two slots are still holding for Elena and Velvet, but they are unchanged from last week.
Moving to #3 is the amazing Love Resurrection from Aurora feat. Amanda Wilson. I simply love this song, and audiences seem to enjoy it as well. As I have blogged previously, it’s a great remake of an old Alison Moyet song, and the production work from Aurora is just amazing.
Another song making a big jump is Australia’s Raen with Dramatic Fanatic at #5. It’s a fun song, I think, with interesting lyrics and great production. This track apparently hasn’t been signed to a label in the US that I can tell, so it’s tough to find.
With the availability of some new mixes for Freemasons’ Uninvited, the tracks has reappeared on my chart at #12.
Nothing else particularly shocking on the chart, other than the reappearance of Basshunter’s Now You’re Gone after a temporary drop-off.
In the new adds department, a new song from CAPP, as yet unreleased, is DJ Skillmaster with Summertime. The underlying song from Skillmaster is actually a couple of years old. It was a good track on its own, but Dany Wild’s new remix is why I’ve started playing it. The track has a whole new feel and energy. The song will be released with a newly-filmed video this summer; I’m just getting an early start with this one.
Among the hot adds this week are CoCo Star’s fab new single, Kick Yourself, along with Michelle Williams’ soulful and groovy We Break the Dawn, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch, Robbie Rivera feat. Denise Rivera (no relation!) with Back to Zero, which is particularly strong on all front (lyrically, vocals, production).
Enjoy…
Wes
Add comment May 12, 2008
Feeling naughty?
I’m bombarded with new music almost daily, and while that’s a good thing, I find it’s taking more and more for a track to really grab me right off the bat these days. One track that has done just that is a new one from French producer Frederic Faupin, under the alias “Jack in Da Box” (credited by some as “Jackindabox,” all one word).
The song is titled Feeling Naughty, and it’s got a great, grungy, gritty production that has at the same time got a sort of classic house feel to it, while sounding quite electro overall. I think it might be the soulful vocal (uncredited female) that sort of tilts this one off balance and makes it difficult to pigeonhole. She sounds like something out of a 1970s B-movie, perhaps, but somehow everything just sort of works together nicely.
As of this writing, you can hear the song in the music player located on the Jack in Da Box MySpace page. See what you think, but this is one I’m having trouble getting out of my head at the moment.
Add comment May 6, 2008
Chart updated: 5/2/08
I was a bit late this week with the chart processing, but the latest Top 25 Dance Chart has been posted. There are a few surprises this week in terms of movement.
Elena’s sad but well-produced track Before I Sleep has jumped to #1. The heart-wrenching lyric notwithstanding, I just love this song, and audiences are responding well to it too. With Velvet at #2 with Fix Me, this gives the top two slots to Robbins Entertainment, and I have to say, they’ve nailed it with some really strong single releases in recent months.
Unsurprisingly, Leona Lewis is now at #3 with Bleeding Love. This is one of those songs I liked at first, sorta wondered about, but that came back strongly for me. Audiences seem to have responded in kind. There’s a range of good mixes of the track, and it’s just superbly well done.
Oddly enough, #4 and #5 are held by the same artist: Andrew Spencer on my own label affiliate, CAPP Records. I’ve been spinning Zombie since I got the first rough cut of the track for U.S. release back in August of 2007. It did a soft hit late last year on the Bounce! compilation and had an official release back in February here. So for me, the song is hardly new, but I still really love it. I might be biased since it’s a CAPP track, but I think it more speaks to the incredibly solid production work on the track, and it continues to chart strongly with pools and mixshows.
As for the other Spencer track, To Be With You is a pick from the 50 Techno Electro Tunes compilation. It’ll be released as a single sometime later this year (stay tuned), but it stood out for me the moment I heard it. Another incredibly strong set of production work there.
Also noteworthy is DJ Bill Bennett with Breakaway. This is, simply put, an amazing electro house track. Inaya Day is a great vocalist, but I’m still amazed at how well this track is put together, every time I hear it.
I could go on and on with this blog entry, but let me at least mention a couple of stand-outs.
At #15, Aurora gives us Love Resurrection, a remake of a classic Alison Moyet song. Amanda Wilson does a great job with the vocals (I love her voice!), and again, the production work is superb. And at #16, Australia’s Raen delivers solidly on Dramatic Fanatic. I really dig this funky, kitschy track and its clever lyrics.
Have a great week.
Wes
1 comment May 5, 2008
New DJ Wesley web site
I finally got my new web site launched yesterday. You can, of course, get there at http://www.djwesley.com.
It probably won’t be winning any Webby awards, but I am particularly pleased to get the new logo rolled out on a web site design that is at least not embarrassing anymore. 
As I mention on the home page of the new site, I’ll be better leveraging the blog moving forward. It’s a pain working with a regular web site when it comes to posting news, etc., and frankly, that’s really what a blog is for. So when there’s something timely to talk about, I’ll be putting it here, instead of a “news” page on the site.
There are still a few tweaks to come with the web site, so stay tuned.
Add comment May 1, 2008
Blog (sort of) moved
This blog is now functioning at a new URL: blog.djwesley.com. The old URL still works too, but it’s nice to have the site at a more appropriate address.
Add comment May 1, 2008
