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The Hot Six Mix #3

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The Grammys were here on Sunday night. Adele swept, Campbell crooned, and The Beach Boys reunited. The telecast was mostly filled with performances; there few stops in the action to present awards and accept trophies. The Grammys could have done themselves a favor if they kept Adele on stage, handed her six trophies, and gave her ten minutes for one acceptance speech. Alas, they did not. They didn’t seem to get many things right.

Miranda Lambert was pissed that Chris Brown performed twice. She’s been tweet feuding with the R&B singer all week. Philip Sherburne of Spin and Beatportal was disappointed that the dance acts that were included were so underwhelming. I was just happy they were involved. As I’ve written before, this past year’s awards shows have signalled the arrival of dance music as an accepted mainstream genre.

Skrillex won three awards, disappointing our own Yasi June, but likely elating his legions of fans. I like Sonny Moore. The kid’s got a unique sound, a love of his craft, and a style all his own. If it’s going to take this kid from L.A. to really plant the flag of dance music on the national scene, then so be it. I just want to plant my flag. Did that sound dirty?

Btw, speaking of SPIN, they had their 2011 list of favorite dance tracks. In one word: Shit. Absolute garbage of a list. Minus Avicii’s “Levels,” which was The Hot Six’s HOTTEST track of 2011, the list is terrible. I think the guys were trying to include a diverse mix of tracks from the entire umbrella of dance. But, seriously? This?

The problem is that dance music has a pseudo-intellectual side that purports to know, better than you, what is and isn’t quality music. It’s like the film buffs who wear black turtlenecks, berets, and German-looking wiry eyeglasses who sit in cafes and talk about the death of film noir, the ascent of neo-realism, and the myriad problems with cubist influences in 1930s French cinema. These same snobs act like they know what’s good cinema, and anything out of Hollywood is anathema to good cinema. It must be underground! It must stay underground! Underground or die!

The truth is that Hollywood, when it wants to, puts out great movies like Shawshank, The Departed, Dark Knight, Gladiator, GoodFellas, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, etc. Not every great movie has to be the arthouse indie flick from Lichtenstein or Panama. Some dance music snobs generally reject the commercial even if it’s good. It’s silly, foolish, counterproductive, and asinine. A four-hour minimalist techno set at some after-hours club from 6 am to 10 am in some back alley Berlin club does not, exclusively, make epic dance music. Gimme the tracks that sound amazing, have fantastic progressions, light up a crowd, and get the people….hmmmm….what’s it called? Dancing? Yes, you dumb, snobby motherfucker, DANCING!

Just because it has some commercial appeal, does not disqualify the track from being good. It’s underground because it’s bad. No one wants to listen to it.

The Grammys heard Skrillex and said he was good. Although winning a Grammy firmly takes you out of the underground, Skrillex doesn’t seem to lose much cred with each banging success. Although I myself would have chosen other winners in these categories, I don’t get the last word. Sonny won for “Best Dance Recording” for “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” “Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical” for Benny Benassi’s “Cinema (Skrillex Remix),” and “Best Dance Album” for Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.

Here are the two Grammy-winning tracks, plus one of his latest releases “Bangarang,” the video of which was released yesterday:

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites – Skrillex

Want to know where that “Oh my gosh” screaming came from? Check this out.

Cinema (Skrillex Remix) – Benny Benassi

Skrillex’s latest video release, “Bangarang”

As always, let me know what you’re listening to.

Keep it hot, and keep dancin’!

Breakstone

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I was very saddened to hear of the death of Whitney Houston this past Saturday.  She had an amazing voice, and made a lot of incredible music with it.

For this week’s throwback track, I am featuring one of her songs remixed by Thunderpuss. Thunderpuss consists of music producers Chris Cox and Barry Harris. They were in high demand over the course of the six years working together, and produced remixes for big stars such as Britney Spears, Madonna, and Christina Aguilera.  Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay”, released in 1999 was their breakout hit.  The Thunderpuss remix ended up being the version of the song getting the most airplay on the radio. 

“It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” – Whitney Houston (Thunderpuss Remix)

 Ali Z.

Happy Valentines Day!   Regardless if you think today’s the most overrated or under appreciated holiday, we at the Hot Six have got the tracks to mark the occasion in its many forms.  You may recall our Hot Six #20 dedicated to love, passion, and romance, but here are four special tracks for any mood you have on this candy-card-flower filled day.

The first track is your bad girl doesn’t need a man song.   Mickey Avalon is a California native and sings about LA girls who don’t need sappy dinners and gifts….they only crave casual sexual fun.

Mickey Avalon – So Rich So Pretty

Next is your she will strip you of what you are worth track.  Tiefschwarz is a group from Germany, and they’ve created a striptease-style beat with lyrics of a seductive goddess that will allure you and exploit you to the max.  Gentlemen do you have a date tonight who demands dinner, flowers, chocolate, jewelry, bags, trips….well this is your track.

Tiefschwarz – Corporate Butcher (Solomun Remix) 

As most of you know, the music industry lost one of its iconic singers over the weekend: Whitney Houston.  To commemorate her, we’ve included a remixed version of her song How Will I Know–for those of you single tonight, but still hopeful that the right person will come along.

Whitney Houston – How Will I Know (Van Hooft & Forever Kid Remix) 

And finally this is the we are truly in love track.  It’s simple, pure, and reminiscent of Johnny Cash & June Carter–for those who celebrate why we fall in love in the first place.

Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros – Home (RAC Remix) 

The Hot Six Team.

I love mashups, especially when a DJ combines two tracks that one would never think would sound hot together.  DJ Carlos Serrano used his creative ear to mix The XX’s Intro with badboy rapper Kanye West’s Touch the Sky.   Serrano takes Kanye’s song away from its original glamorous, even a bit cocky tone, to a cool badass  flow.

Kanye, are you listening?

Kanye West v. The XX – Touch the Sky (Carlos Serrano Mashup) 

The Hot Six Team.

A lot of us have addictions that we try to pull ourselves away from….smoking, gambling, facebook, chocolate, sex, and even a naughty lover.

Medina (whose full name is Medina Danielle Oona Valbak ) is a Danish pop star, who is slowly making a name in the United States.  I’ve loved her music for quite some time for her sexy fierce femininity and passionate lyrics.  Addiction is about how she is still attracted to someone who is not good for her–we have all encountered those types of people in our lives; someone who you know hurts you, is a negative influence, but is still alluring and addictive….

Addiction – Medina

International DJ Deadmau5 remixed one of Medina’s chart-topping European hits, You and I–another song about breaking up with a lover.  For our European readers, this song is not new, but for those who’ve never heard of Medina, having this track is a great place to start.

You and I (Deadmau5 Remix) – Medina 

How do you get over your addictions? I would love to know…

Happy Monday.

Yasi June.

I love Schiller. The Deutsche band named after German philospher, poet, historian, and playwright Friedrich Schiller, is led by Christopher von Deylen. When I went to the Middle East in 2005, I was obsessed with this track. Unfortunately since then, I haven’t heard a Schiller track that I’ve loved. Until now. Von Deylen’s back with one of The Hot Six’s princesses, Nadia Ali, in this downtempo gem. B-t-dubs, the picture there, the one of Nadia, in the inset, you GOTTA LOVE THE CURLY HAIR! Shout out to Yasi June’s amigo, Asif Khan, for the rec.

Try – Schiller ft. Nadia Ali

Kansas native, and general music buff, AP, bring us this SBTRKT recommendation via The Hype Machine. Adam Jerome, aka SBTRKT (pronounced subtract), has been active since 2008 with remixes for MIA, Mark Ronson, and Bassment Jaxx. The London native crushes on this relaxing, yet wildly addicting jam remixed by LA-based Them Jeans.

Hold On (Them Jeans Remix) – SBTRKT

I can’t leave you without including one banger on here! It is The Hot Six, after all! A little shout out to my boy, Big Jon, for reminding me about how epic the Swedish House Mafia set at Madison Square Garden was in December. One of my fave jams from the set was “In My Mind,” which we featured on The Hot Six #24. Now you can say that your weekend was BOOMED!

In My Mind (Axwell Remix) – Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl (ft. George Kay)

Let us know what you think, and as always, let us know what you’re listening to.

The Hot Six Team.

Fall of 1995 was my first semester of college.  It was my first real exposure to dance music.  Prior to that, my only real exposure to anything electronic was the popular European band 2 Unlimited, and an album a friend gave me called Rave Till Dawn.

“Missing” by Everything But The Girl was a song I instantly fell in love with.  It had the simple recipe of a memorable track, strong vocals and a great beat.  While the original track was released in 1994,the version of the song that became a huge hit in the club scene, was remixed to perfection by legendary producer Todd Terry and released in 1995.

Enjoy this classic….and stay tuned as in upcoming weeks I’ll delve into some of the artists that helped pioneer the electronic dance music scene into what it is today.

Missing – Everything But The Girl (Todd Terry Club Mix)

Throw it back!

Ali Z.

Thank you Hot Six fans! With your support, we have reached over 1500 Likes on Facebook! We are one of the fastest growing dance music blogs on the Internet and we couldn’t do it without your support.

Support is the name of the game. In this small, but burgeoning, dance music community it’s important to support each other’s creative endeavors. To that end, The Hot Six is introducing a new segment called the Local Artists’ Corner.

We’ve had the good fortune to begin receiving frequent requests from up-and-coming producers to feature their tracks on our site. Though our mission statement has been to bring you the hottest, latest bangers from across the globe, it’s important to remember that Avicii, Afrojack, Guetta, Tiesto, Axwell, Ingrosso, and Angello were all up-and-coming DJs at one point. Tomorrow’s big room DJ’s and headliners in Ibiza, are today’s laptop producers and local venue DJs.

We thank you for your support, and we’d like to support the community in return.

This track, sent to us by Miami DJ/Producer, Dynamik Dave, has a catchy vocal with legit beats. I like the production and can see the potential in the sound DD and Paul Tony are trying to create. Props to them. As the inaugural track on our Local Artists’ Corner, here’s “Weekend” by Dynamik Dave ft. Paul Tony.

Weekend – Dynamik Dave ft. Paul Tony

Let us know what you think of this track. Leave a comment below, hit us up on FB, holla with a tweet, or send a good ol’ fashioned email to info@thehotsix.com.

If you’re an up-and-coming artist, and want to feature your track on Local Artists’ Corner, give us a shout. We’ll support all of the hottest dance music we can.

Crazy video, out of this world vocals, and a hook that’s addicting. Morillo and Thoneick at it again with their newest smash collabo featuring vocalist Skin, entitled “If This Ain’t Love.” Why don’t Morillo and Thoneick just form a group and call themselves something like Colombia Germany House Mafia. Or Fork Party. Or Thrillvehicle. C’mon guys, get a moniker!

This is the duo’s fourth major release after 2010′s, “Live Your Life” (feat. Shawnee Taylor) and “Nothing Better” (feat. Shena), and 2011′s, “Stronger” (feat. Shawnee Taylor).

It’s hard to describe the appeal of this track. It starts with the idea that you’re hearing something different. The vocals are unlike anything I’ve heard. When I first peeped the track, I wasn’t so sure I would like it. The singing sounded like shrieking and I was a little resistant. But, after three days without listening to the track and then hearing it again, I began to realize that the sounds, although new and somewhat raw, were just plain good. I became hooked and I just wanted to hear the track over and over again. It’s this new sound, the haven’t-been-done-before that really catches my ear.

If you can make sense of the video, two points for you. I’d love to hear your description below.

If This Ain’t Love – Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick ft. Skin

Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick Feat. Skin – If This Ain’t Love from Subliminal Records on Vimeo.