Erik Hassle's "Hurtful" is easily one of the best pop ballads of the last couple of years. Combining a heartfelt, relatable sentiment with an instantly hooky melody, "Hurtful" is pure pop gold that unfortunately failed to catch on in the U.S. in a big way. But not to worry. The Swedish crooner is back in the studio diligently working on new material that should be unleashed in 2012.
In the meantime, self-proclaimed "electro chip-pop-revolutionary" Zalza has taken on "Hurtful" and given the song his signature make-over. "I really like the song but I wanted to add my own 8-bit chiptune touch to it, add some buildup, but in the same time keep the original feel," he writes me. "After making a blippy chiptune version of the track it was transferred over to our studio. It was then produced from scratch with the original vocal track from Erik, together with my friend Håkan Müller."
The result is a completely revamped version of "Hurtful" that is dominated by classic Atari and Commodore 64 bleeps, bits and bytes to give it a flaming '80s arcade feel. Hassle's vocals and melody stand strong tough, which once again underlines the timeless achievement of the original production.
It's been a little while, but Little Boots is gearing up to return to the pop scene with some new tunes. Check out the brand-new "Shake (Until Your Heart Breaks)" that Annie Mac premiered on BBC Radio One this weekend. It's a 6+ minute long, gentle house stomper with an alluring synth groove that was produced by Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford and is taken from Little Booth's forthcoming new LP. Make sure to catch the singer on her DJ tour in Europe and North America later this month. Promising new stuff.
Songwriting and production duo Swiss American Federation (SAF) teamed up with YouTube sensation (and Britney Spears cover star) Jimmy Wong to record their new single "Don't Let Go," a crisp and potent brew of propulsive trance pop that is richly melodic and incredibly well put together. Jimmy's brother Freddie Wong directed a special music video of the track that premiered earlier this month.
Swiss American Federation is the Los Angeles duo of Christian B and M Dold who have worked on some massive tunes. For example, they produced Enya's "Only Time" that sold over 11 million copies and is the singer's biggest hit to date. They also produced Celine Dion's global smash "Brand New Day."
Christian B and M Dold have also collaborated with fellow Los Angelenos Far East Movement for whom they produced the nu-metal hip hop anthem "Make Ya Self" that was included on FM's independently-released first album and was also featured on EA's Fast & The Furious video game. In fact, according to Swiss American Federation, they have recently re-united with Far East Movement to work on a track for their forthcoming sophomore album.
In the meantime, check out Swiss American Federation's "Don't Let Go" featuring Jimmy Wong. (You can download "Don't Let Go" and a couple of remixes on Bandcamp.)
Hello Canada! I arrived in Toronto yesterday afternoon for a big Canadian music week. The pop goodness kicks off on Monday when the Cherrytree Pop Alternative Tour will make its stop here in Ontario at the Air Canada Center. Then I will join the great pop revue for its trek up to Montreal where I will stay the rest of the week as a special guest at the M For Montreal Music Festival for some fun panels and emerging artist showcases.
The Cherrytree Pop Alternative Tour starts on Sunday night in Quebec City with some of my very favorite pop alternative acts, including global chart sensations LMFAO and Far East Movement, plus special guests Natalia Kills, Frankmusik, Colette Carr, Rye Rye and Kay. It's an action-packed revue of pop stars that combines current chart-toppers with some fresh new talent that you oughta know.
There's lots to look forward to at the Cherrytree Pop Alternative Tour. First off, seeing LMFAO perform is always an electrifying experience. RedFoo, Skyblu and their Party Rock posse are gifted entertainers who do a fantastic job bringing the energy of their music to the live stage. Floating blow-up zebras included.
I'm also really looking forward to seeing Far East Movement perform their new single "Jello" with their spunky labelmate Rye Rye (who just came back from Europe touring with LMFAO). With a bit of luck, Far East Movement will also infuse their set with a few more new grooves. The Los Angeles outfit has been putting the final touches on their new LP "Dirty Bass" in the past few weeks that is scheduled to be released early 2012. It's going to be a banger that includes collaborations with The Stereotypes, David Guetta, Bangladesh, RedOne and many others.
After she just finished up a few tour dates with The Sounds, Natalia Kills is sure to rock up the Cherrytree revue with her new band that includes flaming guitars and kicky synths that I expect will create an exciting new twist on her polished and inspired pop.
The Cherrytree Pop Alternative Tour also re-unites Frankmusik and Colette Carr who have amazing chemistry together on stage. Hopefully, they will duet once again on their splendid pop ditty "No I.D," which is a joy to watch. And if Frank works in a little bit of "Struck By Lightning" I will be a very, very happy camper.
Last but not least, I'm incredibly stoked to catch up with Canada's own Kay and see her perform a few tunes. The "Going Diamond" singer infuses her quirky, retro-styled hip hop with a sweet bubblegum flavor that is minty-fresh and mighty infectious.
Stay tuned for updates about in Toronto and Montreal in the days to come. Big ups to Virgin Mobile Canada for keeping me connected this week and my friends in Canada for their hospitality.
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