Armand van Helden and A-Trak, two big name DJs that form the duo also known as Duck Sauce, made a splash in 2012 with their worldwide hit, 'Barbara Streisand'. This past week they released a free EP on Soundcloud, appropriately called Duck Droppings. 'Party in Me' stays true to Duck Sauce's disco-dance sound, with feel good vocals and a fast beat. I love Duck Sauce because despite the "burden" of having to create dance tracks that will be a hit for the mainstream club audiences, they still manage to be silly and inject a lot of irreverent fun into their music.
I'm a sucker for soulful male vocalists who favor using their voices for electronic and house songs rather than the expected R&B slow jam. Javeon, relative newcomer who's easy on the eyes, reminds me of Sam Sparro, similarly creating dreamy landscapes with his hearty vocals and smooth production work, as heard here in 'Give Up'.
I featured Lancelot feat. Antony and Cleopatra a mere three weeks ago, but I'm also digging the B-side to their EP Givin It Up, the vocally driven, bass-heavy, melodic dance track, 'Make Ends Meet.'
Solidisco lives up to his namesake once again with their new single, 'Top of the World', featuring vocals by Skyy. It reminds me of the early 2000's attempt at a disco dance revival from Jamiroquai and George Michael. Hopefuily the song's appeal will follow suit and permeate far past disco lovers and onto mainstream dance radio.
Groove Armada has always been exciting to me because every song and album has a sound that evokes completely different moods. Their new single 'Hyde and Freak', featured on the Pork Soda EP released late last year, throws back to the duo's warehouse dance club roots. Diva vocal samples and saxophone notes punctuate the song – beckoning you to dance into the late hours of the night.
If this week's tracks have got you in the mood to dance and you're in the New York area, join us tonight as we Occupy The Disco at Le Bain at the top of The Standard, High Line. Once again we're taking over this wonderful venue with music by Fire Island legend DJ Lina, Spank! and The Carry Nation's Will Automagic, and Wrecked's Ryan Smith. All three have been instrumental players in bringing disco and house music back into the centerfold of New York's gay nightlife, and we're excited to feature these names for the first time under one roof. Doors open at 10pm. Check out our site for more info and photos from our last Occupy The Disco!
OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD) curates and recommends music events to the gay community in NYC—in an effort to move the focus of the nightlife scene beyond the promoter and venue and to the music itself. The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OXD, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tad Haes, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world. The OXD Mirror serves to showcase tunes that are definitely off-the-beaten-path but rightfully deserve the attention of the gay ear.
Be sure to check out these tracks and more on our Spotify Playlist. For more information on OXD, check out our website and accompanying blog at www.occupythedisco.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @OccupyTheDisco.
