Tag: Martin Garrix

Martin Garrix feat. Clinton Kane – Drown

“Today for you, a chorus line that I’m almost entirely certain isn’t meant to be taken literally.”

Tim: Today for you, a chorus line that I’m almost entirely certain isn’t meant to be taken literally.

Tom: Yep, unlike our Eurovision entry, this is the sort of lyric that it’s obnoxious to be pedantic about.

Tim: Despite it being really weird, though, I actually really like this – the song, that is, not the metaphor. The production’s much as you’d expect from someone reliable like Martin, and he’s got a featured vocalist who can get all the notes in the right place. The melody, pleasingly, is one I can remember after hearing just once, although that may be more to do with the icky ‘ocean of you’ thing than any definite indication of a good melody. But who cares? It’s in my head, wanting to be heard again.

Tom: I thought it was, but then I realised I actually had Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies” in my head, thanks to that ‘tell me lies’ bit. Still, at only three minutes, at least this one doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Tim: As for Clinton, he’s been around a while uploading covers and original songs to YouTube, mostly guitar-based stuff, and he’s from all over the place – Filipino-Norwegian heritage, has lived in Australia and the UK. And in case you’re wondering, the two of them have definitely met, but it only happened after the song had been put together and finished – volcanic eruptions prevented it happening sooner. Isn’t it always the way?

Martin Garrix, Matisse & Sadko feat. Michel Zitron – Hold On

“That’s at least five years out of date.”

Tom: It’s January, and that means there is barely any new music. So as with yesterday, let’s go with an old reliable. Garrix, Dutch irritatingly-young world-class DJ. Matisse & Sadko, Russian producers. Michel Zitron, Swedish producer and singer. They’ve all been in the same circles for years, as far as I can tell.

That is a lot of people, with a lot of skills, all working on one track. Will it combine their best qualities, or will it be a confused, designed-by-committee mess?

Tim: I’ve a feeling I know where you’re going with this.

Tom: I remembered almost nothing about that after it finished, so I’m going with “designed by committee”.

Tim: Hmm, maybe. The standout thing for me is that it really, really doesn’t sound like a modern dance track – that’s at least five years out of date. The opening vocal made me think Avicii, the rest of it perhaps more Swedish House Mafia, and then there was that bit where it went slightly Tubulars Bells-y.

Tom: Actually, I did remember one thing: that ridiculous over-the-top build up to the drop, like it’s on a Clubland CD from the early 2000s. Not a complaint, really, just saying it’s the standout feature.

Tim: Yep, there’s that as well. And the datedness doesn’t bother me at all – I’m all for it.

Saturday Flashback: Martin Garrick feat. Usher – Don’t Look Down

“He decides to weirdly harass a girl he finds attractive.”

Tim: Another victim of the Safari tab cull (it was fun when it reached 69, but then it was just silly), and I’m fairly sure I had this one up mostly for the video, which was created for the “happened a couple of times then they realised no-one was really interested” YouTube Music Awards.

Tom: Hey, don’t knock them — they gave us the spectacular video for Kygo’s Stole the Show.

Tim: So Martin’s a bit upset, with no-one really appreciating anything he does, and probably also being paid sod all, so he decides to weirdly harass a girl he finds attractive. As you do.

Tom: Except, even more weirdly, that is not Martin. That’s an actor called Aj Knight. But yes, either way, that’s still not a great plot.

Tim: Kind of like she’s Shania Twain, and he’s trying to show that he can impress her very very much indeed, but she’s all “mate, didn’t you listen to the song?” In the end, obviously there has to be a happy ending, which in this case is another girl finding him attractive even though he has no interest in her.

Not sure how happy that is, really, though I suppose it’s a good hook for a Basshunter-style sequel if nothing else, with “No Really, You Shouldn’t Look Down” telling the exact same tale but just gender-swapped, and with an unusual twist at the end that no-one sees coming.

Tom: Sure, we can do that:

Tim: Cracking track, mind.

Martin Garrix – Pizza

“It starts with a brilliant string section.”

Tim: “Pizza”?

Tom: We have a contender for “worst track name of the year”. Good news though: it starts with a brilliant string section.

Tim: Like nicely cooked mozzarella.

Tom: Bloody hell, that’s a good dance track.

Tim: Hell yeah – even better than the Mighty Meaty I got from Domino’s at the weekend.

Tom: Unless Tim’s done a deal behind my back, reader, that was not sponsored content. Anyway, there are plenty of qualms to be had with this track: it doesn’t go anywhere after that first build, just repeats the whole thing over again with a bit of chiptune instead of strings. And the video is just a compilation of tour footage that makes him look a bit of a bellend.

Tim: I can’t really argue with either of those things, though I’m not so bothered about the chip tune bit. Thing is, he can’t drop back to the strings mid-track, as that would kill the vibe completely. It needs stuff around and on top of it to work as a full-on dance track. Axwell did a great job with Heart Is King, Tiësto’s made whole albums of orchestral dance – and now Martin’s joined the party.

Tom: But I’d defy anyone on a dance floor, or at a festival, or basically anywhere, not to start moving when the main bit of this kicks in. Even the cinematic strings seem to work, rather than being A Bit Too Much. Every bit of this is great.

Tim: Except the name. That’s just a nonsense.

Martin Garrix – Together

“I really wish I could jump around and dance to this.”

Tim: Tom, my neck still hurts from when I went trampolining over the weekend, and that annoys me.

Tom: You did land face first.

Tim: Well, let’s chalk it up to lessons for life: don’t attempt a somersault unless you’re confident you won’t injure your head and face and neck. Anyway, we’re getting distracted. Thing is, I really wish I could jump around and dance to this.

Tim: Swedish House Mafia style music has dropped away recently, which is very much a shame, because I’d take this over That Genre any day.

Tom: The thing is, it’s almost exactly the same. Dial down the intensity a bit, change the synth pads, and suddenly there are coconuts everywhere. And yet, now tropical house is so overplayed, this sounds like a breath of fresh air.

Tim: You could make that argument for a lot of things – subgenres are always closely related, and it’s the finesse (in this case, toned down beats and steel drum synths) that make tropical what it is. Here, that’s all gone, and as far as I’m concerned it’s better for it.

I could mention a criticism or two – structure’s odd, with it being split into two identical halves meaning it’s over far soon that it feels it ought to be, even if it has played out long enough, and the gap between the two halves is just long enough to be uncomfortably disconcerting.

Tom: Yes, that’s true: I do wonder if the requirement to have everything at or around 3-5 minutes sometimes stifles creativity. Chuck this in at two minutes in the middle of a set, and it’d be fine.

Tim: Other than that, though, this is great. I don’t know if I’m saying that just because it’s fresh and new, but I’ve missed dance music like this being released. And I love having it around.