I actually just had to stop everything I was doing and write up this post. Yesterday was a GREAT day for music. I was on Soundcloud for all of 7 minutes and had already stumbled across not one, but two amazing tracks that simply must be shared.
I’ll begin with “Dive” by ViLLΛGE, which is an incredible remix of Usher’s single by the same title. As much as I hate to admit it, I have always had a soft spot for Usher. However, “Dive” was never a favorite of mine. ViLLΛGE must have seen something the rest of us did not in this single and he did a simply stunning job of chopping up the vocals to create a haunting and almost heart-wrenching rendition of the top 40 hit.
ViLLΛGE first caught my attention when he released “Takeover” about 6 months ago, which subsequently became one of my summer anthems and even made it’s way to the Colortones mix I did for my friends at multidisciplinary design studio, Colorcubic (www.colorcubic.com) – coming soon. ViLLΛGE has this intrinsic knack for reworking tracks into completely fantastic and totally additive bangers. “Takeover” won my heart with it’s contagious energy and perfectly placed vocal samples, and became my ideal summer party jam.
ViLLΛGE’s “Dive” is not so light-hearted, but just as brilliant. It begins with hollow, echoey vocals laid over minimal beats, with a heavy bass and perfect kick. Sprinkled with immaculately placed silences, beautiful vocal layering, driving synths and that signature two-step beat, you almost forget that this started out as an over-produced top 40 R&B jam. ViLLΛGE really created something from nothing here and with his consistently stellar production chops, he injected a new depth and emotion into a song that was previously just mediocre. It is now one of those tracks that has me closing my eyes and nodding my head at my desk, and I can guarantee that this it will be in heavy rotation for months to come.
Marinate Media 