Miike Snow - Animal

New Singles - Commercial Pap Singles

Written by Jordan White

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Having churned out hits for the likes of Kylie, Madonna and Britney, you'd be forgiven for expecting this debut single from trio-producers 'Miike Snow' to fit nicely into that mould of disposable-but-generically-genius pop songs.

In fact, 'Animal' has such an array of sounds, it is difficult to class it as anything simpler than electro-funk-reggae-pop!

A static, slightly off-melody beat with a hint of synths combined with UB40 instills in your mind as the vocals kick in. There is also some clever lyrical repetition for extra catchiness. Technically crafted in that 'layered' way that only the best producers are capabale of, this is four minutes of a mish-mash of musical styles that fit together perfectly... with the added bonus of a tinny-sounding piano for good-measure!

8/10

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VA – Smoove pres: MO’ RECORD KICKS: Act II

This latest collection from label Record Kicks is easy on the ear.

If it doesn’t have you dreaming of better days in the snap of a second, there is something wrong with you. This record is an aphrodisiac for the modern workplace.

From "The Young Patter" by the Baker Brothers and "Prophets Bound to Christ" by William Joseph Fowler & the Disciples, DJ Smoove mixes up a storm on record Act II. With the types of sounds that would be at home at a funk club in the funkiest of cities in the funkiest of countries, there is no denying that DJ Smoove is, for want of a better description, a cool cat.

A particularly favourite track of this reviewer is "Rags to Riches" by the Liberators, a fresh afro-funk act hailing from Sydney, Australia. The track is so rich with the sounds of Africa, it is a wonder it was not produced in, ummm, Africa.

The Diplomats of Solid Sound have been on my radar for a while, and so have Lack of Afro. So it does not surprise me that the Lack of Afro remix of the Diplomat’s tune "Give Me One More Chance", is an outright classic.

Similarly to a lot of the new releases from the team at label Record Kicks, this is highly recommended!

Label: Record Kicks

8/10