Solange Knowles

Phoenix – Entertainment [Blood Orange Remix]

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As some of you might remember, I had some issues with the chorus on Phoenix latest single, “Entertainment”. I thought and still hold that it fits a bit unnatural amongst the blazing synthesizers, leading to an unfortunate loss of momentum. Now, it’s still a pretty decent single, but should to be seen in the light of their long and impressive discography. Interestingly, producer Dev Hynes, more famed as Blood Orange – the producer behind Sky Ferreira and Solange (to name a few), chose to entirely rerecord the original refrain with the recently reformed original Suparbabes line-up. Together with Hynes trademark take on chilled-out 80’s R&B, the chorus suddenly makes a lot more sense. Hynes created a surprisingly convincing version, considerably slowed down and minimalistic in its nature, but still it wouldn’t feel complete without the massive Prince-like guitar solo that’s thrown in to top things off. It’s an original take on a more or less traditional synth pop, sounding like no remix I’ve ever heard before. I don’t know if I dare to say it, but it’s a remix that actually works better than the original.

 

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Box Of Wolves ft. Christa Vi – Boy / The Machine

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Jessie Ware and Solange Knowles as certainly made those chillout synth-vibes of the late 80’s / early 90’s a fashionable part of the R&B /Pop scene. These two tracks from Canadian artist Gabriel Akinrinmade a.k.a Box Of Wolves has basically the same points of reference as the above stated artists, but with a dance floor friendly vibe incorporating some lush Detroit techno ambiance. The lovely voice on “Boy” belongs to the London based country/folk-pop singer Christa Vi, who steps well outside her comfort zone and delivers beautifully lush vocals that marries perfectly with Akinrinmade’s nostalgic production. The largely instrumental B-side “The Machine” is a lot more chilled, reminiscent of Larry Heard/Mr Finger’s lush electronic ambiance. These are well-constructed tracks that should be an essential part of any late night playlist.

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