A lot of producers rant and rave about the watered down nature of their genres–particularly the whole tropical disco trend of taking Ashanti or Brandy and throwing some cow bell on it. Bedroom producers have naturally given birth to copycats and flooded the inbox of many a music blogger, making it harder than ever to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack. But it is still possible to rise above the muck and to get a music blogger to stop scanning the webs and start typing. Rather than latching on to a moment, create something that’s totally your own. One pretty simple yet extremely difficult way to do that is to fuse genres together (and do it well). Lane 8 does exactly this masterfully, and the result is hypnotic.
If Disclosure and Miguel Campbell had a baby, it would sound something like Lane 8‘s “For You.” On point bass lines, a sleek piano break down, and deep, haunting vocals (a masterfully sampled and manipulated line from The Isley Brothers) elevate this track beyond the standard “oh that’s some deep shit” stratosphere. While “For You” represents yet another producer paying homage to a classic, this version approaches the Malinchak “So Good To Me”level with its sophistication. Like “So Good To Me” (my track of the year), Lane 8 totally transforms a sample into a new identity, so much that it’s nearly impossible to tell where it came from.
For You is slow and fast, it’s deep and it’s high. It’s a track that you’ll probably find yourself keep coming back to. And it’s a reminder to always remember: there’s still some love left in music, sometimes you’ve just got to dig deep to find it.