I came in for a bit of criticism for my last top 10 here on GB, as some of the acts I included were not ballroom (the list was a mixture of ballroom and house/other stuff I dug at that point). So, this time round, I’ve decided to keep the chart to strictly ballroom acts, and to look back at my favourite tracks in the genre from the last 12 months.
10. BAAUER – Harlem Shake (QWEEN BEAT Remix)
There was no escaping the Harlem Shake this
year, but at least some good came of the craze, like this remix by
MikeQ and Jay R Neutron for Qween Beat. Qween Beat is a collective of
producers, djs, performers, MCs, designers and a lot more besides,
featuring some of the hottest names in ballroom, and who are always
worth checking out with some of the freshest mixes. You can find Qween
Beat on Twitter, FB and Soundcloud.
9. JAY R NEUTRON The Godzilla Ha
Jay R Neutron has some awesome remixes and
smash-ups on his Soundcloud page, many of which could have gone in this
chart, but this cheeky Godzilla-soundtrack-sampling beat is the one for
me. You might recognise the sample from hip-hop classic “Simon Says” by
Pharaoh Monch. Let’s hope Godzilla doesn’t hear this, as a vogue dip
from her would be bad news for Tokyo.
8. BYRELL the GREAT In GREAT We Tru$t Pt II
The second instalment of Byrell’s mix tape
series serves up a tonne of hot dance floor remixes and edits,
showcasing his this up-and-coming producer’s unique style, and also
shows the influence of hip-hop, pop and R&B (not to mention Jersey
Club) on the ever-developing ballroom sound.
7. LULU EBONY ft GREGG EVISU #BangiCunt (DJ Delish Remix)
Two seriously talented ballroom MCs go head
to head on a majorly hot beat remixed by Philidelphia’s DJ Delish. Not
much more to say here, just let Evisu & Ebony do the talking
(though, as the title would suggest of course, this track is NOT safe
for work).
6. SUGUR SHANE Outta Sight Cunt Juice
More commonly known for his MCing, this
year Sugur Shane took the plunge into production too, turning out a
hard-as-nails remix of DJ Fade’s “Outta Sight”, featuring vocal samples
from Buddah and Shane himself. If anyone tells you that ballroom is too
soft, too minimal or too repetitive, just slap this on and watch them
shut the hell up.
5. BEEK Like This (Like That)
Beek is a name to keep an eye on, his work
this year has been consistently impressive, and he has managed to push
the ballroom envelope while still serving up tracks to thrown down to.
The skittery vocal samples of “Like This” also manage to showcase his
brilliant MC style, marrying it to an impressive minimal/complex rhythm.
4. MIA Y.A.L.A. (MikeQ Remix)
Nobody touches MIkeQ for stripped-back,
dance floor destroying tracks, his remixes and originals use the barest
of elements but achieve maximum impact. There’s a reason this guy is the
premier ballroom DJ. This mix is a great example of his style, and
again showcases ballroom’s ability to absorb practically any other
genre. It’s great to see it crossing over into lots of different DJ
sets.
3. BRITNEY SPEARS Work Bitch (Divoli S’vere Gaginator Remix)
Like the flip-side of MikeQ’s minimalist
M.I.A. remix, fellow Qween Beat don Divoli S’vere transforms Britney’s
wannabe pop-house anthem into a maximalist “WTF?!” epic. This is hands
down my remix of the year, and I could see it working in both big and
underground clubs, if the DJs have the balls to drop a Britney track
that is!
2. KEVIN JZ PRODIGY Nasty Poetry (Schwarz Remix)
Kevin Prodigy is probably the best known
ballroom MC, but this remix by Baltimore’s Schwarz slows things down
just a touch, becoming *almost* a chilled out hybrid of deep house and
Bmore beats that will work in many varied DJ sets. But Prodigy’s
distinctive growl keeps it firmly in the ballroom ballpark, with Schwarz
teasing out the best bits of his vocal performance.
1. VJUAN ALLURE Kid Conga (Rebounced) ft Daniel Haaksman
This is my top track of the year, an
absolute dancefloor destroyer, whatever genre you prefer, from ballroom
to house to bass to whateverthefuck. This was dropped back near the
start of the year on Vjuan Allure’s debut Mad Decent/Jefrees release,
the Vjuanage EP. The track is a cut up of Kid Conga by Daniel Haacksman
featuring MC MIltihno, which you might already know, and it never fails
to set dancefloors on fire. Also, if you ever get a chance to see a
Vjuan Allure DJ set, DO NOT miss it, the dude SLAYS.
Honourable mentions:
I wanted to keep this top ten to one entry
per producer, but some of these guys have been on fire this year, and
their other work deserves mention too. So, here’s a quick round-up: Vjuan Allure “Natives R Restless”, Poisonous Relationship “Nite Birds (MikeQ Remix)”, Sugur Shane “My Night With Peter And Junior” mixtape, Beek “Beek” EP, DeShawn Timothy & Sugur Shane “Ima Read (Divoli’s 2013 Remix), Dawn Richards “Gleaux (Divoli S’vere Version)”,
in fact, just follow all/any of the Soundcloud links posted above and
you will find a wealth of awesome music, much of it available for free
download. And if you’ve got any favourite ballroom tracks from the past
12 months I haven’t mentioned, leave a comment.
You can follow me at CVNT TRAXXX on Soundcloud, and check out my own ballroom-influenced grymehaus “Statement” EP on Body Work Records.
