Candy Crush is the first EDM set of 2018 and boy oh boy is it a winner! I was dreading the thought of having to slap together another reggaeton set with indistinguishable vocalists but quickly changed my point of view after pouring through 100’s of promos to decide the winners and losers. Once I started putting it together, I knew I had something special with a little bit of something for everyone to keep things interesting.
Charts are used as a jump-off point when putting these commercial dance sets together but most of it is created through intuition and instinct or basically what I’m getting into.
The first time I heard Bruno Mars‘ latest “Finesse” I was all over this shit. From the Cardi B rap to the early 90’s R&B sound that harkens back to BBD (Bel Biv Devoe) to Bruno’s effortless adaptability to virtually everything he tackles, this song is just perfect! In fact, I much prefer it to “Versace on the Floor” which was difficult for me really get into. Because it is so stylistically different, I used it as a transition 2/3 of the way into the set, which worked better than expected. Let’s just say it was gonna be included if it killed me.
Charlie Puth‘s latest “How Long” is a given and comes packed with a wide variety of remixes; many of which you’ll be hearing as the year goes on. Sofi Tukker‘s “Best Friend” is catchy as hell and sticks in your head long after hearing it. Martin Garrix‘s “So Far Away” featuring vocalist Jamie Scott & Romy Dya is quite possibly the best thing he’s put out since his departure from Spinnin. Olivia Holt (another product of the Disney machine) is coming out strong with “Generous” as are the bevy of remixes included in its remix package.
Skylar Stecker continues to impress with “Blame.” Dave Audé gives the song that “French Kiss” touch separating it from his standard remixes that virtually guarantees a number one club hit, while his remix of April Diamond‘s “Lose Control” has serious “Run the World (Girls)” streaming through its veins. So much so, that I’ve already created a mashup which I may release into the wild later on if the song lands in the top spot as I expect it to do.
The remake of the Ultra Naté classic “Free” by Sean Finn, Terri B and Peter Brown has a multitude of remixes that accompanied it but not one of them really offered anything special to the song compared to the original until the KC Anderson remix dropped. This housed-up version without all the tricks and gimmicks finally does justice to the song that’s about to hit the top in a couple of weeks and is something I can sink my teeth into.
Probably the biggest song in this set belongs to a pair called NAATIONS. Their song “Want Me More” grabs my attention like no other. The lyrics are well-written (almost unheard of these days) and accompanied by fantastic vocals by Nicky Routledge with a catchy deep bass sound provided by Nat Dunn. Folks, this is real life music set to a dance beat and I expect bigger things for this duo because they’re doing it better than practically any other major act out there now. My only advice to Nicky; waiting for someone to want you more is a fool’s game. Trust from someone who’s been there.
Good news for my i-whatever users (more than half of my followers). As predicted, I’ve been re-listed in the iTunes store and the link to subscribe is now at the bottom of each player located at the end of every post. Well almost, I’m still swapping out players as we speak but most are there. Google Play will be a bit longer because there is an issue with duplicate feeds I’m trying to have resolved with their support group.
I’ve got a massive part 2 to Sweat on the Floor which moves the original into a peak hour funky deep tech house monster scheduled to drop next Friday. If you were a fan of the first, you’re going to lap this puppy up. I’ve also got a 2-set release of Happy House Classics or what I like to call tunes that will put a smile on your face in these shitty times scheduled for the week after. I also plan on calling out for suggestions to the next Diva Hall of Fame entrant in the coming weeks. Be sure to get your thoughts together on that and scroll through the list of existing famer’s so as not to waste your vote.
Things appear to be thawing out around here making for a fantastic weekend. I hope the same thing is happening for you. Until the next time…ENJOY!
Album: Candy Crush
Genre: EDM, House, Dance
Year: 2018
Total Time: 02:19:25
- Sza & Calvin Harris – The Weekend (Funk Wav Remix)
- Charlie Puth – How Long (Twodb Remix)
- Sofi Tukker feat. Nervo, The Knocks & Alisa Ueno – Best Friend (Sofi Tukker Carnaval Remix)
- Bob Sinclar feat. Akon – Till the Sun Rise Up (FTampa & Mark Ursa Remix)
- Selena Gomez & Marshmello – Wolves (ANGEMI Remix)
- Martin Garrix & David Guetta feat. Jamie Scott & Romy Dya – So Far Away (Nicky Romero Remix)
- Slippy Beats – Daydream (Bigroom Mix)
- Dada Nada – We Can Feel It (House Of Virus Remix)
- Olivia Holt – Generous (Martin Jensen Remix)
- Martin Jensen feat. Loote – Wait (Martin Jensen VIP Mix)
- Justin Timberlake – Filthy (Barry Harris Club Enhanced)
- David Guetta & Afrojack feat. Charli XCX & French Montana – Dirty Sexy Money (Joe Stone Remix)
- Alesso feat. Anitta – Is That For Me (KOYU Remix)
- Matoma feat. Noah Cyrus – Slow (CID Remix)
- Skylar Stecker – Blame (Dave Aude Extended Remix)
- NAATIONS – Want Me More (Extended Mix)
- Alan Walker feat. Noah Cyrus – All Falls Down (Kue Remix)
- Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor (Cash Cash Remix)
- MK – 17 (Liam Keegan Remix)
- Astrid S – Think Before I Talk (Cahill Club Mix)
- Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B – Finesse (Kay Stafford 2018 Club Mix)
- Toni Braxton – Coping (Stadiumx Remix)
- Anggun – What We Remember (Love To Infinity Club Mix)
- Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (Dave Aude Extended Remix)
- April Diamond – Lose Control (Dave Aude Private Club30 Mix)
- StoneBridge feat. Haley Joelle – Meet In The Middle (Stonebridge Extended Mix)
- Silento – Wild (Wideboys Back To The Community Remix)
- Jason Derulo feat. French Montana – Tip Toe (Wideboys Main Room Mix)
- Rihanna – Consideration (Dirty South Remix Extended)
- Sean Finn vs. Terri B & Peter Brown – Free (KC Anderson ReWork)
- Nadel Paris – Ooh La La La (Ale Amaral Remix)
- G-Eazy & Halsey – Him & I (Barry Harris & MSC KickAss Recall Mix)
- Katy Perry – Hey Hey Hey (MAGIXX Club Mix)
