Shermanology at EDC NY: 5 tracks you need to know
The Dutch trio known as Shermanology consists of Andy Sherman, his sister Dorothy Sherman, and their cousin Leon Sherman, who have put their magic touch on the likes of Avicii’s “Blessed” and Afrojack’s “Can’t Stop Me.” After watching their mini biography, I knew that I just had to see them live and luckily this opportunity came on day three of EDC NY. Let’s just say that they might have been one of the best and most unique acts of the weekend. Although our top five tracks might seem like they could have come from anyone, the live vocals and acapellas make this a different kind of set that’s definitely worth downloading. That’s a good thing too — since the trio has given the entire thing away on their SoundCloud.
1. Shermanology – “Gridin'” (with “Fired Up” acappella)
This original production is one of Shermanology’s earlier tracks since teaming up with Afrojack, and it’s the first real taste I got of their sound. They combined the grungy, underground-sounding track with the retro lyrics from “Fired Up” by the Funky Green Dogs to give it a completely different feel. The crowd was going wild and it started off the set with a lot of energy.
2. Hardwell – Spaceman (with “We Found Love” acapella)
“Spaceman” is already a massive track especially when played on festival speakers. (Look no further than Hardwell’s UMF set for evidence.) Combine the weight of “Spaceman” with Rihanna’s powerful lyrics of “We Found Love” and you get an eargasmic combination that the crowd loved.
3. Bingo Players – Rattle (with “Sweet Dreams” a cappella)
As if “Rattle” wasn’t a big enough song on its own, Dorothy and Leon absolutely killed the vocals of “Sweet Dreams” which made the crowd go nuts especially when they screamed “Get up!” before the drop. The trio played a decent amount of Bingo Players releases and these massive tracks with well-known lyrics make for awesome high energy music.
4. Gotye – “Somebody That I Used to Know” vs Jerry Rekonius – “Powahbunga”
Obviously the song of the moment — Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used To Know” was a staple in a ton of sets, but Shermanology was the only act to actually have the vocal performed live. It’s yet another example of how Shermanology is a different kind of group, and their combination with “Powahbunga” created a memorable moment.
5. Afrojack ft. Shermanology – “Can’t Stop Me”
When it came time for Shermanology’s biggest track of the moment, “Can’t Stop Me,” Dorothy began belting out the well-known vocals before the music even kicked in. They went through the track not once, but twice — and you can even hear the crowd singing over the music in the liveset recording. Hearing it live in their very own set was definitely the best this song has ever sounded. You might have expected “Blessed” to make this list, but in terms of live vocals in this particular set, “Can’t Stop Me” had to be as good as it gets.
All in all, Shermanology provides a very different experience then the usual fist-pumping DJ. They expertly sing vocals on unexpected tracks and create a unique EDM experience. After talking with Andy and Leon after their set, it was refreshing to see how humbled they were by the whole EDC experience. Andy was blown away by how hard Americans rage even early in the day (Shermanology’s set time was 4:30PM), and couldn’t wait to get to Pacha for the afterparty. Shermanology: Can’t stop them no no no…
Categories: Music