10 artists reveal their secret weapons of 2014
Beatportal recently published a new spin on the ever-popular ‘Top 10’ lists that always abound toward the end of the year. For their piece, they asked ten big name DJs to look back on the previous year and dish on the records they considered their secret weapons throughout 2014. Beatportal’s Jack Tregoning described it as “one track you’ve cued up more than any other, safe in the knowledge the dancefloor will ignite.” The answers crossed the musical spectrum, from big room to techno.
Claude VonStroke named Pirupa‘s “Get Lost” as his number 1 dance floor weapon this year. He dubbed it a 3 and 4 a.m. “party-changer” for its simple melody and a sound that “makes completely sober people feel like they are on drugs and people on drugs feel like they left the planet.”
Oliver Heldens‘s secret weapon of the year was his own edit of “Feel the Volume” vs. “My Feelings For You” by Jauz / Avicii and Sebastian Drums. He said the mashup’s high energy and strategically placed drop were foolproof crowd starters.
Claptone credits David Keno and ME & her with producing his most-played track of the year, the heavy and groovy ‘Walking Boots’.
MOTi touted his own original production with DVBBS, the hit “This Is Dirty” as his favorite dance floor weapon of the year. The Israeli DJ and producer said he didn’t notice until later on that the tune was becoming the peak track in all of his sets, whether at clubs or festivals.
Dirtybird‘s J.Phlip’s most-used record of the year was Paranoid London’s “Transmission 5”, which has consistently made it into her sets since mid-2013. She said she loved the track’s analogue production, coupled with “gritty distortion” in the perfect ratio. She called it “simple, dark, trippy, jackin’ acid house with a vocal that takes you into the head of a sleep-deprived partier on a Sunday morning. No vocal hook nonsense.”
Kronic & Krunk’s “Hey Ho” was Chuckie‘s weapon of the year. “It’s not the most sophisticated record in my sets but it’s definitely one of the most effective records when I play it out,” he told Beatportal.
Dutch producer and DJ Lemon8’s named his remix of his original track “Model8”. He said it was the track’s energy and rawness (especially those snares) that made it a crowd favorite.
Ilan Bluestone‘s weapon was “Under My Skin,” which he produced in collaboration with Jerome Isma-Ae. The tune combines Isma-Ae’s progressive grooves with Bluestone’s own penchant for melody, making it a gem that works in almost any situation, according to Bluestone, who admitted the two created the track over FaceTime within the span of two weeks.
Italian techno legend Sam Paganini incorporated Maceo Plex‘s “Conjure Sex” the most into his sets to bring things back to a sexier, groovier level, he told Beatportal. He said the Minus track was one of the best he heard all year.
Lastly, young superstar producer Michael Brun named Kölsch and Gregor Schwellenbach’s simple yet evocative “Cassiopeia” as his 2014 dance floor weapon. “Rune’s use of live strings to amplify and develop the chord progression as the song plays out evokes so much emotion,” he said, calling it “the kind of record that grows with you and becomes timeless.”
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