Tribute: El Perro Del Mar - I Would Die 4 U (Prince Cover)

To express what Prince's music means to us in a few sentences is simply impossible. He was a wonderful musician - a genius and truly the ear zero for modern music, all is to be found in his vast catalogue. His death last week really felt and still feels unreal. A world without him in it is unimaginable. How absolutely amazing that the wondrous El Perro Del Mar puts what cannot be said with words into a stunning cover of the sumblime I Would Die 4 U off of 1984's landmark Prince and The Revolution album + OST to Purple Rain. The sorrow in this cover is palpable and her broken tone really hits home how utterly sad this time in music really is. She recorded it  at home the other day with what she had there - a tabla drum machine + analogue synth. The wonky tone is perfection for this and its urgency paired with the emotive vocals + heavenly lyrics makes for a stunning listen that brought tears to our eyes the first time we heard it last night and continues even now when pressing play. The spoken intro from a mid 80's MTV interview is amazing - Prince truly was something that we cannot fully comprehend and how amazing we got to share the planet with him for a period of time. R.I.P. brilliant force of nature!       

Free Download: Prince - Controversy (Space 25th Birthday Edit)

Prince's 1981 single Controversy from the album of the same name is an exercise in perfection. Over a mad funky beat that simply forces you to move he touches on subjects that were discussed about him at the time. Was he white or black? Straight or gay? Oh, the controversy! Not to mention he recites The Lord's Prayer in full making people scream blasphemy. Hearing this in 2014 it's amazing to see how far we've come, but also just how much things are still the same... From a musical perspective it's clear where Daft Punk got their crazy rhythm from. And from a social perspective we are absolutely wild with the fact that this song discusses politically charged topics over that superb dance beat - and tells people to relax, we're all the same - let's play. This re-rub by Ibiza based DJ Paul Reynolds extends the goodness into an almost 10 minute piece of heaven playing like the classic 12". It's made for legendary Ibiza club Space's 25th anniversary and it's easy to hear why they've been awarded "Best Global Club" at the International Dance Music Awards four times in the last 9 years. We have to go there next summer for sure! Full lyrics here btw!     

Free Download: Chaka Khan - I Feel For You (80's Child Legend Edit)

Chaka Khan covering Prince in 1984 was and still is a stroke of pure genius. She took I Feel For You, a funky album cut from his 1979 self-titled debut LP, strapped it onto a rocket and sent it into the stratosphere with a huge funk bang. Her version features some serious 80's swag and friends Stevie Wonder on harmonica, Melle Mel on that iconic rap part and instrumentation by The System's David Frank. PLUS it samples this + this one, absolute badass beauties. The end result brought the house down for years to come and gave Chaka a million seller that won a Grammy for Best R&B Song. Also it set the bar real high for the rest of the funk gang, haha. This edit by UK producer Danny Worrall a.k.a 80's Child plays like a sweet & classic 12" loops, extended breaks and all. We cannot even type this properly as we're busy cranking the volume up and stuff, haha. Play this loud and enjoooy getting down!

Free Download: Stevie Nicks - Stand Back (F82 Remix)

Stevie Nicks' immortal 1983 monster hit Stand Back is one song we can never grow tired of even if we tried. Her iconic voice, that tight electronic production, amazing lyrcis and then synthesizers by an uncredited Prince. So much to love! Not forgetting the early 80's video + the first insane version that ended up being deleted + that stellar Solid Gold performance. Argh! It's too much! São Paulo based Brazilian DJ F82 does a superb job updating the production gearing it towards a big outdoor party under a glowing night sky. The highlighted bass, guitar and keyboards really shine and makes us wanna dançar our ass off! Gostoso! For the full backstory by Stevie herself click here.

Free Download: Sinéad O'Connor VS. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Compares To Wrecking Ball

Obviously everything sounds better with some Sinéad O'Connor and Prince behind it! Even Miley Cyrus and her Wrecking Ball is tolerable to our ears now, haha. We completely agree with Sinéad on the whole sexualization and pimping out artists for $$$ and not caring about the art or person behind it and how tiresome that is. The biggest evident is the video to this mash-up. Strip back the heavy duty side of the WB video and you're left with an amazing singer and a very tender and heartfelt song that shines. That's all you need for sure! Nothing Compares To Wrecking Ball sounds heavenly and really complement each other. We actually thought a reason Sinéad got so angry with all the open letters etc. was that she saw a grain of herself in the rebellious way Miley presents herself. Granted it's a very different way, but still some similarities are there. Plus, since this mash-up is so amazing, they really should work together and blow everyone out of the water. In this version we can't get over how insanely good these lyrics sound. 

I never meant to start a war
I just wanted you to let me in