In The Mix: English Producer Tim Green Lights Up Home Town
Summer is finally upon us and as the new season kicks off there has been a spike in music releases from a number of artists across multiple genres. As people across the country make their way outside to listen to their favorite summer bangers, we take a look at some of those hits as well as a return to London for another live set from Mixmag’s indoor dance club, the Lab.
Single of the Week: Fans have been craving a new album from funk singer Anderson Paak ever since the release of his sophomore album Malibu back in 2016. However, Paak has dropped a new single just in time for the summer that strays from the type of music that has classified him as a funk and soul artist. “Bubblin” is a trap track filled with prominent drum beats and deep bass. Paak’s unique voice thrives on the beat, rapping along and adding his signature ad-libs. The track is fast-paced and carried by its beat, allowing Paak the chance to change pitches and flows as we’ve seen in his earlier work. It’s refreshing to hear Anderson Paak’s voice utilized on a new type of beat and his latest track is a great summertime hit that gives his fans hope that an album is on the way.
Music Videos of the Week
Childish Gambino - "This is America": It would come as a surprise if you haven’t already seen Childish Gambino’s latest music video for his new single, “This is America”. The video will without a doubt be one of the most talked about music videos of the year as Gambino indirectly sheds light on the issues plaguing American society. For the most part, the video is filled with concentrated mayhem all of which calls out different troubles in the country. Gambino has already spoken out saying not to over analyze the video, but this has been ignored as people have critically examined every aspect of the video. The video features an incredible dancing performance by Gambino as he walks through a barren warehouse caressing different guns which he uses to eliminate his fellow African Americans. The video has endless underlying meaning within it easy to miss with the naked eye upon the first watch. However, the more you watch the more things you will pick up on. It is known that Donald Glover plans to hang up his Gambino persona after the conclusion of his upcoming tour. As he has focused his efforts more towards film, “This is America” keeps his name at the top of the music sphere giving the song such a prominent and thought out the video.
Backstreet Boys - "Don't Go Breaking My Heart": Backstreet’s back. After nearly five years, in what many thought would be their retirement from music, the Backstreet Boys have emerged with a new single. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” sounds extremely similar to the group’s earlier music, not showing much of a progression of their talents over the years. However, the track and video have gained popularity over the past week mainly due to the nostalgic value of them. The video features the five group members performing a series of synchronized dances in front of different illuminated and colored backgrounds. The video also has an astrological element to it, with grainy images of what seems to be goddesses and stars filling the backgrounds. Each member has their own time to shine, showing them all in the same grainy effect with respective colors for each of them in the background. While the song itself parallels much of the groups work from the early 2000s, the video is extremely aesthetically pleasing. The group has certainly succeeded in their emergence as their fans from over 10 years ago will flock to just about anything they make. The song and video, and perhaps a future album, will continue to gain recognition and popularity based off the nostalgic element of the Backstreet Boys being back.
Wolfine and Maluma - "Bella" (Remix)" Last year, 39-year old Colombian singer Wolfine released his single “Bella”. A year later, he’s teamed up with fellow Colombian reggae artist Maluma for a remix of the track. Maluma adds his vocals to the song’s chorus, along with adding a bouncy verse. The track compares the temptations of alcohol with the temptations of loving a woman, which is certainly translated into the video. The video shows the two dancing around different bars, with both singing their respective parts in front of a wall of beer. Throughout the whole video Wolfine chases around a woman while drinking significantly along the way. The remix adds a reggae flare with the help of Maluma and keeps the same bouncy vibe of the original song, making it a perfect Summer banger.
DJ Set
Back in London at underground dance club, The Lab, English DJ Tim Green shares his expertise in beat production in a display of electronic magic. Green has risen to the top tiers of electronic and house producers, releasing an impressive amount of music over the past 10 years. Today, he continues to experiment with new sounds creating original tracks as well as remixing popular songs.
Green is known for the wide variety of sounds he can manipulate into faced-paced and exciting beats. His hour-long set for Mixmag not only contains catchy beats, but unpredictable drops and transitions as well. He begins his set with a great deal of anticipation as he builds up to his first drop, a simple and bass-heavy electronic transition into a quicker beat. As he moves along, he takes the beats in a different direction experimenting and exploring the depth of sounds he has in his arsenal.
For a great deal of the set, Green adds in jarring synths and notes to add his own flare to these simple drum tracks. He begins adding synthesized and melodies to his beats, showing off some of the flare and innovation that can be seen throughout his previous music. He even leads into several transitions with these melodies, removing the drum track entirely and letting his synths do the work.
The latter part of his set can simply be labeled by his growing use of cymbals included on the drum tracks he chooses. Although he continues to add synths and melodies throughout the set, he begins opening the range of drums he can utilize. One thing noticeable about Tim Green’s set is his remarkably small use of samples. Using only one or two voice tracks, Green entertains the crowd on entirely original tracks and beats. His production capabilities are shown beautifully in his set at The Lab and show clearly why he has joined the elite of electronic music production.
Green is no stranger to Mixmag as they awarded him the ‘Best Breakout Producer’ award in 2010. Green has since continued to climb the ranks of electronic producers while constantly putting out new and exciting work. Green recently released his latest album, Her Future Ghost, across Spotify, Soundcloud, and Apple Music. His latest project combined with his most recent set with Mixmag this month show that he is ready and able to keep his name at the top of the charts.