I recently talked to Cielo Pordomingo, a musician from Argentina, about her newest release as well as her musicality. This was my first time conducting a live interview, so I was a bit nervous and anxious about how it would turn out. Initially, it was supposed to be a video interview, but I could only capture the audio.
Take a listen below the cut!
It’s Sunday once again and it’s almost the end to another beautiful weekend. In about seventeen hours or so (depending on your time zone), many of us will have go back to normal lives; school, work, commute, and so on. We never want our weekend to end. We secretly wish that we could put Sunday/weekend on endless “repeat”. However, the shimmery hope towards the next weekend soon dawns when we go to work on a gloomy Monday. Hopefully, the song that is featured in today’s post can help give you a positive push for that weekend.
Not much is know about Mocki. Is it an artist? Is it a band? What genre? Google doesn’t really have answers. Although, I was able find some information on the sites Earmilk and This Must Be Pop. It was these two sites that introduced me to Mocki’s “Weekend” by featuring it in their daily posts. Thank you!
Mocki is a German three-piece indies band consisting of singer Domino and the producing duo Sister. Their music experiments with mostly dance, punk, and electronica, according to Earmilk.[1] The band released their first album, entitled “Kitsune”, earlier this year. From the album, “Weekend” became the band’s debut single, becoming a semi-popular selection as the music video has over 56,000 views. It got a further push in the limelight when Jai Wolf released a remix of the song a month after.
“Weekend” is a fantastic electronic song when the first beat drops. The synthesized bass beat thumps at the very start, subconsciously making you want to dance instantly. The instrumentation is pretty basic for a club song; just the vocals, a strings kit, and a few synthesizers. Nothing too special. Instead, the vocals fill the void with Domino’s smooth, strong vocals that are manipulated cleverly here and there with the help of a vocoder. Because of this machine, my favorite part of the song is at the chorus’ final, where the instrument takes a brief pause while Domino’s synthesized vocals sing “Yeah Yeah”.
Although Mocki doesn’t have a lot of releases, you should listen to “Weekend” as it is a great song to move to. If you are a fan of Daft Punk’s, Yasutaka Nakata’s, or Towa Tei’s electrical melodies, strong vocals of Debbie Harry, Michiyo Heike, or Donna Summers, or if you like a little punk mixed in your dance music, you should check the video below.
The Single Mix
The Jai Wolf Remix
References
[1] Murray, Peter. “Mocki Gets Wet and Wild in New Video for “Weekend” [Video Premiere].” – EARMILK. 2015. Web. 10 May 2015. .
[2] Jessica. “Song of the Week: Mocki – Weekend.” This Must Be Pop. 27 Apr. 2015. Web. 10 May 2015. .
Towa Tei is no stranger to the world’s music industry. He first experimented with dance music when he was a teenager by creating mix tapes and sending them to various radio shows in Japan. After high school, he moved to the United States with the intent to study graphic design. It is unknown if he finished his studies as he joined the dance band Deee-Lite around 1988. Towa Tei became an overnight sensation in the summer of 1990 when Deee-Lite released their smash hit single “Groove Is in the Heart”. However, he left the group in 1994, citing “health reasons”, as he returned to Japan to focus on his solo career and work with various Japanese artists, including his idol Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Towa Tei is still pretty active as he celebrated his solo career’s 20th anniversary last year. He releases albums and singles pretty much every year with 2013’s “:LUCKY” album being one of my most recent favorites of his.
Even though Towa Tei is internationally well-known, his version of “FREE” isn’t. The song was featured on the 2002 re-issue of Towa’s third album “Sweet Robots Against the Machine”. It is a cover same-titled song by American R&B singer Deniece Williams who released it back in the 1970s. While Deniece Williams’s version is at a slow, soulful pace, Towai Tei’s take is a bit different. Towa transforms the R&B hit into a bouncy, uptempo song that is perfect for any dance clubs. Another change is the type of instruments that are used, creating the tempo but also a happy, feel good mood. Finally, the vocals in “FREE” are the typical club/dance-type song vocals; very smooth, using a lot of vibrato, and a good use of a large vocal range as the singer loves to slide a lot throughout the song. A surprise punch of flavor comes in the middle and at the end of the song with a rap. It’s a bit unexpected, as the original didn’t feature one, but at the same time, it’s refreshing and well-suited as it blends into the song perfectly.
Towa Tei’s “FREE” is a tasteful update with bouncy beats, a colorful and upbeat choice of instruments, and sweet, sassy vocals. “FREE” will make you want to get up and dance your worries away with the “happy-go-lucky” girls featured in the video. I did when I first saw this on avex’s music video streaming site back in 2002. I fell in love with it back then and I still love it now. ❤
☆ai love music☆ 