music reviews – MikeyMix

Katy Perry: “Bon Appétit” – REVIEW

Good evening readers…welcome to MikeyMix! It’s been a while since I properly blogged and the reason for that is I have developed a new love for creating YouTube videos.

I want to share these videos with you fine readers whom have been there for me since day one and instead of writing up some of my usual reviews for tracks I’m going to show you my reaction!!!

Linked below is my reaction video to ‘Bon Appétit’ the latest single from Katy Perry, ENJOY!!!

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

HEADER PHOTO PROVIDED BY ‘CHUFF MEDIA’ (REGIONAL TOURING PR TEAM) – PHOTO WAS PRE-APPROVED FOR PRESS USE

ANNOUNCEMENT: YouTube Channel!!!

Good morning everyone…welcome to MikeyMix! This blog post is going to be very short but I’m just making it to let you all know I’ve recently started a YouTube channel!

The channel itself doesn’t have a specific genre so there’s something for everyone.

The reason I made a channel is to attract a new form of audience and get the MikeyMix brand on another distribution channel.

I’ll link my first three videos below, any and all feedback is welcome and it would be highly appreciated if you could like and comment on the video and maybe even subscribe to the channel?

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

Twintwo – “Twinwho?” EP – REVIEW

Good evening readers…welcome to MikeyMix! Today’s blog post will be a review on ‘Twinwho?’, the sophomore EP by new and upcoming British rap-artist Robert Winterburn aka Twintwo.

As this is quite a long review I will include a “Read More” link below:

Continue reading “Twintwo – “Twinwho?” EP – REVIEW”

Lady Gaga: “The Cure” – REVIEW

Good morning readers!! Welcome to MikeyMix, I hope you’re all having a lovely Easter as my weekend has certainly been a good one! I attended Insomnia60 Gaming Festival yesterday and it was such a fun experience (expect a juicy blog post to follow about that as A LOT happened and it was eye-opening….) and now following on from her performance at Coachella Music Festival last night my idol, Lady Gaga, has released a new track!!!

The track is entitled: ‘The Cure’ and it is a feel-good anthem created by Gaga and longtime collaborator and friend DJ White Shadow. The 3 minute 31 second track is exactly what the world needed: a bit of “old Gaga” (that’s not to say that I didn’t adore ‘Joanne’ because I did it’s one of my favourite albums ever made) – the track gives me some serious ‘The Fame’ vibes with a bit of ‘Fashion of His Love’ thrown in.

The beat of the track isn’t overproduced which means Gaga‘s vocals are free to excel (and trust me, they do!), personally I can see this track being a huge summer bop but it will definitely always remain a fan favourite because behind the feel-good sound the track has such a deep, deep message. A message which the world definitely needs right now.

Overall I’ll be giving this track a 4 out of 5 star rating: I’ve had this track on repeat all morning and I fall in love with it with every play, I’d say “welcome back Gaga” but this time she never left, she has once again proven that 2017 is HER year and personally I cannot wait to see her slay the stage in October during the ‘Joanne World Tour’.

‘The Cure’ is available for purchase on iTunes and can be streamed on all music streaming platforms: Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify.

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

Calvin Harris: “Heatstroke” – REVIEW

Good afternoon readers! Welcome to MikeyMix, for today’s review we will be discussing the latest release from Scottish DJ and producer, Calvin Harris.

The track, entitled ‘Heatstroke’ which was released earlier today is a collaboration with Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande.

One thing that I picked up on is the overuse of auto-tune (especially for the parts featuring Young Thug), the beat is okay but nothing special, there is a lot of competition on the market and this time I don’t believe Harris delivered.

I can see this track being well received by the general public and wouldn’t be surprised if it was classed as a “summer anthem” (it’ll definitely be given its fair share of airtime on the radio and in night clubs).

The only thing I like (and I use that term loosely) about this track is the vocals provided by Ariana Grande. This is because it’s nice to see this newer, chilled side to Grande. However, Grande‘s vocals do not save this track and I am very much underwhelmed: when I first saw it announced I was so excited but the overall execution did not live up to the hype.

I will be giving this track a disappointing 2 out of 5 star rating as I did not like it and just know that Harris can do so much better.

The track is available for purchase on iTunes and can be streamed on all streaming platforms: Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify.

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

The Chainsmokers: “The One” – REVIEW

Good evening readers, welcome back to MikeyMix! The second blog post of today will be a review of the new single by electric-pop duo The Chainsmokers. The song, entitled ‘The One’ is the second single from their upcoming debut album: ‘Memories… Do Not Open’.

The 2 minute 59 second track was released today (March 27) and is one of the only songs, behind ‘Paris’ (a review of their highly successful song ‘Paris’ can be found here) that feature vocals from the pair.

One thing I don’t like about the track is the overuse of autotune and voice enhancer, I understand that the pair aren’t vocalists by definition but in this track they sound far too robotic.

The track is short enough to leave listeners wanting more and I for one am very excited for the release of their album, ‘Memories… Do Not Open’ will be released April 7. My favourite part of the track as a whole has got to be the final twenty seconds as the beat is just genuinely enjoyable: the sound is the type of sound that one comes to expect from a The Chainsmokers song.

Overall: I will be giving this track a 3 out of 5 star rating as in my opinion it is far too short but I just know the radio and general public are gonna love it and it’ll receive lots of airtime in the coming weeks.

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

HEADER IMAGE PROVIDED BY ‘CHUFF MEDIA’

ZAYN: “Still Got Time” – REVIEW (& ANNOUNCEMENT!)

Hello everyone! Welcome to MikeyMix, for today’s blog post I will be reviewing ‘Still Got Time’ the new single from British pop-star and ex-one direction band member ZAYN.

I also have an announcement that will be discussed after the review (it’s not particularly “huge” but I am very excited).

The track, which is the singers first solo release since the release of his debut album last year, features rap-artist PARTYNEXTDOOR.

The first thing the listener discovers upon first play of the track is the chilled beat: the slowed down, relaxing instrumental stays prominent throughout the song giving it a Bob Marley, reggae feeling to the song.

The vocals provided by ZAYN and PARTYNEXTDOOR compliment each other and blend together greatly that at times it feels like there is only one vocalist on the track.

I will be giving this track a 3 out of 5 star rating because although I did enjoy it I can see myself getting bored as it is quite repetitive. I cannot see myself adding this track to my playlist as in my eyes it’s nothing special.

That being said I am excited to see what ZAYN does next and what the remainder of 2017 has in store for him.

The track is available for purchase on iTunes and is available for streaming on all streaming platforms: Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.

Now: time for my announcement!…I am very excited to announce that I will be attending this years ‘Insomnia60 Gaming Festival’ in Birmingham!

I reached out to the organisers of the event and they have very kindly invited me down: I will be writing a review of my trip and although I usually specialise on music posts I am excited to try out a new type of blog post.

For anyone interested, the ‘Insomnia60 Gaming Festival’ it will be taking place from April 14-16 and tickets can be purchased via the following link: www.insomniagamingfestival.com

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

David Guetta: “Light My Body Up” – REVIEW

Good evening readers, welcome to the first of two reviews released on MikeyMix tonight! The first track we will be discussing is the latest release by producer and DJ, David Guetta.

Guetta‘s latest track, entitled ‘Light My Body Up’ was released today and is a collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. This is the fourth time Minaj and Guetta have worked together and this track definitely proves that they are far from finished making hits.

The beat of the track is incredibly bouncy and I can definitely see this song being a hit in the clubs around the world. The bars provided by Minaj give some serious ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ vibes (could this potentially be a teaser as to how Minaj‘s upcoming fourth album may sound?), the chorus is also strong as it has given Minaj the opportunity to fully utilise her vocal talents.

Lil Wayne‘s verse on the track however is quite forgettable and I feel like if he wasn’t featured not much would’ve changed with the track as his contribution wasn’t much compared to that of Minaj‘s.

I first heard this track a couple of hours ago but I have to be honest and admit that I have had it on repeat for a while as I do thoroughly enjoy the track: it’s nice to see Minaj return to the rap-pop sound of her second studio album.

My two biggest critiques for the track have got to be: Lil Wayne‘s contribution and the abrupt end of the track, it feels like theres something missing.

With all the above in mind I will be giving this track a 2.5 out of 5 star rating because although the song is good I can already see it being overplayed on the radio and I just know after 100 plays I’m going to get bored of it.

The overall production of the track isn’t anything special either and this is definitely “just another David Guetta track”.

The track is available for purchase on iTunes and is available for streaming on all streaming platforms: Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal

What did you think of the track? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond!

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

Artist of The Week: Week 2

Good evening readers, welcome to MikeyMix! This evening’s blog post will mark the return of a series that I almost retired: the “Artist of The Week” series.

This blog post will be dedicated to the latest recipient of the title: Cody Vavrik. I only discovered the music of Vavrik very recently but I have to say that one thing is clear, he has talent.

One thing that I immediately picked up on was his very distinct image, if I had to describe it I’d say: Miley Cyrus meets Natalia Kills with a dash of Lady Gaga and a sprinkle of Years and Years for added likability.

Vavrik‘s music style cannot be put into one box and that in my opinion is definitely a good thing. His two most popular tracks ‘F*CK YOU WANT’ and ‘Now You Know’ both showcase great genre versatility by combining electro-pop with soul to create a pleasant (almost psychedelic) experience for the listener.

His music videos are definitely something I haven’t seen before: being a devote Lady Gaga fan that is something that I don’t get to say often. His music video styles can easily be described as an acid trip in which we somehow ended up in a Japanese sex party.

Vavrik is definitely an artist to watch and a must listen if your a fan of musicians that aren’t afraid to think outside the box and experiment with styles.

I will embed the official music video for Vavrik‘s track ‘Now You Know’ below so do feel free to give it a watch.

Don’t forget to follow Vavrik on social media to keep up to date with his career:

Twitter – @CodyVavrik

Facebook – Cody Vavrik Music

Soundcloud – Cody-Vavrik

Instagram – CodyVavrik

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey

Charli XCX – “Number 1 Angel” – REVIEW

Good afternoon readers! Welcome back to MikeyMix, earlier this morning alternative-pop princess Charli XCX released her third studio album (or mixtape as it has been advertised) ‘Number 1 Angel’.

This is XCX‘s first release of 2017 following the release of her 2016 single ‘After The Party’ and her 2016 EP ‘Vroom Vroom’.

I feel like the ‘Vroom Vroom’ EP was a teaser of XCX‘s new sound as this album definitely gives me some ‘Vroom Vroom’ vibes.

The ten track album sounds fresh yet familiar and XCX has opted to collaborate with fellow alternative artists on a number of tracks.

The track listing for the project is as follows:

Dreamer [feat. Starrah & RAYE]
3AM (Pull Up) [feat. MØ]
Blame It On You
Roll With Me
Emotional
ILY2
White Roses
Babygirl [feat. Uffie]
Drugs [feat. Abra]
Lipgloss [feat. CupcakKe]

I love that the majority of artists that XCX has chosen to work with are alternative rap artists as I believe they bring a diverse sound to the tracks in which they are on.

The mix of rap and pop within the album is an excellent mix and the track list compliments each other so that, when played in full: the album sounds like a story of a girl who deals with a breakup, goes to the club and forgets about her past lover with a mix of sex and drugs.

I honestly cannot pick a favourite track on this album and my critiques are non existent as she has catered to my every need with this album. However if I did have to list my favourite tracks from the album they would be (in no particular order):

Dreamer [feat. Starrah & RAYE]
3AM (Pull Up) [feat. MØ]
Blame It On You
Emotional
White Roses
Drugs [feat. Abra]
Lipgloss [feat. CupcakKe]

Overall I will be giving this album a 5 out of 5 star rating as I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album and have had it on repeat all morning.

Until next time: stay safe, be happy and keep on jamming!!

-Mikey