Summer parties call for a special kind of soundtrack. It's too hot to deal with switching songs all the time, and sometimes it's too hot to wear a full outfit, let alone dance, so you need something flexible, something you can play all the way through, something that will scratch the dance itch if the urge arises but that can also serve as a background track for nursing fruity cocktails on the beach or driving on the highway with the windows down. Let me introduce you to my soundtrack for the rest of Summer 2011: Juicy's Sunrise Blend.
If your favorite beat-driven electronic artists and the 1980s had a baby and the baby was a compilation album from a fresh new label, the baby would be Sunrise Blend. This compilation is a highly agreeable change of pace from a lot of what dance music is right now, hearkening back to a simpler time with less reliance on heavy beats and massive drops to get you moving. This is an album for everyone. You could show this album to your mom and she'd probably like it just as much as you do (and if you are a mom, you could show it to your mom).
The album opens with chilled-out tracks from Evil Needle and Prof. Logik, then introduces vocals in Sweater Beats' "Like That", Vanilla's "Sure", and Matt Miller's synth-driven "Too Much For Me" as it moves into more nostalgic, danceable territory. From here on out, every track could be a single. OHYEAH's "Oh My God It's Boogie Music" is definitely going on repeat at some point. Kaze's "Space for More" has elements of both trance and hip-hop, but retains the nostalgic feel of this compilation. There are some definite disco influences throughout Sunrise Blend, and how could there not be with a song entitled "Fever"? Occasionally, I'm reminded of the Bee Gees, in a good way (and there can definitely be a good way and a bad way of being reminded of the Bee Gees, whose Very Best Of may or may not have been the only tape in my parents' car when I was a kid).
Sunrise Blend is aural lemonade, and it just might be the most refreshing thing you introduce to your palate all summer.
Download: Juicy – Sunrise Blend
