Smooth soulful vibes are the order of the day with new Billie Ray Martin project The Opiates. Channelling a smoky mix of sensual vocals and nu-disco string sections, the bass positively throbs right out of the brilliant Drop Out Orchestra mix of Reality TV. With snappy percussion and the all round glamour of a hedonistic night out on the town, the track feels enticingly well rounded – a sure-fire prospect for The Opiates full remix album Hollywood Cuts, out on the 26th February. That bouncy 80s funk production, well... it’s sort of irresistible, and has already got us donning our Saturday Night Fever get-up.
Here at TotallyVivid we loved Billie Ray Martin's last single Sweet Suburban Discoso when we heard she was putting some more new material out there, we had to take a listen. One of our favourites is this cover of Phuture Phantasy Club's Fantasy Girl, dripping in proper old-school house vibes. There's great piano hooks, hand-clap beats and some real moments of chilled-out dance bliss. Billie's vocals are exactly the kind of soulful, hushed essence that you want on a track like this too.
In age of massively technical and at times overpowering dance tracks, this is stripped back simplicity - a real harking back to the old days.
When it comes to dance music, Billie Ray Martin really is one of the reigning queens. With a list of hit club tracks as long as your arm to her name as well as DJ slots around the world, she's certainly not lacking in the experience department. What we get with her brilliant new track Sweet Suburban Disco though is the spotlight shining firmly on her voice... and what a voice she has!
As a big Erasure fan, I had to take a listen to Vince Clark's version of the track and the mix represents something far darker than anything Erasure have put out in years - a relentless, threatening bassline throbs away; the perfect counterpoint to Billie's soulful vocals. Her voice is pure class, harking back to the days of the disco greats of the 70s - this track remains utterly modern in its chic-ness however; a stabbing synth break-down four minutes in a technical example in how to engineer a perfect club climax.
That's Sweet Suburban Disco's greatest strength, it's knowing. When it wants to be gentle, subtle and caressing, it can be. But when it wants to turn on the passion and energy, it goes for it full-tilt. This is a club track with real intelligence to it, something befitting individuals who've been in the game as long as Billie and Vince. Moody, sultry and with a brilliant sheen of dancefloor glamour, Sweet Suburban Disco is a definite delight.
