For the past few months, one of my main default "I don't know what song to play" sources for music has been Swedish songwriter and producer Kocky or, more specifically, my two favorite songs of his. Both are collaborations with Rosanna, the former Play member and solo artist of the brilliant "Gameboy," and come from his second album, Stadium Status. They're electronic in base but not in an '80s throwback sort of way, instead having a modern catchy sheen with its roots in dance but which doesn't add up to dance-pop. There's a bit of R&B thrown into the mix, too. Reading that description, you won't really get a feel for what Kocky's music sounds like, but a few listens to his productions will give you a feel for the generally fun style he's got going. I'm sure he'd totally disagree with me, but there's something kind of bubblegum about his beats, a fact I love--despite all the synth obsession going on, no one else quite has this sound going."Oh!" was, according to Kocky, inspired by an electro-house remix of Fergie's "Glamorous" which Rosanna loved. He took from it the idea to mix pop/R&B with a harder dance track and the result was a bleep-filled but still melodic song with a welcome bite to its chorus. The beats in "Fast Car" don't pound with the same intensity, but they're not meant to: the music has a bit more sashaying or strutting and bounce to it--though it's still propelled forward--as Rosanna works a car analogy for all she's worth.
To buy Kocky's second album, Stadium Status, go here (physical) or here (digital). It's also available on iTunes internationally.
Next up: maybe Erik Hassle (very good international release-related news about him came out recently!) or that German dance-pop.
