DJ Landan Time – Tell Me (clubsoul remix) (Single Review)

This is a massive track! DJ Landan Time clearly knows how to build hits, and clearly has that magic sauce that elevates them to stratospheres that an average producer could not reach.

This short version track is packed with lush, full, juicy layers and silky synths, but it is presented with a maturity and restraint across a well-balanced eq spectrum. For a listener, this needs to go into your playlist for a multitude of scenarios, where it will backdrop and match the vibe to perfection: sipping a cold beer, poolside in Greece? Sorted. Going for a run in the spring sunshine? Sorted. Warming up the crowd at a festival? Tick…waiting for a classy dance track to pull your friend up for a dance in a venue? Tick. Tick. Tick! Stylistically focused, yet versatile in application, everyone needs this song in their life.

Compositionally, this track has a direct start, quickly introducing a shimmery, sped-up female vocal line with an excited, chopped, beat break feel (remember Aluna George? – vibes of this). There are loads of clever vocal processing going on, including a vocal transformer and filters standing as the unique characteristics of the vocal sound. The vocals really move forward in the mix, filling the space entirely until dropping out to the main melodic loop. And what a main loop it is, laced with technique, smooth and choppy textures, mostly centred and focused with subtle (and therefore more effective) use of panning to thicken the sound to effect. Somehow, the claps make this track, bringing needed swing and syncopation over the disco drum pattern. Lovely up-front kick pedal, but it’s balanced and not ostentatious. This is, structurally, a very lean track that doesn’t faff about; we are offered two breakdowns and drops, both of which show production perfection on transitioning between sections in a way that brings the crowd along intuitively.

The track offers swelling synth layers, sprinkled percussive claps, counter melodies peeling out of the center, and an unusual, unexpected ‘almost’ fade out on a reversed midi keys (amongst others) at 2:19, after which the drop makes you feel like you are experiencing a dive coaster drop on a rollercoaster. A very effective piece of production that takes the listener on a proper emotional journey.

There is very little room for improving this track! It’s such a focused delivery, I would love to hear what a more whimsical, indulgent remix of this track would be (check out the extended remix too!). If he were pleasing no one but himself, what else would be in this track?

For an average listener at home, a little more construction to the intro and end would be satisfying. Arguably, for a live use of the track, this is a non-issue, but even a fade-out at the end would feel more satisfying than a hard finish. In a similar vein, the track starts very suddenly and could be worked up to enable the listener to appreciate all those lush layers in more detail.

Finally, this will be a popular track, no doubt about that. Am I confident that I could scream it over a crowd to a DJ to get it played? DJ Landan Time will be transitioning from being a household name within his circles to a household name with the general public. How he does this is with something really sticky in his tracks: that one iconic bass line or vocal line that a bad singer can attempt to replicate, and someone else says, ‘YES, that’s DJ Landan Time!’ Already trademarking as classy and sophisticated, DJ Landan Time now needs to trademark his sound as Iconic.

SCORE/ Excellent-Outstanding. For its genre and its commanding delivery, this is bang-on near perfection. Could DJ Landan Time push the envelope just a little more to make it even more memorable for the public….I think so- just a touch- but there is little headroom here for improvement due to its mastery already. Fresh, classy, uplifting, polished.

[We rank singles, EP’s, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent and Outstanding]

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