Album of the week: Calvin Harris brings the summer soundtrack with "Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1"

Anyone expecting the big EDM hits will be disappointed here. Calvin Harris turns to funky retro disco on the new album.

The artist

Calvin Harris is the DJ of superlatives: according to Forbes magazine, the Scotsman is one of the best-paid DJs in the world. After releasing the track "We Found Love" with Rihanna in 2011, things have only gone uphill for him. He dominated the charts with songs such as "Summer", "How Deep Is Your Love", "This Is What You Came For" and "Outside".

He has headlined the biggest EDM festivals and has his own parties in Las Vegas. He also made headlines with his former relationship with pop starlet Taylor Swift, who wrote "This Is What You Came For" - and rumor has it that the song "My Way" is dedicated to her. Cool fact: Harris sings many songs himself, such as "Feel So Close" and "Summer". Fun fact: He is 1.97 meters tall. This is one of the reasons - and his well-trained body - why he models for Emporio Armani.

https://www.instagram.com/p/5pTAPbt3Ja/?taken-by=calvinharris&hl=en

The album

In his fifth album "Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1", Calvin Harris goes back to where his first album "I Created Disco" began. And gives the sound a modern touch. The album is packed with collaborations: Calvin Harris worked with greats such as Frank Ocean, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, among others, for the songs. It seems as if Harris wanted to break away from the usual EDM sound of recent years. Satisfied, even euphoric, he promotes the new album on Twitter:

And according to their own statements, there will also be a sequel to "Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1", as the album title actually already reveals.

Verdict

The album comes across as one piece, each song fits well into the album. Funky house-disco sound, the soundtrack for a hot summer's day on a roof terrace. However, this also means that very few people want to listen to this music in a club, rather in a lounge. Swaying along instead of dancing. So there are no bangers for the dance floor, but a cozy sound to chill out to - it could even become the soundtrack of summer 2017. One thing is clear: this is a bold change of style from Calvin Harris!

Playing tips

The songs are all good, but many of them sound very similar. It is precisely because of this similarity of the songs that it is difficult to pick out an album tip. Nevertheless, there are two songs that we personally particularly like.

"Skrt On Me": One of the faster songs on the album, Nicki Minaj's vocals fit this track perfectly.

"Feels": Song with reggae influences and organ sounds, chorus with Katy Perry.

Live

Harris is currently performing mainly in Las Vegas. If he announces a Swiss date, you will be informed immediately with our ticket alarm.

CALVIN HARRIS
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