Playlist Highlights: housey house

In honor of the 4th D.R.O.P. birthday celebration this week, I’m sharing my housey house playlist which has been lovingly filled with some of my favorite house tracks to help me get in the right space for this magical party. 

I discovered the D.R.O.P. 4 years ago thanks to a dear friend with excellent taste in music. After my first D.R.O.P., I was hooked. It’s hard to explain but they have truly created something uniquely magical in their spaces. According to their website, they “believe the key to creating unforgettable dance floor experiences is a sense of community, freedom and respect amongst partygoers” and they’ve successfully built a community that is aligned with this vision and the result is pure magic. The people that come to the D.R.O.P. are a special breed who understand that in life and on the dance floor we are all equal. 

I could easily write about each song in this playlist (house music is life) but I’ll spare you the novel and highlight my favorites.  

The first song on this playlist to recognize the magic that is created in the sacred halls of the D.R.O.P. is Something About This by D.R.O.P family member, Tete de la Course. It’s a little disco house trip with a nice piano riff opening the song and a sexy sax explosion that comes in at 4:10 but it’s the lyrics at the beginning that do an excellent job capturing the sentiment and magic of house music. 

Let me tell you something about house music 
It’s not just a groove
House is a feeling
And when you feel it
You will understand
That house music is freedom
Freedom to be who you want to be
It doesn’t matter who you are
It doesn’t matter where you come from
For in my house we are all free

Another Tete de la Course song with highlighting is True Devotion. I’m a sucker for a good piano riff and the piano solo that begins at 1:03 is a triumph that makes my body explode into movement. 

I’ll never forget discovering Do you feel Like I do by Another Chemical Love Story at the D.R.O.P. I desperately whipped out my shazam to find the name of the track with no luck. When I stumbled upon the song months later on Spotify, I could barely contain my delight and stuck it on repeat for two straight days. 

Ask Me by Duck Sauce, A-Trak, and Amrand Van Helden is a soulful house tune that’s guaranteed to get your body moving but the vocals give it a nice sultry spin.

Finally, one of my favorite recent discoveries is Fiesta Magica by Tensnake. The cowbell makes it FUN but once again it’s the lyrics that drive the song home for me. 

Cierra tus ojos 
Abre tu mente
Somo uno con la música
Y con el espacio

"The Future (feat. Antony & Cleopatra) - Purple Disco Machine Remix" - Motez

Thankfully, Spotify’s algorithm is acutely aware of my deep love for disco and recommended this disco/house remix by Purple Disco Machine. 

The original song by Motez is slow and ethereal with an emphasis on the lyrics. It is a noticeably lugubrious song about a dying relationship.

We hold hands as if nothing has changed
I go forward you come back to me
We don't have love to rearrange
The future's not what it used to be
And I stay up as you go to sleep
Time won't wait, time won't wait for me
'Cause you were mine but presently
The future's not what it used to be

Musically, this remix is a wonderful contrast to the original song. It’s melodically cheerful with all the elements of a disco house jam. For me, this remix deemphasizes the sadness surrounding the end of a relationship and highlights a sense of hope and optimism for the future.

It’s hard to remain sad when listening to disco and Purple Disco Machine delivers with this remix. I first lose my mind with the introduction of the bass at minute 1:37 and then really go insane with the disco guitar plucks at 1:53. Put on your dancing socks and enjoy!

The Future (feat. Antony & Cleopatra) - Purple Disco Machine Remix, a song by Motez, Antony & Cleopatra, Purple Disco Machine on Spotify

Afortunadamente, el algoritmo de Spotify sabe cuanto me gusta la música disco y me recomendó este remix de Purple Disco Machine. 

La canción original de Motez es lenta y etérea con un énfasis en las letras. Es obviamente una canción más triste sobre el fin de una relación.

Nos tomamos manos como si nada hubiera cambiado
Voy adelante y me vuelvas
No tenemos amor para reorganizar
El futuro ya no es lo que solía ser
Y me quedo despierto mientras vas a dormir
El tiempo no espera, el tiempo no me espera
Porque eras mía, pero en el presente
El futuro ya no es lo que solía ser

Hablando de la música, este remix es un contraste genial a la canción original. Melódicamente, es una canción alegre con todos los elementos de un temazo de disco house. Para mi, este remix desenfatiza la tristeza del fin de la relación y destaca la sensación de esperanza para el futuro.

Es difícil sentir triste mientras escucho el disco y Purple Disco Machine sabe como hacer una canción de disco. Pierdo la mente con la introducción del bajo en el minuto 1:37 y después cuando empieza la guitarra del estilo disco en el minuto 1:53. Pon tus calcetines de baile y disfruta!