Tag Archives: option4

[Deep-House] James Curd & Luke Million – Say The Words To You (option4 Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 8, 2014

James Curd & Luke Million Feat. Nah Man!
Say The Words To You (option4 Remix)

One of our most treasured finds, burgeoning dance producer option4 returns to grace the hallowed pages of TMN with perhaps his most groove-laden, intoxicating remix to date; which behind his viral dance modifications of Great Good Fine OK’s “You’re The One For Me”, Elizabeth Rose’s “The Good Life” and most recently, Donnel Jones’ “U Know What’s Up” is saying quite a lot. option4 has taken James Curd & Luke Million’s new single “Say The Words To You” to a textured soundscape only the Denver based, genre bending producer could. Kicking off behind a snappy four-four clap as opposed to the standard issue kick-drum, we were only moments into this revision before being aurally hooked to a light but soul consuming synth line that works as an addictive focal point for most of the track. Rather than utilizing an often times formulaic house route of the classic: intro/groove/break/groove/outro structuring in his compositions, option4’s remix plays like a story of sorts, dipping into chunky low ends, uplifting hi-hats, entrancing vocal work and hip-hop hooks all the while masquerading as a straightforward club tune. option4’s remix of “Say The Words To You” comes as a part of a congruently titled EP featuring remixes from Yolanda Be Cool, DCUP & more and seeing as we’re nothing short of an Old Faithful geyser’s worth of musical compliments, we implore you to give this one just six minutes of your day. If you’re really crunching to this one, snag the high quality copy on Beatport as well.

[Chill/House] Donnell Jones – U Know What’s Up (option4 Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - May 20, 2014

Donell Jones
U Know What's Up (option4 Remix)

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It’s been a bit since we’ve had the pleasure of featuring the groovy addictive electronic sound of rising producer option4, excluding our convivial group interview at Snowball Music Festival in Denver a few month back, so when the burgeoning house fixture sent over his latest remix of the classic Donnell Jones vocal track “U Know What’s Up”, we were chomping at the bit. Needless to say, option4 has once again hit the mark with a savvy dance rearrangement tipping the scales from sultry pop to club-house goodness all the way into the jacking sound more closely associated with early Chicago Trax records. That’s part of option4’s alluring mystique though; a unique and vast understanding of all things dance, employed with a forward thinking, intoxicating spin. Not to mention this latest composition just simply oozes sexy, and on top of that, is available as a free download. There certainly seems to be a reason option4 has been paired up with Moby, Empire of the Sun, Flume and The Bloody Beetroots in big markets like NYC, Denver and Seattle as well as stops at SXSW and Miami Music Week as of late; and if our electronic and dance aficionados out in Ninja haven’t gotten in on the secret, we highly suggest you do so now.

[Exclusive Interview] TMN Sits Down With option4, Keepers. and Need & Necessity at Snowball

Posted by Matthew Bloss - April 8, 2014

’Elizabeth Rose – The Good Life (option4 Remix)’

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’Keepers – Hello (Original Mix)’

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’Lemme See (Original Mix) **FREE DOWNLOAD**’

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This past weekend at Snowball Music Festival, we were treated to a wonderful palate of eclectic artists, all in the heart of Denver Broncos territory at Sports Authority Field. From major acts like Busta Rhymes, Pretty Lights, Yeasayer, Twin Shadow, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Griz, Knife Party and MiMOSA to the amazingly well represented house tent with names including MK, J. Phlip, Graff, Justin Jay, Maxxi Soundsystem and The Juan Mclean; it was safe to say our tastes for all different genres of music were well satiated. We also had the chance to catch up with some of our absolute favorite up and coming house artists option4, as well as the duos of Keepers. and Need & Necessity round-table style in their home city to talk about their burgeoning record label Night Supply, their drinks of choice, spirit animals, Miley Cyrus and a whole lot more. And who better than these three entities to give us a little insight into the climate of dance music in their own state? Check out the full transcript below.

The Music Ninja (TMN): Alright, The Music Ninja here at Snowball Music Festival with option4, Keepers. and Need & Necessity. First things first, I know we can be a bit intimidating so how about a round of Fireball shots? [five minute pause from interview] Okay, let’s get the ball rolling!

TMN: Now, we’re obviously here in your guys’ back yard of Denver. A lot of people don’t realize this, but all of you have been throwing and curating proper house music events in the city for over three years as TheHundred and have built relationships with most every dance artist on the festival. With this year being so heavy on house music, what has it been like to see your collective work begin to take a bit of a hold through more mainstream outlets like a Snowball Music Festival? Let’s start with option4.

option4: Man it’s been awesome to see so many people that might not normally be into this style of music fully support and accept it. For example, last night MK was killer, J. Phlip was killer and all those people choosing to be in the house tent as opposed to some of the other stages. That was something that felt very tangible, very real. It was kind of a weird stage to begin with because nobody could really hear the music outside of the tent and it was a little bit tucked away, but that thing was still absolutely packed. It seemed like there were a lot of people there for that style of music, so it was nice to see house music have a real footing at an American festival.

Read the rest of our interview with option4, Keepers. and Need & Necessity after the jump!

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[TMN Premiere] option4, Need & Necessity – We Comin’ Up (Original Mix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - February 11, 2014

option4, Need & Necessity
We Comin' Up

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When Denver’s electronic scene is usually thought of, visions of grand scale EDM events at Red Rocks or larger than life dubstep drops may immediately permeate the forefront of your opinions, but thanks to amazing musical contributions from artists like option4 and Need & Necessity, the city has begun developing an insatiable taste for deep, soulful house music. While we’ve separately had the opportunity to feature these two respective dance-floor slayers, today we had the felicitous task of premiering their first collaboration on ascending house label Night Supply, “We Comin’ Up”, and we knew right away this one needed to be shared with you Ninjas. Both parties’ deft comprehension of house production are felt immediately with a scooting hi-hat and bouncy kick leading into the tune’s first break. Before we knew it, a hypnotic synth line was fueling an ample vocal sample into the frontrunner and by the time we realized the pitched down reverberation of “I’m Comin’ Up” was flawlessly pulled from a P!nk sample, we were fully enveloped, jacking our hips unconsciously along. Finally, it is the gripping bass line which implants a real dose of bounce within the track while simultaneously adding another layer of pop accessibility which will no doubt appeal to fans from all walks of listening life. Expect this one to storm house clubs very soon, but don’t be surprised by its shapeshifting ability when you’re just grooving to it either; especially as it’s being given away as a free download here. Stream option4 and Need & Necessity’s “We Comin’ Up” above, and maybe start thinking about the dance hall a little early this week.

[Deep-House] option4 – Love Like No Other/Black Cats EP

Posted by Matthew Bloss - January 22, 2014

After coming off of two slightly more accessible, pop-infused remixes over the past few months, both of which went on something of a viral run, option4 is back to his soulful, deep and banging ways with a debut release on the digital only outlet for one of the most sought after and respected house labels, Nurvous Records. The Love Like No Other/Black Cats EP wholeheartedly establishes itself right off the bat with what is safe to say should be the golden standard of option4’s production skill “Love Like No Other”. Featuring Ethan Converse of Denver’s brooding synth-pop group FLASH/LIGHTS on vocals, the tune commences within the same formula as most house cuts – behind a 16 bar intro built on a shuffling percussion, four to the floor rhythm, deep swells and a spacy layer of pads – and plays its way groovily through the opening half. The real beauty lies after the harpsichord heightened break on “Love Like No Other”, as option4 flips the track on its head with one of the most infectious house breakdowns we’ve heard in God knows how long, as he seamlessly lets a new hook carry its listener all the way to the finish line. We had the chance to hear this one played out live a few times as the Denver based producer recently opened for Rusko at The Fillmore in Denver and Moby at the Belly Up in Aspen, and all we could think was “What is this track?!” Thankfully the fine A&R department in NYC with Nurvous Records saw fit to present the rest of the world with a full release, so we can all rest easy.

“Black Cats”, the EP’s B-Side is a little more of a throwback to the original classic house from the late 80’s which so heavily influences the option4 sound. Featuring a chopped, spliced and reprocessed vocal in which it has become increasingly clear only he can do, “Black Cats” takes us to the middle of a true house dancefloor with support from a superbly crafted bass line and articulated kick-clap. Both singles are available for purchase on Beatport here, and if they had you bouncing half as hard as us, then without equivocation we recommend you pick up both tracks. Stream option4’s Love Like No Other/Black Cats EP below.

’option4 – Love Like No Other feat. FLASH/LIGHTS (Original Mix)’

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’option4 – Black Cats (Original Mix)’

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[House] Elizabeth Rose – The Good Life (option4 Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - January 14, 2014

Elizabeth Rose
The Good Life (option4 Remix)

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One of our absolute favorite, surging house producers in the entire game, option4, just followed up his insanely successful remix for Brooklyn band Great Good Fine OK with another jovial slice of dance music; this time authoring up a pristine rework of Elizabeth Rose‘s buzzy synth-pop single “The Good Life”. Whereas option4 first began gaining traction with a deep brand of original R&B and pop tinged house tunes, his remix output has more or less revealed a bit of the producer’s softer, more accessible production side. option4’s revision of “The Good Life” is clearly punctuated by an arpeggiated chord progression but is built behind airy pads and what has now become somewhat of a signature, with some very layered percussive stabs driving the while thing home. While option4’s original tracks aimed at the dancefloor are what piqued our original interest in the budding artist, this latest string of pensive remixes feels like we are catching the Denver based artist in a musical stride so to speak, and we absolutely had to share it with our ninjas. As with the rest of option4’s catalog thus far, his remix of “The Good Life” by Elizabeth Rose is being given away digitally in exchange for a Facebook “like” here. Pick it up, and get your Tuesday bouncing in the right direction.

[House] Great Good Fine OK – You’re the One For Me (option4 Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - December 11, 2013

Great Good Fine OK
You're The One For Me (option4 remix)

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option4, an artist with whom we’ve had the pleasure to showcase a few times and even premiere, has been augmenting his rapidly expanding fan base on the heels of a deep, party appropriate stable of house remixes and originals. Today however, the astute producer has shed another layer of production psyche, and turned to a sunnier, provocative sound on this latest rework of indie-pop outfit Great Good Fine OK‘s anthemic single “You’re the One For Me”. We weren’t sure how this one would translate to the dance floor, especially from such a unique artist like option4, but alas, our concerns were ultimately fruitless and the mark was hit directly on its bulls-eye. The tempo is pitched up slightly on option4’s rework, glossed with a very U.K. influenced shuffle and a punchy kick. Like most of his tracks thus far, option4’s remix of “You’re the One For Me” is being gifted to us Ninjas as a free download on his Soundcloud, so do your cochlear cavities a favor and plug into this one at some point today.