Vocalist Shanti Ellis has teamed up with the electronic pop duo Aubergine MACHINE to bless us with a heavy new track, entitled "Hostage." The producer behind the group, Ian Carey, strings together a slew of familiar EDM sounds but avoids every convention over the three minutes. The bass vibrates as the underlying aura of calm and serenity carries the track forward. Ellis fits the track brilliantly. As she compares the love of her soulmate as a "prison" that has taken her "hostage." All though she "can't say no," it doesn't feel like she wants too. The people surrounding her, judging her, can't see that she's unequivocally bound "to this love game." There is a downtempo sadness to her musings, but rather than regret it resembles nostalgia. Especially as Aubergine MACHINE matches here subdued emotions with a strong and endlessly feverish melody. The track is a great single - short and sweet but bursting with emotive textures. The remix that is attached to the initial single on their soundcloud, is much longer and varied. A Brad Holland & Princeton Rejects Mix, the remix adds a much more uptempo vibe to the suppressed nature of the initial track. The two-step groove bounces along with ease for the extended runtime, never feeling to overlong - even though it does extend well beyond the original tracks length. While the original track feels as if it's trapped in it's own heavy heart, the remix is a very suitable counterpart that releases those very emotions. The remix allows Shanti to break through from the prison, from the being the hostage, and lets her celebrate her love in a more vibrant manner. To some degree, it seems necessary to hear both tracks alongside each other in order to not be lost in the thick of the original, or the lightheartedness of the remix. One serves as the foil to the other, and it's a pleasure to hear Ellis's vocals morphed into new implications with each sample.
Listen to the single over at: https://soundcloud.com/auberginemachine/sets/hostage-single-with-remix
Narsimha Chintaluri is primarily a creative writer, focused on prose and poetry, but is also an avid fan of film and music. @Narshh on Twitter
