- What's a good mix without a killer exclusive? It's a win for all involved: DJ gets to show off his insider status and tastemaking skills, producer gets a leg-up on disseminating his product. A fine case of this musical symbiosis recently appeared on Juan Maclean's recent DJ Kicks entry, where the new track was "Like a Child," a tripped-out pounder that slid effortlessly into Juan's extended dose of popper-friendly house. And right as rain, here's the track with its very own DFA release.
Now while the pseudonym Jee Day might not ring any bells, the laundry list of New York dance acts that credit Dennis McNany for their sound certainly would, including The Rapture and Turing Machine. Debuting as Jee Day, McNany hews close to the NYC/DFA sound he's helped to nurture : "Like a Child" moves as much like a rock track as it does a dance track, stitching arena bombast onto drugged-out dance floor thrall. Fittingly atmospheric vocals inform you that "time goes by you…like a child" and it's not hard to take them at their word, as the track's maelstrom whirl shoots for a "wait where are we gooooinnngg" moment like the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Don't be surprised that instead of dancing you end up staring deeply at the disco ball—but don't be embarrassed, we've all done it before, and this is definitely a tune worth losing your shit too.
If you feel yourself unprepared for a psychedelic journey, however, you can hit up Run Roc's dub version, where a good swath of atmospherics have been stripped away and where acid warble takes up the space left behind by the haunting ghost voices. It's a dub that ends up being more driving and less heady than the original. "Snake Bite"'s a slo-mo electro-tinged number that gives precedence to kitchen-sink production techniques, recalling Arthur Russell as well as Rammellzee-era hip-hop, making up for what it lacks in cohesion with abundance of weird moves and sonic pockets.
Tracklist A1 Like a Child
A2 Snake Bite
B Like a Child (Run Roc Dub)