I'm slightly ashamed, as a dance music lover, to say that I've never been to Ibiza. But with an appreciation of how a DJ's tune selection should reflect the mood and setting, I'll go out on a limb and say that the tunes on Davide Squillace's What About the Vice would give me a pretty good idea of what to expect when I do make the pilgrimage. Tribal rhythms abound, but it's mostly the way the sounds are dreamy and soft-edged that suggests sun-hazed afternoons on the terrace.
Of course, there's plenty of tracks around that fit the description given so far—but it's the way that Squillace, typically producing straightforwardly but strongly, fills the template with energy, pairing fun with drive, that's made these ones so popular. The drum tracks throb. "What About The Vice" has the energy in a large, boompty kick drum, with shakers and soft marimba chords in the background. "On The Road" is an interlude—breathing space—choppy and devoid of a straight beat. "Stay with us, man" encourages a vintage jazz vocal. "The Other Side of Bed" is probably the heaviest thing here, perhaps suited to a transition towards nighttime seriousness. The cavorting bassline is more prominent, the energy's upped a notch by syncopated chopping, and tension builds in suspended chords which rise and then deflate.
"Cubism," meanwhile, is driven by recognisable cowbells—aspiring producers take note; it's a hook that makes an anthem. Or rather, mostly makes one: This is, again, backed by smart hi-hats and polyrhythms, driven along by a carnival of sounds which drop in and out and evolve, rolling along to either lift a party to whoops and cheers in the early stages, or give it energy to carry through in the late, late after stages.
Buy Davide Squillace - What About the Vice at
  
Tracklist: Davide Squillace - What About the Vice
 A1 What About the Vice
A2 On the Road
B1 The Other Side of Bed
B2 Cubism
Digital: Illusive Reality
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