Artist: Sebastien Leger Feat Gia Melish
Title: Hypnotized
Label: Rising Music
By: Nick Williams | 3 October 2006
Tracklist:

• A1: Original Vocal Mix
• B1: Chris Lake Vocal Mix
• B2: Chris Lake Instrumental Mix

Sebastien Leger Feat Gia Melish "Hypnotized"

Chris Lake;s Rising Music brings us their fourth release of fine electro tech house, and let me tell you… this one will have you singing in the shower. Perhaps you will even be whistling the melody while walking down the street after hearing this only a couple times. Sébastien Léger brings Gia Melish along with him into the studio to create this fun, funky, pop-electro filled house tune entitled 'Hypnotized'. Having more than 30 record releases on many international labels, combining his love of electro and funky rhythms, have helped this French producer to famous imprints such as Carl Cox's Intec Records, Josh Wink's Ovum Records, and the massive Defected Records. There is no doubt that there is a big buzz surrounding this release, as it has been played by Pete Tong twice on his show, by Roger Sanchez on his "Release Yourself" show, and it has been played and charted by many other big deejays around the world.

At first glance you may discount this to being trashy pop dance music, but give this a serious listen. Sébastien's original mix sounds a bit different to the music that he has created in the past, especially considering his underground techno roots with his releases on Intec and Ovum, but it does have some serious 80's sounding pop funk influences with a bit of grit. When the bassline comes in, a sort of early Martinez/Out of Orbit Recordings round funky electro sound, you are forced to hum along with it. The large acoustic drum sounds along with some epic 80’s delayed drum fills bring some definite nostalgia to the big haired bands we all know and love. The vocal has some great production surrounding it, and does a great job of sounding sexy and portraying the desire that the lyrics allude to. Overall, 'Hypnotized' has a large amount of danceability, a catchy hook, and a sexy vocal, that allow for it to be fun without taking itself too seriously.

The b-side presents two mixes by label owner Chris Lake, taking the original into a more driving electro house territory. This song also screams pop from the first note, but don't let that scare you away. If you are familiar with any of Chris' work, you should rest assured that he will not dip too far into the cheese, and I commend him on remixing a pseudo-pop single. Some squelches and pops give this some funk, with cascading keys bringing some ambiance to the rich, dirty, distorted electro bass. The vocal is effected more in Chris' mix and utilizes more filters and delays to provide some back-up vocals to certain parts of the track. The breakdown brings heavy distortion to the bassline, as well as some chords. Gia Melish's vocal in the breakdown matches that intensity and brings the energy of the song up along with the percussion build. My only criticism of this song is how repetitive it gets towards the end, but that is quite trivial in the grand scheme of things. The instrumental is a carbon copy of Chris' remix, minus the vocal. Head to this if you hate the vocal, but like the beats of Chris Lake's version of 'Hypnotized'.

If you want to bring a smile to the faces of the people you play music to, or if you have a soft spot in your heart for sexy vocals, head down to your local record store and ask about this one. Beatport has it, so head over there right now and have a listen. Sébastien Léger and Gia Melish do a great job of bringing some pop sensibility to electro house without making it drip of foul smelling cheese. Kudos all around for the people involved in this one; and by the look of the reaction over the past month or so of its release date, it has definitely blossomed and become a hit.