The Shoes – Stay The Same [EP]

Label: Southern Fried Release date: 25/10/10 Link: Official Site French duo The Shoes release their debut five-track EP Stay The Same which bizarrely is mainly made up of remixes of the single of the same name. This particular release is the precursor to their debut album which will be released sometime in 2011. However, if this EP was meant to be a taster of what’s to come, listeners can expect mainstream dance-pop sure to be all over the radio for months but perhaps without huge amounts of musical talent on show. Think a Gallic version of Calvin Harris and you won’t be far off. It’s not that it’s necessarily a bad record. ‘Stay The Same’ the single is a decent enough track, a funky little number that is wholeheartedly intended for the dancefloors of Europe’s big clubs. B-side ‘Cover Your Eyes’ is pretty much the same – nothing mind-blowing but then again nothing offensive either. The problem lies with the fact that the three remixed versions of the ‘Stay The Same’ are infinitely better produced, more listenable and likely to make more of an impact than the original. Particularly outstanding is the Harvard Bass Remix, a fine example of how minimal house music doesn’t have to be just mechanical bleeps for people who have overindulged in illegal substances, to put things diplomatically. Harvard’s remix keeps the natural rhythm of the song but also expertly adds all the best aspects of house music, such as its euphoric nature to create something that makes quite the impact and you find yourself repetitively listening to over and over again. Similarly, the impossibly funky remix by the very cool Etienne De Crecy is bound to get even the most pessimistic person up and dancing and is another shining example of how to properly remix and transform a track. It’s almost ironic really that such a talented duo who have produced and remixed so reputably for many years have been out-produced and out-remixed on their own EP. To come to a fairly unsatisfactory and odd conclusion, Stay The Same contains some incredibly good songs, but not necessarily because of the efforts of The Shoes.