Jay Roecker ‘Don’t Give Up On Love’
The electronic intensity of this song contrasts quite notably with the depth of its message. The audio has weight and hits hard, the distorted synth choices are far from the dreamlike and soothing soundscape that you might expect such a song and concept to fall within. Everything from the manic and ever increasing energy of the beat to the robotic, auto-tuned vocal effect suggests a retro, nineties inspired release designed to make people dance.
At over five minutes long, there’s a lot that takes place – the rap vocal that comes into play later on is just one of many unexpected structural shifts that add to the unique overall ambiance of this release. It’s almost like a mega-mix of various hits from a certain era, though there are distinct threads that remain throughout, smoothing out the edges a little and keeping things relevant.
Everything about the song has a certain sense of style and character, it appears as open to remixes and readily influenced by EDM and creative dance music in general. There’s a definite Daft Punk feel to the production, and due to the weight and intensity of the music, and of course the repetition of that key idea, that title, that hook – listeners are likely to find themselves with this melody caught in their mind for days, just as you would with any classic and characterful electronic hit from the influential artist in question. It’s the bold and colourful hit of the music and the vocal effect that linger with you, rather than the depth or the melody – both of these are unexpectedly simple yet the former undoubtedly comes from a heartfelt desire to create music that speaks about something important. The song reaches out to be heard in a pretty effective way.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing
