Swedish House Mafia - "Greyhound" -The Bad Boys Of EDM?

Its 2012 & if you didnt realize EDM is taking over the world you should probably ask the attendant at your old folks home to bring you an iPod filled with the latest crossover acts in the dance market.

Right now Swedish House Mafia is the EDM worlds closest thing to a rock band. 3 very talented djs/producers working together to create songs that translate into a crossover market breaking barriers each time and pushing the limits of what pop music is. SHM along with artists like Calvin Harris, Afrojack, Skrillex etc. have done things in the last 2 years that dance music hasn't been able to do since the mid-90's.

"Greyhound" was a track many fans knew of from various set rips and radio broadcasts, the finished version is slightly different from the version many of us had been exposed to. With a driving electro hook and acid style progressive chord placement this track does make one wonder, "is this what we expected after Save The World?" The single "Save The World" was the electronic equivalent to a current day rock anthem with a dance music soundtrack. "Greyhound" is far more what the traditional EDM audience would expect, but to me, had this song been produced by anyone else, it would have most likely been overlooked as a middle of the road song. I dont think it lives up to the talents of the individual producers in SHM. Many are saying that SHM is a hype machine, nothing more than a lot of buzz with not as much substance to date. I could talk about my likes and dislikes of each producer individually but thats not really fair since I don't personally know each contribution to the "Greyhound" track, so I just have to be critical of the group as a whole.

I like the track, I think its very current and very much on target with what EDM fans expect. I don't think its as good as previous crossover productions however, I think that its more in line with what EDM fans would want to hear from these guys. I think the mainstream fans may be left wondering, "what's this?". To talk about the video is an entirely different monster altogether. Its obvious to be one big commercial for Absolut, and that's unfortunate. Being in the same industry I know you want to take a paycheck where you can get it, but does this detract from what the song is about? Is the song more than we want it to be or is it simply and instrumental track only worthy of being a background song for a commercial? I guess time will tell.

Regardless, "Greyhound" will be heard in sets for many months to come but the true test of its viability will be what other DJs do with it and how flexible the song will become with its remix package.

Airrick


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