Calvin Harris and Frank Ocean meet halfway on ‘Slide’
After The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s surprising, but disappointing collaboration released yesterday, we now get the premiere of ‘Slide’, a track by Calvin Harris with vocals from Frank Ocean and a rap by Migos. The good news is that ‘Slide’ is not nearly as generic as the afore mentioned track and actually brings forward the strong points of all artists involved. And this without making it any less hit worthy or catchy!
Harris’ most recent album Motion was released in 2014, while from 2015 on, he has just been releasing (very successful) singles like ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ with the Disciples & Ina Wroldsen and ‘This Is What You Came For’ featuring Rihanna. His latest collaboration is with critically acclaimed R&B star Frank Ocean, who drops his first track since his album Blonde from last year. I was surprised to hear the news about Ocean featuring on a dance producer’s track, but when you hear the result it all makes sense.
‘Slide’ is a subtle and understated mix of dance, R&B, disco and funk. The track opens with an extensive piano intro after which the funky beat kicks in. Frank Ocean’s laidback and sultry vocal style works magic with the relaxed pace of the summery production. The rap by hip hop trio Migos is integrated well into the track and never feels superfluous. This sounds like an absolute hit without trying to hard and thank God we get a danceable track without an predictable breakdown after the chorus!