Erik State: “WES – Alane 2k18 (Eric State bootleg)” – a good song gets better!

Erik State is a 34 year-old DJ based in the Netherlands. Erik started deejaying at 15 and slowly worked his way up the ranks, holding down residencies in bars and clubs all over Europe. In 2010, his wife gave birth to their son, so Erik put his career on hold…until now, as he comes bouncing right back with his brand new bootleg mix entitled “WES – Alane 2k18 (Eric State bootleg)”. Erik who specializes in Dance, House, Mashups, and EDM with a feel-good vibe, dug deep into the crate to find the original recording of “Alane”, a song recorded by Cameroonian artist Wes Madiko, simply known as Wes. It was originally released in May 1997 as the debut single from his album ‘Welenga’. It became a hit, topping the charts across Europe.

Now Erik State gives the track a solid reworking over, and brings it into the 21^st Century, while retaining its nineties sheen. When I first started buying vinyl records, it seemed every single had a dance remix available to buy for a couple of quid or so more.

What you got was essentially just the same record but extended at the start for four minutes or so with some pre-house disco beats knocked out. Fast forward to today and a good remix can make a good song a whole lot better, and a great remix can turn the whole thing on its head and create something totally brand new.

Erik State has chosen to stay somewhere in the middle. He has maintained the song’s original intrinsic flavors, especially its exotic African taste. Yet fittingly enough, he has made modern dancefloor-friendly while putting his own distinctive slant on the track.

He has lifted the tempo up a notch or two and layered it with resonating tropical keys and more urgent percussion. The choruses reverberate more dynamically and are arena-ready anthemic. Everything flows pretty effortlessly with the original melodic core and wonderfully fresh arrangement that puts a very unique spin on the original.

Eric State keeps the original’s otherworldly atmospheric essentials but perfectly molds in some new delicious elements. This bootleg was clearly crafted to make the tune more club friendly and is an all-around radio-ready success.

Intelligently “WES – Alane 2k18 (Eric State bootleg)” remains similar to the original but is injected with a groovy undertone and a more expansive sound palette that elevates the tune to a new level. Overall Eric has knocked out an incredibly impressive three minute package for a truly stellar tune that younger club goers and EDM lovers probably have never heard before.

This bootleg keeps the original core and emotion of the track very much intact before sending you on a vibe-filled wild ride. “WES – Alane 2k18 (Eric State bootleg)” is an awesome improvement on an already great song. And at the same time Eric knows how to keep his craft on the right side of respectful.

Every now and then an artist comes along that when you see their name, you know you are in for something special. This is exactly the feeling I’ll be getting the next time I see a bootlegged, official remix, or an original track by Eric State.

For bookings email the Eric State management: mgmt@ericstate.nl

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