Music Review: Calvin Harris, “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1”

Music Review: Calvin Harris, “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1”

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It’s hard to believe that Calvin Harris titled his debut album “I Created Disco,” considering the Scottish DJ was born a full decade after the genre’s demise. But that’s exactly what he did and it turned out well for him: he’s now the highest-paid DJ in the world. Since his debut in 2007, Harris has turned out hit after hit, collaborating with big name artists like Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Florence Welch, Rita Ora, and Ellie Goulding, just to name a few. For a DJ who headlined Coachella last year; who has the most successful Las Vegas residency today, and more number one hit singles than you can name, his latest album, “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1” really blows. Besides the album’s lead single “Slide” featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, which was released back in February and became (arguably) the anthem of Spring Break 2017, there’s not a single track on the album of note. Even a deluge of artists like Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry can’t mask the phony “funk” mixes and lame, tropical-themed lyrics that would’ve gone over quite well with the Fyre Festival crowd. But the absolute worst thing about the album lies in it’s title: with “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1,” Harris is undeniably promising another installment of overproduced, over-saturated, star-studded garbage. http://calvinharris.com/