“Oh My Gawd” the next batch of StripJoints reviews!

It can what can be described as an ode to gentlemen’s clubs and a sign of the times, PANDA‘s own Danny Meyers has released “Back to the Strip Club.” “We’re done with the quarantine/Need a new scene” raps Meyers, the 2017 ED DJ of the Year. This song is fantastic because it’s self aware, comical … and still kicks. That’s easier said than done. If it’s true that writing funny is hard, rapping it must be unimaginably difficult, but Meyers makes it seem as smooth as the bars he’s dropping on his return to the strip club—”it’s a life worth livin’.”

Chances are that unless you’ve cut yourself off from all popular music, you’ve heard this staple of EDM from super group Major Lazer. Such is the ‘catchiness’ of this song that it has been covered multiple times, but it’s hard to top the original. “Light It Up” delivers on its pitch-perfect vocals from Nyla and Fuse ODG and its vuvuzela-like sounds igniting the beat.

The EDM trio is back, this time utilizing the talents of Mr. Eazi, Nicki Minaj and K4mo. You probably already know Nicki Minaj, the influential female rap artist with numerous Hot 100 songs to her credit. Mr. Eazi is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and K4mo is a fellow Nigerian musician. This haul of talent teams up on to deliver this relaxed, EDM-infused banger. Minaj, as per usual, delivers the goods in her star turn, “Stranger, looking for some danger / Ride it like a bad gal, face of a angel.” This song is guaranteed to get club goers dancing and the wallflowers exclaiming “Oh my gawd!”

“Free” starts interestingly enough with what sounds like a vintage recording of a psychologist/medical professional waxing poetically on the mindset of humans. “The dictatorship of the future, I think will be very unlike the dictatorships which we’ve been familiar with in the immediate past/New techniques of propaganda … bypassing the sort of rational side of man and appealing to his subconscious and his deeper emotions and so making him actually love his slavery.” With that mind-blowing musing, “Free” opens up with KIRRA’s haunting howling, akin to Hinder, which makes sense since both bands are from Oklahoma City. Certainly given the socio-political climate, do yourself a favor and “Free” your mind and give this tune a listen.

VAVO started as a continent-spanning DJ duo, with Vancouver native Jesse Fischer and London-born Alden Martin combining their talents. While relative newcomers to the DJing scene—they broke out in 2017—they’ve already been given the seal of approval by the likes of Tiësto, who would certainly dig this suave production, “You got me so crazy yeah/Tell me how do I get you out my head/Cause I can’t win this fight … I need you baby, it’s better you come save me.” For those wondering, this is not a cover of Day ‘n’ Nite by Kid Cudi, though it would be fun to see these three collab in the future!

For the uninitiated, Steven G is a Crenshaw-based rapper who has maximized social media to propel himself to stardom. A self-proclaimed fan of artists like Usher and The-Dream, “Sex Commandments” opens sounding similar to Jeremih in “Birthday Sex” with higher-pitched vocals meshing against the backdrop of soulful instrumentation. “Sex Commandments” follows in a long line of sure-to-be successful rap ballads that will get everyone grinding.

With his trademark braces smile, Steven G lends his sultry vocals to “I Need All That,” a rap song that hears Steven G crooning about the girl of his dreams. This could def be a song to play in between sets or as a wind-down groove after the afore-reviewed song by this artist, “Sex Commandments.”