Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017

Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos – Slide

Equinox vibes…


[Video][Website]
[5.71]

Alfred Soto: Calvin Harris spent a lot of dough to recreate the The Weeknd’s lubed disco vibe with two of today’s happening artists: Frank Ocean, doing his damnest to remind people that he can’t sing, and Migos going polyphonic over lines about nachos and gelatos. Why couldn’t Harris get Usher or Trey Songz to sing the “melodic” bits? Was Chris Brown unavailable? (Don’t answer that.) I awarded an extra point for the chirped “I might!” dropped at key moments.
[5]

Hazel Robinson: Collaboration randomiser on full, but I’m surprised by how much I like this, in no small part because the “I might” of the sped-up vocal at the start reminds me of the “hey Mike” from “Drinking in L.A.” by Bran Van 3000. The whole song unfolds a little like that — implausible, doped up on sunshine and enviable in a slightly grotty way. It’s not the kind of team-up that brings out the best in eveyone involved, but it is hella fun.
[7]

Jonathan Bradley: Migos find a whole new side to themselves in upmarket disco: easygoing and mischievous, yet charismatic as ever, they deserve better than the unadventurous funk Harris has set aside for them. The introductory piano runs are more lush than the bottom end. It’s fun, but mostly because putting this much talent together carries a residual thrill even if they’re only hanging out. Ocean could do better; he bats his eyes, but still sounds like he’s arrived without having fully woken up.
[6]

Thomas Inskeep: I appreciate that this is more house-pop than Harris’s typical brand of EDM pneumatics, but it’s awfully sleepy. Not only is there no hook, there’s not much song. Ocean sounds mush-mouthed, and Migos drop in for their guest appearance fee.
[2]

Ryo Miyauchi: While Quavo lazily puts something together to match Calvin Harris’ brand of luxury, Offset’s out here looking slick and showing off. He fits his double time into a fine boogie, wearing sweet words like “gelato” and “Picasso” in his rhymes like jewelry charms. Frank sounds much impressed when he comes back for that final chorus.
[6]

Micha Cavaseno: I did not realize I needed to hear Offset and Frank Ocean being pals over yacht-disco in my life, or Calvin Harris calmly demonstrating that he didn’t need to work with Nile Rodgers to make adult-oriented EDM. This would have benefited from maybe a more lively chorus, or featuring Takeoff in some way, but they didn’t make the song for me.
[6]

Crystal Leww: “Slide” did not work for me the first few times I heard it — surprisingly, given how I am a fan of Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, and Migos separately. The moment that this really clicked was while I was out in some bar in Brooklyn, the kind that plays the kind of set that a place in Brooklyn full of kids who know each other from ~The Internet~ would play, and this transformed into the fun little summer bop that it was always destined to be. I’m looking forward to hearing this in sets from now until late October, when I will be sick of it and sick of any kind of sexy vibe. But for now, this is great and sexy and fun and cute, just the kind of thing that would not be expected from this team.
[8]

Reader average: [7.66] (6 votes)

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3 Responses to “Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos – Slide”

  1. Wish I’d managed to blurb this. I think it’s interesting (‘interesting’) that the influences Calvin Harris initially kept at a knowing arms’ length (eg with “Neon Rocks”) are now essentially something he’s working among. This isn’t that dissimilar to parts of his first album, it’s just slicker and with the tongue surgically removed from the cheek. It’s alright, but I don’t know if it’s an improvement.

  2. I do like the transition from Frank Ocean to Quavo and Offset, as well as “…I might!”, but this song does nothing for me.

  3. I was going to blurb it but couldn’t think of anything but “please stop yacht rock in 2017”