THE “MAGNIFICENT TRIO” – 2018 was a very interesting year for music; the trend over the last 12 months is undeniable: hip hop and R&B have definitely made their mark, after a few seasons in which Latin music (which, incidentally, is still going strong; we’ll come back to that later) reigned supreme. Without a doubt, the credit for this triumph must be shared amongst at least three great artists; the first is Post Malone: *Beerbongs & Bentleys*, the American rapper’s second album, released in April 2018, was a global hit, particularly the singles *Rockstar* (which, to be honest, was released in December 2017 but really “took off” in 2018), ‘Better Now’, the more recent ‘Sunflower’ – straight from the Spider-Man film soundtrack – and the hugely popular ‘Jackie Chan’ (featuring the great DJ Tiësto), which kept us company throughout the summer and autumn. Drake also played a major part in making 2018 the year of hip hop and R&B: it was truly a year to remember. At least three of his songs were huge hits worldwide: God’s Plan, “Don’t Matter to Me” and ‘In My Feelings’. Bruno Mars, after a 2017 that ‘went with a bang’ (he won the Grammy Awards for ‘That’s What I Like’ as Song of the Year and ‘24K Magic’ as Album of the Year), enjoyed a 2018 marked by huge international success with ‘Finesse’, released in January 2018, featuring the American rapper Cardi B.
LATIN INFLUENCES CONTINUE – And Cardi B was indeed one of the most prominent female stars: in October, with ’Girls Like You’, a collaboration with Maroon 5, she reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and, also in early autumn, released “Taki Taki” (featuring DJ Snake, Selena Gomez and Ozuna). But perhaps the song that best epitomised her was ‘I Like It’ (featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin). The latter, one of the most successful Latin artists, continued to shine in 2018: J Balvin, alongside Willy William, scored hits with ‘Mi Gente’ (particularly strong in Cedric Gervais’s remix), ‘X’ (with Nicky Jam) and ‘Bum Bum Tam Tam’, featuring MC Fioti (Jax Jones remix). Released in 2017 but still a huge dance floor favourite right up until this summer was ‘Machika’. Still on the subject of reggaeton and Latin music, we should also mention the Mexican Institute of Sound featuring Lorna, Pa La Calle, as well as Luis Fonsi (‘Calypso’), Daddy Yankee (‘Dura’) and Álvaro Soler, who livened up the summer with ‘La Cintura’.
THE YEAR THAT SAW DUA LIPA AND THE DJ-PRODUCERS COME INTO THEIR OWN – The British singer-songwriter and model of Albanian-Kosovar origin has racked up one hit after another, starting with “IDGAF” and moving on to two dance-inspired tracks: “Electricity”, in collaboration with Silk City, and “One Kiss” with Calvin Harris. Speaking of the English DJ, let’s not forget that he’s been a massive hit in 2018: ‘Promises’ (with Sam Smith) and ‘I Found You’ (with Benny Blanco) have been playing non-stop on radio stations and in nightclubs all over the world. And what about the French DJs, who are always so prolific? This year, Bob Sinclar scored a hit with *I Believe* (played mainly in the Inpetto Remix version), whilst David Guetta added *Flames* (with Sia) and *Mad Love* – a project that also featured Sean Paul – to his list of hits. Dance revelation of the year: Burak Yeter & Cecilia Krull with ‘My Life Is Going On’ (the soundtrack to the TV series ‘Money Heist’). Flying the flag for Latin dance music are Steve Aoki’s ‘Azukita’ (featuring Daddy Yankee and Elvis Crespo) and Shorty’s homegrown track ‘Canta Canta’.
ITALIAN MUSIC TAKES US BACK TO SUMMER – The Italian music scene has been very prolific in 2018, and as is often the case, the biggest hits were released in summer: for example, Boomdabash and Loredana Bertè, with “Non ti dico no”, topped the Top 100 of The Year 2018 (the chart of the most-played singles on the radio); incidentally, the single was also well received abroad, featuring on playlists on British, German and Russian radio stations. Also worth mentioning are the hugely popular (and widely sung) “Da zero a cento” by Baby K, ‘Amore e capoiera’ by Takagi & Ketra (sung by Giusy Ferreri), and ‘Italiana’ by the duo J-Ax and Fedez. Finally, a look at ‘made in Italy’ trap music: now a mainstream phenomenon, it’s in high demand at 18th birthday parties; this year’s leading artists were Capo Plaza (‘Tesla’ and ‘Non cambierò mai’), the Dark Polo Gang (‘British’), Ghali (‘Cara Italia’ and ‘Peace&Love’) and Sfera Ebbasta who made his debut right at the start of 2018 (3 January) with his album *Rockstar*, featuring collaborations with high-profile artists (including Tinie Tempah); the standout single is *Ricchi x sempre*.
There have been so many hits that 2018 has left us with; some will become “evergreens” and we’ll still be playing them at your events in a few years“ time, whilst others will have turned out to be mere ”flash in the pan“; In any case, here at DJ4 we’re always ”on the ball’, ready to pick up on all the latest trends, interpret them and explore them in depth, so that we can make your parties truly unique!
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