Saturday, February 16, 2008

Danja speaks on Madonna's new album

Though it's been shrouded in mystery, Rolling Stone got an opportunity to preview Madonna's new album as well as get the inside scoop from Danja on the making of a few songs. Check it out:

****Madonna has managed to keep most details about her still-untitled follow-up to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor (due April 29th) under wraps, but Rolling Stone got an early listen to five tracks today and some behind-the-scenes info from producer Nate “Danja” Hills.

Fans who worried that Madonna might be losing inspiration as she approaches fifty need not be concerned. The new album takes a few steps away from the hyper-polished future disco of Confessions toward a more urban-oriented, thumpy funk, featuring production by Timbaland and Pharrell, as well as collaborations with Justin Timberlake. Danja says he worked on the album in London, and that Madonna indicated “she just wanted uptempo, dance, club [sounds] and everything to have a hip-hop underlining.” He adds that Madonna was easy-going and frequently in the studio putting in long hours alongside himself, Timbaland and Timberlake: “She would come in and sit in her chair in the corner and just vibe with us.”

The record’s first single is “4 Minutes to Save the World,” the track Timbaland partially debuted during a Philadelphia Christmas concert in December. “4 Minutes” has a bit of a marching band aesthetic as blasting brass play a scale-like riff, a hard, clanging beat enters and Madonna sings that the “road to heaven is paved with good intentions.” Timberlake and Madonna trade verses, and he appears on the chorus, doing his best Michael Jackson impression while quickly crooning, “We’ve only got four minutes to save the world.” The track ends after a brief breakdown where everything drops out but one of Tim’s signature Bhangra beats, some stabs of brass and Madonna’s urgent tick-tock’s. It’s a loud, busy, energetic track that is apparently getting an equally adventurous video: As previously reported, the clip (which is still being completed) is directed by hot French duo Jonas & François (Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”). Timbaland makes an appearance, and Madonna and Timberlake play superheroes tackling physical obstacles. The clip features choreography by Jamie King, who worked on Madonna’s Confessions, Re-Invention and Drowned World tours as well as her video for Confessions‘ “Sorry.

The most lyrical of the five songs is “Miles Away,” a wistful tune about a long-distance relationship with a melody that resembles Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, an album Danja says Madonna admired. “We would come up with a track and him and Madonna would come and do lyrics and melody together,” Danja explains. The song opens with a quickly strummed acoustic guitar, then a stuttering beat drops in and the track slowly swells until it’s filled with atmospheric synths. “You always seem to have the biggest heart when we’re 6,000 miles apart,” Madonna sings grandly, lamenting, “I guess we’re at our best when we’re miles away.” The song has a more airy aesthetic compared to the heavy beats on other tracks, which reflects its more emotional lyrics.

The track that sounds most like a more urban, edgy continuation of Confessions is the excellent “Give It to Me,” which bumps along to a thick synth tone Danja employed on Britney Spears’ Blackout. It’s an aggressive, clubby track with a raw, house-y beat that’s ripe for remixing, and Madonna sings, “When the lights go down and there’s no one left I can go on and on.” It ends after a fast, killer breakdown where she chants “Get stupid” over a xylophone chime as the beat builds into a frenzy and she proclaims, “Give it to me / No one’s gonna stop me now.”****

Full article

Props to John for the good link.

35 comments :

  1. When is the single going to be released?????????

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  2. nice, can't wait to hear her album.

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  3. how is danja already working with bjork,duran duran, now madonna, he hasn't paid his dues! Without Tim danja would be nothing - over-rated!

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  4. I didnt think much of Danja untill i heard Britneys-Get Naked and Duran Durans-The Valley. I cant get enough of these two tracks and i hope to hear a uptempo, dance, club beat from him. im sure he will do a great job.

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  5. I wonder why they called that track "give it to me", like the Tim-Justin-Nelly collabo..

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  6. Danja is Good, Timbaland is not so good without him.

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  7. Danja is the next big thing but to say that Tim is not so good without him is crazy!!!! Till this day I haven't heard anything that DAnja/Timbo has done that tops anything he did by himself on Aaliyah, Missy, Playa, or Ginuwine's earlier albums.

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  8. ^^^^ well said. it seems like ppl forget who brought danja into this game, if it wasnt for timbo danja wudnt be here but i agree dat the stuff they have doine together would never beat timbos old shit

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  9. Timbaland <<< Danja

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  10. No, I think Tim is overrated.

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  11. They both are good, on the same level.

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  12. Danja brought the new timbo-style...still timbo is the genius behind it and you can still hear it now and then...but he just wants him to shine. you can't be the king forever and somehow he sees danja as the new super-producer...and honestly: what young producer is better than danja??
    But danja is a tim influenced producer...like everyone else these days is...so we'll have to wait and see what danja comes up with in the next years...

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  13. Tim is letting danja branch out and do his own productions once and awhile they will work together but not so much now since tim is working with hannon more.Danja will be just fine Tim is still the best.

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  14. Anybody who says Danja is a better producer than Timbo is outta their mind. They're not on the same level. Timbo changed up his style by himself more than 3 times. Danja could surpass Timbaland but he hasn't yet. Danja's drums are WEAK.

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  15. Danja is too young to be the best, not yet, he needs more experience.

    P.S. His drums are not weak.

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  16. His drums are very weak. His forte is keyboard. He can play the hell outta keyboard but he needs to work on his drums

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  17. i laugh at people saying danja/tim are over-rated... They are both under-rated big time...
    The most over-rated producer is def Dr.Dre

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  18. listen to Duran Duran The Valley and then ask ur self 'is Danja's Drums weak'

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  19. danj, danja, danja, i thought this site is about timbaland. :/

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  20. His drums are very weak. His forte is keyboard. He can play the hell outta keyboard but he needs to work on his drums.

    exactly!

    with that said,
    Old Tim > Danja > New Tim

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Saying Dajna is >>> than Tim is like saying LeBron is >>> than Jordan. Admittedly, LeBron does thing on the court that even Jordan couldn't do. But Jordan was the best ever and did bigger things while building a career that might never be matched. By Anybody.

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  23. until danja brings consistent, timeless classics such as "one in a million," "pony," "are you that somebody," "try again," "get ur freak on" and that's only scratching the surface, then i'll say he's on tim's level. but until that happens... hop off dudes dick.

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  24. Honestly, I'm way more excited about what Danja is doing right now than what Tim is doing.

    And I love Danja's drum style. The live drums are fresh. It's just a different sound. Most of the time, if they sound like they could be stronger, I feel like Marcella should be doing a better job.

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  25. i agree witho those who think that danja's drums are fresh.... i am listening to break the ice instrumental, and perfect lover...... listen to those and the duran duran stuff and come again. Danja's drums are not nearly weak. His shit hits real good as a matter of a fact.

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  26. Listen to Katharine Mcphee's dangerous, each other, open toes: these drums are perfect.

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  27. The first Danja/Tim track I ever heard was "Maneater" (you know those are Danja drums), and the first thing I thought was, "Damn, those drums are sick and RAW." And I remember hearing it in a club against other dance type songs, and it annihilated ever other song...just came POUNDING out of the speakers.

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  28. this shit reminds me of the hype behind Duran Duran... and I'll probably end up buying Madonna's CD because of it.

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  29. All I'm reading is stuff about how Danja sucks, he ain't as god as Tim. *Wah!*

    How do you feel about Madonna working with Tim and Danja? Are you looking forward to it or not? C'mon. Contribute more than just "Danja sucks!" He is a good producer in his own right and shits on other dudes in the game right now. He's better than Tim when it comes to the synths, but Tim has him beat on the drums. Leave it at that.

    I'm looking forward to hearing Madonna's album. My problem is Justin. I don't want to hear a Madonna album where Justin is on half the tracks and the songs sound like off cuts from FutureSex/LoveSounds. The video for "4 minutes to save the world" sounds cool though.

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  30. The debates will go on and then we will be discussing the differences of Tim and Hannon how rediculous is that going to be.

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  31. it's not like JT was part of a package deal... obviously Madonna wanted him on the record or he wouldn't have been there.

    as for Danja's drums being weak... you should hear Smoke, Wyld Money, and Hollow on "Patty Cake". beat's crazy

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  32. ehm...ryan tedders myspace...Chris cornell song...Lol wasn't he a rockstar?

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  33. Well Danja is a great producer. He has a lot more years in front of himself. Some of the tracks, the drums are weak. Break The Ice has weak drums. Yeah they may sound fresh, and are live, but they are weak sonically. But! Some tracks shouldn't have pounding kicks. Break the Ice had like a military drum feel. Although Marcella should of sonically stepped them up some.

    Anyways, lets just hope I get to work with Tim and Danja and Tim takes me under his wing!

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  34. yo danja is an incredible producer! different rhythms and drums and a different kind of electronic soundscape to tim. some of his straight pop/r&b tracks are exceptional and mastering/sonically are also excellent, the bass connects strong. the drums definitely knock too...

    like somebody said a couple of tracks on the katherine mcphee album are dope. he did this pop tune called easy too thats another banger. the britney stuff is very decent too but perfect lover > rest of that cd. the tracks on that recent ost like kc - say cheese are again super slick...

    tim + danja = futuristic funk with a major kick. the madonna track sounds booming from the samples. cant wait for a leak...

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