As little as I enjoy most of Marshmello‘s music, I can admit that he occasionally puts out something worth the hype. He clearly demonstrated what not to do with his remix of Anne Marie’s “Alarm” two weeks ago, but the one he’s released for Albanian Kosovar singer Era Istrefi’s “Bonbon” is sweeter than s’mores.
The original version of “Bonbon” featured crisp, layered synth melodies that made it a strong enough track on its own, but Marshmello’s rework incorporated little more than Istrefi’s vocals into its vaguely dancehall-reminiscent framework. In addition, whereas his last remix incorporated the high-pitched vocal chops that have become one of EDM’s most tired clichés in 2016, this time around he actually took them out.
Marshmello may be one of electronic music’s more divisive acts, but that doesn’t mean that his music should be condemned even when it’s worthy of respect. After checking out his remix of Era Istrefi’s “Bonbon” in the SoundCloud player above, visit the comments section below to let us know whether or not you agree.