Today, The Weeknd came out of hiding and gave us two brand new tracks-- well, they leaked-- sorry Abel. And, as the tracks will likely be taken down, sorry to anyone who doesn't get to preview the new Weeknd sound. Both tracks, "I Can't Feel My Face" and "In the Night" signal a shift in the pop direction for the strung-out, oversexed, but still painfully lonely, Toronto crooner. He sounds more fresh-faced than ever, channeling his inner-MJ-- as he aims for a new level of stardom.
Despite the title, "I Can't Feel My Face" isn't another off-hand narration of one of Abel's Oxy benders. Rather, it's a gloriously funky, disco-tinged anthem that's ripe for the summer, both in mood and tempo. Produced by Max Martin, the Swedish face behind a staggering 19 #1 singles, the track shows how versatile The Weeknd can be when he branches out producer-wise.
Here are five very different producers, from both the mainstream and underground, who we feel would be a welcome addition to The Weeknd's talents.
Sango
Sango is a guy who earned a spot on this list by his own re-works of Abel's material, all of which you can hear on More Balloons. The most impressive part of Sango's remixes was his ability to work around The Weeknd's inimitable voice-- blending it right into his beats, often while changing the mood of the original track completely. Sango clearly understands the multifaceted power of The Weeknd's singing, and he'd be a welcome addition to Abel's famously solitary studio sessions.
Danger Mouse
"Neo-soul" is usually a tag attributed to D'Angelo, and few new artists, but if there is such thing as soul music in 2015, it's definitely been influenced by the lustful, seratonin-drained sound of Abel Tesfaye. One of the last great instances of neo-soul came with Gnarls Barkley, and Danger Mouse, one-half of the duo, recently surprised us by, after working with U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, executively producing ASAP Rocky's A.L.L.A. He can play nearly any instrument and, with over 20 years of experience among leaders of just about every genre, he could give The Weeknd that little bit of "soul" he needs as he aims to become one of the greats.
Though there's been much genre fluidity in London's young career working with Atlanta artists, he hasn't yet stepped into the R&B world, and we'd love to change that. Building haunting, movie-like sound collages behind the typical Southern drum packs, he's separated himself entirely from the rest of his peers. He does it with subtlety, which is why Thugga's semantics often take center stage, but no producer in the game can capture a mood like young London.
If you can turn Young Thug into a romantic, he should have no trouble with Abel.
WeDidIt (Shlohmo/RL Grime/Ryan Hemsworth)
A recording of Shlohmo's remix of Drake and The Weeknd's "Crew Love" was ripped from one of his DJ sets and put on to YouTube. The Weeknd soon posted the track on his tumblr, asking Shlohmo to please release an official version and, of course, the WeDitIt boss abided. We thought it was only a matter of time before an official collaboration, though we haven't been so lucky.
Each member of the WeDidIt roster could really do wonders with the Weeknd's sound, especially fellow Canadian Ryan Hemsworth, who's recently worked with Tinashe and Tory Lanez. If Abel wants to give us more of a banger, as he hinted at on "Mood Music," look no further than RL Grime.
WeDidIt has an upcoming joint EP with Tory Lanez coming out. Hopefully the crew stays in Toronto after that.
Jamie xx
After giving us a gorgeous piece of summer romance alongside Young Thug and Popcaan, we think it's time for Jamie xx to lend some much-needed lightness to the XO sound. As we heard on Drake & Rihanna's "Take Care," Jamie's blissful production still channels all the emotion we love about R&B, but with a nostalgic, triumphant feel that makes us think of goosebump-inducing sunsets at music festivals (a feeling that'll run you at least $300). Who says The Weeknd can't be fun?