Chosen Song: Do Me No Good- Shift K3y
Do Me No Good was released on all streaming platforms by famous music producer/DJ Shift K3y, more formally known as ‘Lewis Shay Jankel’. Since its release, the song had gathered over 5 million listens on youtube, and over 10 million listens on Spotify and Soundcloud. This would not be the first time the British DJ has had a popular song though, as he is better known for his song ‘Touch’ which peaked at number 3 in the UK charts. He also worked with Becky Hill on her song (Better Of Without You) which was released in 2020 and peaked at number 16 in the UK charts. To add to the impressive achievements he already has, he had gained a number of songwriting and production credits with some rather big artists. Tinie Tempah, Stormzy, Becky Hill, and Bugzy Malone are just a few. The producer seems to have taken a step back from making his own music in recent years, but is still producing for other people. ‘No Problem’ by Nayeon and ‘Candy’ by Twice are two of his most recent projects.
The track by the British producer is upbeat and has a bpm of 115. It can also be used half-time at 58 bpm or double-time at 230 bpm. The track runs at 2 minutes and 26 seconds long with an A Sharp/B Flat key and a minor mode. It has high energy and is extremely danceable following a 4-4 time signature.
The song by the British producer is extremely well crafted. It includes many Plugins, samples, and live recordings throughout the song. The catchy vocals are brought to the track by vocalist Kate Wild. Her samples are on the well-known site Splice which is free to use once you have a membership. The catchy bassline is layered with free basses. An organ, a Bass house stab, and a sub-bass. All are mixed perfectly to ensure they all get their own space in the mix. Reverb, distortion, compression, and side chaining are to name a few. The chord progression is run through Key scape to get the sharp-sounding piano that many modern-day house songs include, and everything is topped off with 4 to floor house drums. The drums were all mixed and EQ’d one by one to make sure they have their own space in the mix. After this, the song was mixed and mastered meaning it was ready for release. The track was later spotted by the famous house record label ‘Positiva’. The label has been around since the late 90s and has had much success after releasing some top-quality house tunes. This helped the track reach a new level of success.
Something I find very interesting about the track is the fact that Shift K3y has decided to sample an old Lyn Collins song. The sample is only very minute but fits perfectly with the other vocal sample. ‘Think’ By Lyn Collins was released in 1972 and has somehow caught the ear of the British house producer. At 1:25 in the song, you can hear a shot during the song. Shift found this intriguing and decided to feature it in his song. Take a listen and see for yourself.