Tom Noble is sharpening his skills. His latest single release, Dancing Hard, is a set of remixes of a track previously released by Noble. Instead of just allowing other DJ’s to carve it up and present it in a fresh fashion, Noble also decided to rework the track himself.
Noble is known for his disco funk style, so it’s not surprising that the first remix is Al Kent attempting to make a disco jam. At first it sounds like Kent has even successfully crafted a slow jam, the piano is light and dancing, the beat is distant and swaying, and the horns like sweet drops of rain. At the 2 minute mark the song picks up its pace and starts swinging. The song is a desperate disco thumper, complete with the sentimental slow down where lovers can pull each other close and just sway against each other, the rich moments where you dance with quickened breath, and more cool downs.
Tom Jones own rework is a funky jaunt. The shaking percussion, the heavy bass line, and the non word vocals provide a feel good nostalgic element to the song. As well as adding more contemporaneous elements, like fade ins and distant electronic blips, the 2012 remix is a Sunday afternoon dancing. Not to say that the track is relaxed or chill, but that more a laid-back cousin to the original, walking around with a knowing and earned bravado. The maracas are constant giving the song a nice simple feel, and the bass never falters from being sexy and smooth.