Published: September 10, 2012
By: Anand Harsh
Exclusive Free Download from The Untz: Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You (ill-esha remix)
Think for a moment about the courage it took for contemporary R&B sensation Frank Ocean to recently divulge some deeply personal information about his sexuality on his blog. It doesn't matter that he's emerged as one of the strongest young voices in pop music; these revelatory admissions have rippled out into an industry not altogether known for its tolerance, especially coming from a young African-American songwriter--completely risking his newfound fame and fan base in a couple of keystrokes. In the face of homophobia and cultural pressures, consider for just one second the psychological burden Ocean bears, which he then pours directly into his art. It comes as no surprise that when one of glitch-hop's foremost purveyors, ill-Esha, got her hands on his impassioned "Thinking About You," she handled the track with the gentle, loving care of someone who understands the magnitude of a song like this. She didn't haphazardly smear on beats and bass and fling the cut directly on the dance floor. This remix echoes the depth and roiling heartache of the original. There's no question this track is the standard bearer the lovestep movement has been waiting for. It's so fucking sexy. But more than that, it's honest and thick and messy and everything that Ocean tried to embody with his naked delivery and heart-wrenching falsetto. True dance music fans are really going to appreciate this one: a transcendent ode that rises above the din. If this does't grab you, either you're the Tin Man or you need to get out there and get your heart broken.
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