French DJ and producer David Guetta will be more than happy to welcome the release of his brand new album, ‘Nothing But The Beat’ on August 29th 2011. His fifth album is going to be a huge success and yes you’ve guessed it, it’s bursting at the seams with collaborations from almost every big name hip-hopper in the industry.

The craze where world class DJs are welcoming R&B; A-listers has taken the world by storm. Swedish House Mafia have welcomed Tinie Tempah, Afrojack welcomed Ne-yo and Guetta welcomes every Tom, Dick and Harry who has ever had a number one hit in the past ten years. The man is not stupid. He has creatively spotted this gaping hole in the market and started to take on anyone who’s anyone under his wing. Although many dance fanatics will criticise the DJ for being “too commercial” or “too mainstream”, they need to understand that he has revolutionised the dance scene. He has helped to revitalise a niche industry, once considered “underground” and recreated an international phenomena.

It doesn’t take much to understand that more crowds produce more money, and if you have to mix up two very distinct genres to reign them in, then why the hell not? Following the success of Guetta’s previous album, ‘One Love’, I was expecting something of a similar calibre - a collection of chart-topping floor fillers commercialised by some of the biggest names in R&B.; To name a few on board there’s Chris Brown, Flo Rida, Ludacris, Akon, Usher and Will.I.Am. I was surprised to see that Kelly Rowland didn’t fit the bill for the beat, but other female vocalists including Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson and Jessie J have stepped in.

The first releases from this album have been dominating the charts for the past few months, including ‘Sweat’ featuring Snoop Dogg and ‘Where Them Girls At’ with Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj. Also, new releases such as ‘Little Bad Girl’ with Ludacris and Taio Cruz and ‘Titanium’ featuring Sia have already started to creep their way up to the number one spot in the UK charts. It appears that Guetta is unstoppable at the moment and his success will continue to spiral beyond any critic’s control. To predict another smash hits from this album, I’d safely place my bet on his collaboration with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne that introduces ‘I Can Only Imagine’. This track caught my ear the second I heard Brown’s distinctive vocals so effortlessly pay tribute to Guetta’s up-tempo house sound. Also, another close call would be his duo with Jessie J. Their track will be a definite big hit because single-handedly these two have no problems ruling the charts, so watch out for the release of ‘Repeat’.

Although the first CD on this double-disc album reflects the collaborative style that Guetta has universally adopted, it was a relief to find that the second disc maintained some substance of what he does best - producing the unforgettable beat. I often find myself defending Guetta’s style to many of my peers who go out of their way to criticise his expertise. I’m hoping that the discovery of disc two will help Guetta regain the support of his initial follower’s and many who disagree with his commercial success.

So, listen out for ‘Metro Music’ and ‘Toy Story’, these two stand-out tracks kick off with a series of spiralling beats that gradually move towards an energetic chorus. Two easy listeners for any electronic fanatic. Other tracks that have more of an edgy techno beat to them include, ‘Dreams’, ‘Paris’ and ‘Glasgow’. You’ll also be pleased to know that these tracks contain no lyrics, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the beats. 

Whilst it is clear that Guetta will see many of his tracks from disc one soar to the top of the charts, disc two should provide a musical treat for those who acquire more of a taste for the underground. With this clever compromise in mind we have to hand it to him for delivering a double-disc creation that will turn out to be yet another incredible money-making machine.

Liam Buckley