A&E

Armed with fiery new album ‘Carte Blanche,’ DJ Snake hits XS and EBC this weekend

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DJ Snake
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"Taki Taki" has been forcing us all to shake it and yell “Rumba!” at clubs and sporting events for almost a year now. The Ozuna-anchored all-star track created by DJ Snake—with steamy appearances by Cardi B and Selena Gomez—peaked at No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in November, nearly giving the French/Algerian superproducer and longtime Wynn Nightlife resident DJ his fourth top 10 smash. The other three hits are still ubiquitous in Vegas clubs: “Lean On” with Major Lazer and MØ, “Turn Down for What” with Lil Jon and “Let Me Love You” featuring Justin Bieber.

But the album containing “Taki Taki” has only been out since July 26, and Carte Blanche is stacked with bangers and other guest stars. The newest single is the equally infectious “Loco Contigo,” which opens with a megahook by J Balvin before an extra-elastic verse from Tyga.

Dig deeper into the album and you’ll discover DJ Snake isn’t just relying on his uncanny knack for riding current dance music trends to superlative heights. He dips back into tropical house for upbeat gem “Recognize,” a chill track featuring Canadian R&B duo Majid Jordan, then plunges headlong into hi-hat heavy trap for “Smile” with instantly recognizable multilayered vocals from Bryson Tiller.

Snake has never been afraid to dabble in different dance genres, and he’s experimenting more than ever on Carte Blanche. He recently revealed that the dancehall song “No Option,” showcasing Nigerian singer Burna Boy, was originally written with Rihanna in mind.

“We ended up using it … because I fell in love with this record,” he said on Apple Music’s Beats 1 show. “I don’t want to say the wrong things so all the Rihanna fans … kill me. I just had to follow my heart. That’s it.”

It’s easy to imagine RiRi’s distinct vocal tone floating on top of this beat, but we’ll have to wait for that superstar team-up—though for DJ Snake, no collaboration seems out of reach at the moment.

DJ SNAKE August 17, 10 p.m., $25-$45, XS; August 18, 10:30 a.m., $35-$55, Encore Beach Club; 702-770-7300.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of editor-at-large at Las Vegas Weekly magazine. ...

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