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Edmonton Journal - February 2003 Power Play
Ben Hartt, a local pop singer, moved east after releasing his first album, Hyper-blue. But he's not totally absent from our city. One of his dance-pop songs, Can't Stop Thinking Of You, was recently played on Power 92's 8 O'Clock Showdown - and won. Two nights in a row. "It is a groovy dance number, perfect for dance clubs," says Hartt. "The feedback has been very positive." The showdown pits two new songs against each other each night. Listeners then vote for their favourite and the winner takes on a new challenger. If a track wins five nights in a row, Power 92 adds it to the station's playlist. In Hartt's first attempt on Wednesday, Jan. 15, he beat "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The next night, he defeated Coldplay's "Clocks". But Hartt was no match for his third rival, Sum 41's "Still Waiting". "They put me up against hard competition, but I'm happy to have been played," says Hartt. "I had armies of people voting, which made me feel truly loved and supported. I'm a lucky guy." Hartt is lucky. Sadly, local musicians rarely get played on Edmonton's commercial radio stations - especially before 10 p.m. on weekdays. Power 92's Busta Love says he tries to play as many homegrown artists as possible, but their music has to fit into the station's Top 40 pop format. Plus, listeners must like the tracks. "Do we play local artists? It depends on the sound," says Love, host of the 8 O'Clock Showdown. "If it's got a good beat, if it's got something that appeals to the audience. We test songs in the 8 O'Clock Showdown and we lay it in the hands of the audience." Hartt recorded Can't Stop Thinking Of You for Popular Records, a Toronto-based dance label, last year. He's now working on a demo album and plans to tour Europe in April. |