"FTW" (an abbreviation of "For the win") is a song by electronic music duo Lets Be Friends, consisting of English DJ and producer John Ford and Israeli electronic music producer Oren Emanuel. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 3 February 2014. The song was originally released as part of the compilation album Monstercat 016 – Expedition, released 26 February 2014. It was later featured as part of Monstercat's Best of 2014 compilation album, released on 26 January 2015.

"FTW"
Single by Lets Be Friends
from the album Monstercat 016 – Expedition
Released3 February 2014 (2014-02-03)
GenreElectro house
Length4:17
LabelMonstercat
Songwriter(s)John Ford * Oren Emanuel.[1]
Producer(s)
Lets Be Friends singles chronology
"Manslaughter (VIP Mix)"
(2013)
"FTW"
(2014)
"Only Time"
(2014)
Alternative cover

Background and release

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On 3 February 2014, the song was released as a digital download on international digital stores through record label Monstercat, as well as being released through various music streaming services.[2][3] "FTW" was featured on the compilation album titled Monstercat 016 – Expedition released on 26 February 2014.[4] The song was later featured on the yearly best-of compilation album titled Monstercat – Best of 2014 released on 26 January 2015.[5] As of 13 June 2019, the song has gained around 1,200,000 plays on SoundCloud and over 3,060,000 views on Monstercat's Uncaged YouTube channel.[6][7]

Critical reception

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"FTW" was well received by most critics. A writer for Complex noted the song's sampled use of American professional wrestler Triple H of D-Generation X, during a WWE promo, writing that the screams of the wrestler "have a place in gigantic rings around the country and of course in the big rooms of dance floors in clubs worldwide."[8] Writing for Vibe, Jessica Wunsch described the song as a "delightful composition of various musical genres and elements seamlessly mutated into one hype-building score."[9] Writing for Your EDM, Brett Edgerly described the song as having the "full spectrum of flavour" expected from the duo, praising the song's sound design as "on point with signature and new patches making a full-bodied appearance."[10] Steven Jacobs of EDM Sauce wrote the track as "unreal", describing its production as one that brings "all kinds of sounds together that will have your blood racing and your heart pumping out of your chest."[11] A Dance Music NW writer compared the song to the duo's previous song "Manslaughter", writing that "FTW" is packed with "glitchy, chaotic elements that stands up to the best in electro, along with yet another badass voice sampling that Lets Be Friends is best known for."[12]

Track listing

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Digital download – Single[13]
No.TitleLength
1."FTW"4:17
Total length:4:17

Release history

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Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Worldwide 3 February 2014 Digital download "FTW" Monstercat [2]
26 February 2014 Monstercat 016 – Expedition [4]
26 January 2015 Monstercat – Best of 2014 [5]

References

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  1. ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Lets Be Friends - FTW". ThisSongSlaps. 2014-02-05. Archived from the original on 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  3. ^ "Lets Be Friends - FTW [Out NOW on Monstercat]". The Untz. 2014-02-04. Archived from the original on 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  4. ^ a b Brannigan, James (2014-02-28). "Monstercat - 016 Expedition Album Featuring 33 Tracks from 28 Artists". EDMTunes. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  5. ^ a b "Monstercat - Best of 2014 Album Mix". By The Wavs. 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  6. ^ Lets Be Friends - FTW, archived from the original on 2016-03-26, retrieved 2019-03-25
  7. ^ Monstercat: Uncaged (2014-02-03), [Electro] - Lets Be Friends - FTW [Monstercat Release], archived from the original on 2019-02-25, retrieved 2019-03-25
  8. ^ "Lets Be Friends - "FTW"". Complex. Archived from the original on 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  9. ^ "DJs To Watch: Lets Be Friends Debut 2014 Anthem 'FTW'". Vibe. 2014-02-03. Archived from the original on 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  10. ^ Edgerly, Brett (2014-02-04). "Let's Be Friends - FTW (Original Mix)". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  11. ^ Stevo (2014-02-05). "Lets Be Friends -- FTW". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  12. ^ "Lets Be Friends Drops Another Electro Bomb FTW". Dance Music NW. 2014-02-09. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  13. ^ Ftw - Single by Lets Be Friends on iTunes, retrieved 2019-03-25
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