Decided to get a jump on the new year by shifting the schedule around yet again. Figured everyone can use a burst of new music Monday morning, so here it is folks.
Skrillex picked up Tennyson (previously mentioned on the blog here) and pulled together an amazing song & music video. While the song speaks for itself, the music video is truly out there. It’s almost as if Skrillex decided to round up a couple dozen street kids (are there even street kids anymore?) and throw an impromptu Christmas dinner for them. Which includes blowing up a car and liberal use of fire works. There’s something very raw to the emotion in the song and the video. I hope Skrillex is feeling loved and that he’s able to care for people this holiday season. He seems like a Peter Pan to OWSLA & Diplo’s Lost Boys. Though, that video looked hella dangerous to shoot.
What So Not is one of the production aliases that Flume takes part in, so keep an eye on it. TheGemini EP release is the closest we’re going to get to some new Flume before 2016, so check it out. The quintessential Future Bass groove is in full effect. Featured vocal work of KLP and the impressive, almost LA-infused bassline will keep your attention and grooving in your chair.
The new Wavewhore hit two weeks ago and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it. Classic breaks with modern production values, there’s a hipness to it that you can’t find with a lot of EDM. Breakbeat is the unsung hero of dance music, and artists like Wavewhore are keeping it going. The breakdown is heavy, synthy & almost too future. But, he brings it back for y’all and drops a “funky ass bassline” to quote the song itself. And, unlike a lot of music, the song is right!
V-Man made sure I didn’t miss this tune from a totally unknown producer named Egzod. It’s like a combination between a Souza march, a movie soundtrack and a festival set that involves a harpsichord & an orchestra. The Soundcloud has fewer than 650 followers, so let’s change that. The rest of their page is epic as well, so let’s thank Fresh New Tracks for the tip and blow up this producer’s page.
Funkerman’s Coming Home gets a fresh coat of paint from Crazibiza. Not only does Crazibiza win the contest for cleverest DJ/producer name of the month, it’s a dope tune. Funky house with no pretenses to any of that future garbage out there being pushed by overzealous younglings. The tune is catchy, jazzy and uses the vintage elements from Coming Home excellently. It’s a sunny little tune, kudos to CYFI Recordings for letting it fly.
Category Archives: Midnight Music
Midweek Music: Shirk, Arbitraire, Snoop Dogg, Dark Sky & More!
While the holiday season bears down on us, that doesn’t mean the tunes have to freeze over. 5 more tunes, and not a cold shoulder in sight!
You don’t hear glitch hop like this much these days. I’m a huge fan of the orchestral feel that the track gives off. It’s almost got this mad scientist feel to it, as electro clashes with glitch and everyone wins. Definitely not something I’ve heard in some time, so even though I’m a year late to the party, Shurk got followed like woah.
Arbitraire showed up from nowhere with this winner of an indietronica tune. There’s a pretty high level of moodly dopeness here, with the track wandering into London Grammar territory at times. It’s hard to keep this kind of production under wraps so watch for this group, wherever they’re from, to start making digital waves in 2016.
Stamp The Wax is one of my favorite UK blogs & for the holiday season, they’re bringing out the Advent Calendar. A whole month of music leading up to Christmas, with all the proceeds going directly to the artists, with mastering, hosting and all of the trimmings being comped. This tune comes from Dark Sky, a hugely talented London trio. This 8:25 epic journey feels like it’s halfway between the worlds of techno, garage, minimal and topped with just a dash of Latin. It feels very Barcelona during Sonar Festival, with the tune oozing character but not in a hurry to get anywhere.
A tune from 2004 by a group called The Real Tuesday Weld, this is about as random as it is chill. The genre was dubbed Antique Beat, but this was 3 years before Beats Antique showed up, so it’s managed to be its own thing. The video is what happens when you let a YouTube producer loose on the Internet Archive. The track is as close as you can get to a modern iteration on the classic Steamboat Willy vibe of vintage jazzy lounge music.
This is one of those remixes you’ve heard over and over in tiny pieces. I kept hearing it on forums and had to track it down. It’s about 3 years too late, but if you’re legit looking for a celebration anthem for 420, a way to test out new speakers, or troll straight edge friends, I got you covered. Just don’t tell Dr. Dre.
Midweek Music: Viticz, Milwin, Varien, Mr FijiWiji, BLNDSGHT, Dan Thompson & Ron Alperin!
Production from artists all over the world today! Lots of great stuff coming in, so let’s get right to it!
Viticz did something special with this tune. While Electro as a genre has been pretty stagnant over the last couple of years with the Big Room genre wilting, the producer from Singapore has pushed it in a totally needed direction. It’s got a touch of future, a touch of garage, a dash of chip and two scoops of anthem. This is a great effort by Viticz I’d never heard of but will definitely be keeping tabs on in the future.
Jumping from Singapore to Uddevalla, Sweden, Milwin pulls us into that Future House territory with a soothing tune. I have a pretty low tolerance for most Future House, but this one silences the usually annoying throbbass while featuring Blest Jones. This focus on a soulful, blues-oriented vocal line gives the track a more of a melancholic, autumn feel. Surprising, but great work from Sweden & Milwin as always!
Varien & Mr FijiWiji are two of the best knights in the court of Monstercat Castle. They’re production geniuses in their own rights and this collab could not have come at a better time. They can learn a lot from each other as the melodic bass shows. A truly future tune, they’re able to make even a rift of sexy sax work in the context of this chilled out, starry-eyed 4min. Silky, progressive, with just a dollop of euphoric above and bass under it. Really great work gentlemen, can’t wait for the next one & the Monstercat tour.
And now for something completely different.
BLNDSGHT is some wavy shit. Well produced, with some eccentric choices that the Cali producer has ensured almost have no choice but to work together. It’s got this groovy, spacey feel to it. Can’t say it’s dancey, but it manages to be downtempo without being too minimalist or droning. The low end is surprising and it would fit nicely into a side room or fucked up afterparty set.
Finishing out with some great trance. I’m going to make a concerted effort to post at least one trance tune a week, because I think the genre still deserves ears. Some cool stuff happening in it even outside of the juggernaut of quality that is A State of Trance. Coldharbour Recordings is Markus Schulz’s label & it’s been growing on me. Classic trance vibes & deep/energetic modern tunes from artists I’m not familiar with as an American trance family member. Have I ever heard of Dan Thompson & Ron Alperin? Nope, couldn’t pick their music out of a mix if you paid me. They sure can make a good mid-set trance track though. Go swim around in it & I’ll see y’all next week!
Earworm Of The Month: Lido’s Thoughts From The Tour Bus
Lido – Thoughts From The Tour Bus
This kind of sound is dangerously honest. Lido created this tune in response to his account being frozen by Soundcloud I believe. In which, you can hear the frustration with the touring, inauthentic life. The shot about riders & refreshments, being alone with speakers and everything else shows his existential annoyance with that whole life. Shining through the words is Lido’s signature perfect production. The bass and frisson-inducing chords are exactly where they need to be. He’s got this infectious way to take an original and turn it into a far superior version. This kid’s got the Midas touch so hopefully he’s got some good people around him to steady him as he blows up. In a year’s time, he’ll be an EDM household name. Just watch. You heard it here first.
Midweek Music: Otic, Dylan Reese, EDEN, Scott Bond & Kaskade!
This sleeper hit from Otic is exactly what your pre-holiday jitters need. This low-key drum & bass is great to travel or prep to. Whether you’re heading out on the town or over to the parental situation. It’s unassuming and definitely not aggressive. Not a whole lot more to say except, let it smooth you out.
Dylan Reese blindsided me with this one. It’s a strong offering, not what I expected, especially given the look and production. Everything clicks together, with Dylan providing good flow and making the right choices about where to go hard, where to tune and where to push the melodic breaks back in. He’s got a tune coming out on Dec. 1st, so here’s to hoping he keeps the hit streak going.
EDEN can do nothing wrong. How many artists do you know that cover Billie Jean without embarrassing themselves? This Future Pop tune does a couple of things correctly. First, EDEN doesn’t try to outsing MJ, which is the dumb thing most artists try. EDEN wins on production here, and secondly, it feels a bit differently melancholy, as opposed to the pop anthem the original will always be. Splendid work, can’t wait to hear about live gigs.
I’ve written about Scott Bond before, but this most recent 138 trance anthem is welcomed during this week of family & traveling great distances. It’s got the energy you don’t hear very often anymore, with the 138 space being crowded by the bro-y end of electro & progressive. This racing build breaks into exactly the pumping, driving trance drop us hard house enthusiasts can’t get enough of.
Kaskade decided to take a walk through some legit house done by Thomas Sagstad ft. Wildo. This Burned remix has the signature positivity Kaskade brings to all of his work, taking great parts of the original and shuffling them around, adding a healthy dollop of anthem. The tune feels sun-drenched, which is definitely needed this Thanksgiving weekend for us Northern Hemisphere residents. Hope it gives you a minor urge to dance around in your chair during Thanksgiving feast. Or afterwards to help work off them calories! See y’all next week!
Midweek Music: SMLE, BANKS, 20syl, Big Grams & Daktyl
Created by homieh: http://homieh.deviantart.com/
Another week, another quick quintet of tracks! Stuff from New York, the UK, France & LA. Lots of great stuff happening as 2015 draws to a close, so don’t sleep on these tunes!
This is a big set folks, all new dopeness spread across a couple of different genres, but it stays decidedly future throughout.
SMLE is getting a bunch of attention, though somewhat quietly. Over the last couple of months they’ve kept showing up on my Soundcloud feed. You always know an artist is legit when multiple producers you respect keep sharing the stuff. SMLE puts together a sound that’s both symphonic, chill and surprisingly forward-looking. It’s got Sunday afternoons all over it.
BANKS is back, and we are all better for it. The soothing single has an amazing music video, which reminds of Gesaffelstein, but with her own flair. She makes you wait until 2:25 of the 3min to really get how bluesy the track actually is. It’s melancholy & massive at the same time.
20syl re-envisions a masterful trumpet piece by Ibrahim Maalouf in ways I’m not sure any of us saw coming. This is a future ballad that needs 100x the attention it’s getting currently. The tune fuses classical trumpet, future bass, the always impressive synth work of 20syl and a distinctly global feel. One of the tracks that I doubt will make it to the blogs, but really does need to.
This next one is huge news for everyone in both the bass music & hip hop universes. Big Boi & Phantogram have decided to team up to start producing under the name Big Grams. The classic Outkast vibe is played to perfectly, and faithfully, while Phantogram has taken the “make beats for Big Boi” mantle & ran with it. It’s a fantastic premiere, so expect to keep hearing from this collaboration. I feel like it’s got cross-pollination potential both at regular hip hop shows but also at Bassnectar, Pretty Lights & other edge acts. Splendidly produced from start to finish, this demands your attention.
Rounding out the post is a surprise posted by This Song Is Sick. This remix of Autograf by Daktyl made me sit up in my chair. It’s got just the amount of re-production, while staying faithful to the original. The bass seems to laze along, but crests properly, giving an almost anthem feel to the future trap.
Midweek Music: Sorsari, ZHU, Lido, Campuskit, Enschway
I am so glad I this track exists. It’s a superb remix of a melody that is near & dear to my heart. This theme from Chrono Trigger (from the Realm of Magic I believe) was an ethereal, lofty, tease that so many of us loved growing up. This chilled trap rework adds an atmospheric quality that could never have exist on the SNES. The source material is used honorably, going places I only dreamed about after playing the damn game for 8hrs at a time. Great for a Sunday morning or the last tune of the night.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony hung out with ZHU. I’m a little late on this tip but if you haven’t heard this, it’s crossover with the boys from Cleveland. They pull in Trombone Shorty for a surprisingly uptempo jazzy tune for the Bone Thugs. It works well and I’m happy to hear them out of retirement. If ZHU is bringing rappers back from the dead I think he needs to hang out with Biggie & Tupac’s holograms next.
Lido & Santell may have created the Mambo #5 of the 10’s. For anyone who doesn’t know who Louie Vega is and/or didn’t listen to pop radio in the late 90’s, this tune oozes sexy. To the point where it may make you or other people listening uncomfortable. Or possibly accelerate Netflix & Chill. Your mileage may vary. Use with caution.
Another release from the always excellent Stoney Roads Soundcloud, Campuskit is a fresh sound from down under. The synth powers are strong with this one, and he definitely earned my attention with this remix. It’s got a shimmering, almost chippy future bass tune. Great work, and it’s novel artists like this that keep me loving what I do.
Enschway takes it away on this last remix. Another gem from Stoney Roads, this Future Trap anthem bursts with emotion and doesn’t let up. It’s got a Madeon, or dare I say even a Porter Robinson feel to it. The composition & production seems effortless and the soulful work put into the vocals makes the track pop in your ears. It’s a real feast for the senses and makes me excited for everything this kid from Sydney has in store for us. Honestly, this is so good, I’ve gotta share a bonus track. It’s a bit more recent, so put it and the previous one into your face!
Midweek Music: SG Lewis, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Farzam & Joman
Another week, another set of reasons to get up and dance. There’s a big range here, but each track definitely gives you a unique vibe and reason to groove. Without further ado, grab your volume control and dive in with me!
SG Lewis tugs at the heartstrings with this one. This future garage triumph takes the recently released Magnets, off Caracal by Disclosure ft. Lorde, adds its own delicious spin and some powerfully relaxed vibes. It’s takes a lot to fuck with Disclosure if your name isn’t Flume, but this is executed well. The break at 1:50 is unexpected but totally welcome. Drift away on this one.
There are things I never thought I’d say when I started writing, and “Here is the new Armin Van Buuren & Cosmic Gate collab” is certainly not one of them. This kind of stab at a classic trance vibe, Armin-ified is packed with shimmering nostalgia. The punch and ethereal feel is a throw back to trance that we listened to a decade ago. While it’s definitely more of a festival banger than anything from that era, that’s really only because we’ve actually got festivals outside of Amsterdam now. A huge tune I expect to hear in sets for months, blast this. Annoy coworkers & significant others with it, this one is worth it folks.
Continuing the classic trance vibe, Ferry Corsten released his remix of Ayla’s Ayla from 1999 on Soundcloud. Ninety fucking nine! The world was entirely different back then. Anyone who knows Ferry can tell just how long ago this collab with Vincent de Moor took place. The two break structure, the restrained production, the deep Northern Europe feel, it’s all there. If people want to know what dance music sounded like a generation ago that filled stadiums, you play them this.
Switching gears entirely, coming back into the future to a track released two days ago by a producer from Germany with Arabic vocals. This kind of melodic dubstep is really easy to screw up, but FARZAM does spectacular work on this tune. He seems to be a producer of cinematic, trance-y, stepp-y tracks and a gifted one at that. It’s a wonderful effort and I really want to hear more like what’s happening at 2:14. It’s a gorgeous sound that the world needs to hear. Enjoy it & thank him for making it.
Last but certainly not least, I’ve gotta give it up for Joman. Ever since he made the greatest dubstep remix that has ever been and ever will be made in the history of dubstep remixes, I’ve kept a close eye on this guy, occasionally being a somewhat creepy cheerleader. But, he continues to hit his stride and pushing the edge of his skills. This new tune is no exception. It’s a wobbly electro feeling tune with a hard driving progressive edge. This is usually a genre and a toolset I can’t take seriously, but like TheFatRat and Madeon, he’s using the shimmering chords and the vocals appropriately, while backing them up with a well derived punchy beat. The dubby breakdown at 2:30 reminds everyone that Joman can produce with the best of them and deserves your attention. I’m gonna keep repping this dude, and not just because he’s a Master of Karate & Friendship.Beneath a Neon Sky is a certified banger that is going to get picked up.
Midweek Music: A-Trak, GRMM, Mt. Eden, Liem & Stephen
You know the score, another week, another quintet of tunes. A nice mix of new hotness from a bunch of different places, so turn on, tune in and vibe out.
A-Trak is one of the last remaining DJ Jedi in this time of crisis. His Fool’s Gold label continues to be a bastion of quality and his Duck Sauce side project with Armand Van Helden brings funky joy to the world. This tune with Jamie Lidell fuses his impeccable timing with vintage funk and euphoric vocals. It gets better with each listen, you’ll see.
GRMM has consistently impressed me with his post-EDM sensibilities. He joins up with Father Dude, a featured vocalist I’m seeing around more and more each month. They come together to create a dope little Future track that perfectly captures what things can sound like when you really get out of the box. The rest of the Die Young EP, that this track is on, isn’t bad either, so don’t miss it.
This Spooky Black remix by Mt. Eden is a symphonic bout of melancholy we all have around this time of year. The Soulful Trap vibe that radiates from this track gives us all a wistful look at the changing of the seasons, thinking too much about things long past. It’s further proof that Mt. Eden continue to be a source for inspiration & inventive production work, years after their original remix EP swept the globe.
Liem came out of nowhere with this UK Garage tune that you could just put on and leave on. It’s a soothing club track that fits perfectly into a surprising amount of sets I’ve heard recently. I don’t know who this Liem is, but they sure can mix.
A vocalist known only as Stephen pushed out this interesting mix between euphoria & indietronica. There’s a chill in it to match the Fall air and a little bit of that “Lean On” feel that’s been infecting a number of tracks lately. Enjoy it and everything else you’ve heard today!
Midweek Music: Yellow@TheLight, Kasbo, Zisotto, Naderi & Soulwax!
As the temperature drops & the hoodies start making an appearance, it’s time for another 5 tracks for your midweek music fix. A mix of up & down, but all future fresh. Enjoy!
Hang Massive is such a gorgeous track. Dropped by the globetrotting surfer/DJ Yellow@TheLight, this is one you want to put on after a long day. Pour a nice glass of red wine, light a cigar and let it just smooth you out.
The only thing better than a Kasbo remix is a Kasbo original. This one features scintillating bass and a heavy dose of feels. Smartly mastered & including a no-bullshit free download, it’s just another example of Kasbo doing exactly what he needs to as he climbs the charts. Watch him get legit festival slots next summer, you heard it here first.
Switching gears, this tune by Zisotto is one to vibe out to. Highly meditative and reminiscent of the most ethereal parts of Chrono Trigger, I’m delighted to be recommending an Overclocked Remix, as this site was crucial to broadening my aural horizons back in the 2000’s. This 9 minute sonata is a lush, complex masterwork of ambient homage. Turn this on and drift away my friends. You won’t regret it.
This Naderi remix of a Keys N Krates banger hits all the right notes. It’s got the Future Bass feel we’ve all been jonesing for recently, highlighting Katy B’s stellar vocal work. It’s dark & gorgeous, with just a touch of the edge that keeps it from getting too cutesy or poppy. Naderi’s made a great first impression on me here, definitely getting added to some playlists.
Soulwax & Tame Impala. I was skeptical at first, but within seconds, my fears were banished. Soulwax slips a funky motif into the mix and we’re all better for it. Soulwax is one of those luminaries in the field, and reworking the masterful Tame Impala was a tall order. But they nailed it.
Terry Gotham 