Midweek Music: White Boys, MitiS, GRMM, Lookas, KSHMR & Vaski

These Irish guys said they’d let me know when their new single was out and they came through. This is a funky, indie flavored track that really makes me want to go to the party this was filmed at. Excellent effort by White Boys, and I can’t wait to see where they go with this sound. Here’s to hoping they invite me to the next party. I’ll show up. Even if it’s in Dublin. That kind of scene is totally worth a hop across the pond for.

GRMM is an Australian stunner on Hegemon records. This future tune took me by surprise. It almost shimmers as it smooths along the avenue. Travolta Cool is such a clever title for a relaxed track like this. Now I’ll be following this dude around the internet like the weird, creepy sonic stalker I am.

MitiS is a force of nature. I don’t care if you’ve followed him for years like I have, or if this is the first time you’ve heard one of his tunes. His signature fusion of electro, progressive, trance & chillout make him an act to remember. I interviewed him way back when. Who knows if he even remembers now that he’s a big star. If you don’t know why, put Forever into your face.

This Song Is Sick debuted a stupendous chillstep track this weekend. KSHMR & Vaski collab with Francisca Hall for a lovely, edgy dubstep track that keeps it taut. This one is some new hotness that should be getting a lot of attention this week already.

 Lookas keeps things real, and I’m so glad to hear some originals from this guy after a string of dope remixes. This kind of anthem trap that gives you hope for the future and doesn’t remind me of white guys with dreadlocks at all. When it could be performed live with a drum line you know it’s dope.

Midnight Music: Just A Gent – Pure Imagination [Future Bass]

Just A Gent - Pure Imagination

Just A Gent – Pure Imagination

Just A Gent continues to blow me away. I am just going to expect every new remix & original track to be stupendous. He sits down at the piano and doesn’t get up until we’ve seen one of the best re-imaginings of Willy Wonka’s Pure Imagination (performed by Gene Wilder of course) since the film. The synth work at 50 sec rambles around in the sky and echoes through the rest of the track. A lovely fusion of sun-drenched vibe, piano and amazing future bass, this is an instant classic. I also bet you’ll get people who don’t like EDM that are really into it when they hear it. This is a great intro track for those leery friends who went to Governor’s Ball for Drake & Lana Del Ray but think deadmau5 is weird. Just A Gent is a gem that’s blossoming into one of the most exciting sounds in dance music. 

Midnight Music: Haven – The Truth Is, I Love You [Dream Bass]

Haven - The Truth Is, I Love You

Haven – The Truth Is, I Love You

Haven is blowing me away. This track got picked up by Insight Music, this splendid little chillstep, downtempo, ambient, future garage & bass label out of the UK I follow. Their monthly compilations are a dreamy mix of up & coming underground artists always has something interesting. This one made me stop what I was doing and pay attention. The massive low end & heart-wrenching vocals scream for this to be played live on a significant system to give it the sternum-vibrating live experience we all know it can deliver. I really want to hear more from this guy. Haven is from Stockholm, which is apparently where Dream Bass is made of. This is a cloud of emotion being vibrated by a subwoofer. It understands you, doesn’t judge, and may cry with you if you start. This is a track I want to make a music video or a party concept around. See someone walk through a crazy, dreamy party experience with this in the background, or a chill space with this kind of aural & visual aesthetic. What do you say? Would you come? Apparently he works in NYC, so I kind of want to hire them to spin an afterparty now.

Midnight Music: Huntar – Autumn [Future Garage]

Huntar - Autumn

Huntar – Autumn

Starting the week off with some fire from Annie Mac. A 21yr old named Huntar pushed out this crazy good track, a mix of pop, indie, future & garage elements coming together in a moody gorgeous way. I’m thinking “producer & vocalist” is going to become the new “singer/songwriter” when it comes to the way we’re going to describe things in the future. It’s a fun, bobbing tune from an up & comer that I totally wouldn’t have heard without Ms. Mac giving me the scoop on this. It’s got a great UK garage’y house feel, with some more of an early Disclosure vibe than I thought it would. It definitely holds up on repeat listenings, so make sure to hit up the page for your free DL. Huntar is young, but the tune hit #1 on HypeM, so don’t count him out just yet. This track surprised me, and it may just surprise you.

Midnight Music: UV boi ft. Fionn Richards & Brasstracks فوق بنفسجي – LUV [Aussie Bass]

UV Boi ft Brasstracks & Fionn Richards - LUV

UV boi ft. Fionn Richards & Brasstracks فوق بنفسجي – LUV

I’mobsessed with how future this track is. There’s so much to like about UV boi, and it’s on display here (By the way, the Arabic says ultraviolet.). From the perfect collaboration to the perfect future trap sounds, to the cell phone typing on the beat the whole time, this is the new hotness. The Brasstracks adding their emerging horn jams to the windswept vocals by Fionn Richards and UV boi takes it from there. He takes it and runs with it. There’s a neo-spiritual feel to this, while it also identifies as footwork and future bass. This is why I love the stuff coming out of Down Under. It’s so free from corporate dumb-assery, it takes so many more risks. C’mon, can you imagine anyone but The Chainsmokers adding texting sounds to a track? And then adding them to a future jazz track? I don’t think so. UV Boi makes it happen and we’re all better for it.

Earworm Of The Month: Tielsie – Hueboy (DJ Clap Remix) [Chip Footwork]

Tielsie - Hueboy (DJ Clap Remix)Music that makes me sit up in my chair, music that’s different than anything I’ve heard before, that’s what I’m here for. Tielsie does some amazing work in what I can only describe as the future footwork space. This kind of stuff isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s some of the most inventive post-hardcore sounds I’ve heard in a long time. DJ Clap (aka John Luke) adds his own signature chipcore sound to a tune from Tielsie called Hueboy. It starts off soothing, but then ramps up in energy to the point where it’s essentially vibrating. 1:40 to 2:11 is the future footwork that is unmatched by any. However, 2:11 exceeds even that, giving me the sonic equivalent of running inside of a Mega Man X cartridge. This is so frenetic it’s almost downright soothing. When things got too crazy or frenetic over the past month, I’ve thrown this into my face & drifted away. Everything else melts away. Steel yourself for June!

Bonus! The original track by Tielsie is below! Enjoy them both, but watch out, they bite 🙂

Midnight Music: Flume ft. Andrew Wyatt – Some Minds [Future]

Flume ft. Andrew Wyatt – Some Minds

Flume is back! Stop what you’re doing and listen to this song/watch this video. The music video is hauntingly effective at showcasing the increasingly complex sound Flume is known for the world over. There’s a lot of what looks like drone footage, juxtaposed with Flume moving along the way the heads in DBZ float around. There’s a reverence for the performance hall, specifically the Sydney Opera House in this. It matches the echoic, soulful future vibe of the track perfectly. Andrew Wyatt’s impressive chops support the “almost breaks it’s so future” provided by Flume in a way that is amazing.

And then 3:15 happens and he blows us and that away. The transition into the drip drop synth work is shocking and reminds us that he’s never to be underestimated or even anticipated. The movements seem to organically shift as the video effects person Flume got clearly knew what they were doing. It’s silky smooth, contrasted with the jutting nature of the synth. Absolutely magnificent. But, what did you expect. It’s Flume. If you do one thing this summer, pay money to see Flume. I know you won’t be disappointed.

Midnight Music: Nero – The Thrill (Porter Robinson Remix)

Nero - The Thrill (Porter Robinson Remix)

Nero – The Thrill (Porter Robinson Remix)

Yea, this collab needs to happen way more often. The track of today could only be Porter Robinson’s stunning remix of The Thrill by Nero. The remix hits this apex when it comes to production, stupendous production values, respect of the original work & blowing the lid off of it at the same time. The arpeggio work is second to none, with Porter reminding everyone he creates soundscapes, not songs. This shimmering remix is one of the first true post-Big Room offerings that aren’t gimmicky. This type of Future Electro really has a shot at unseating the idiocy of Brolectro & Big Room. The power goes crazy, but he never loses control. Porter has shown he can be a master at the massive yet crystalline & this new release is no exception. Put it into your face post haste. At this point, it’s so good & good for you it might as well have Vitamin C in it. (via This Song Is Sick)

Midnight Music: Vices & Jailo & BrassTracks & K.B. Starr – We Bout It

So, I’m kind of annoyed at my West Coast people. They didn’t tell me about Moving Castle, this stunning label that’s been making waves at SXSW this year. They just dropped their 4th compilation of future hotness and I wanted to bring you this highlight. This tune combines so many of my favorite things. We’ve got future bass, brass, syncopation, appropriate vocal work & quite a fun set of vibes. This is the kind of work I really like seeing from the EDM universe. The collab between the half dozen pieces of talent that honestly need to keep working together. Hit up the soundcloud page and show some love to these guys on Facebook & Instagram, because you’re going to be hearing way more from Moving Castle in the coming months. 

Midnight Music: M83 – Midnight City (SAINT WKND Remix)

M83 - Midnight City (Saint WKND Remix)M83 is one of the most important groups in recent memory way too many EDM fans have never heard of. SAINT WKND comes through with a future bass remix of M83’s triumph Midnight City. It’s a synthetic masterpiece. The track positions SAINT WKND in a realm that only a few artists, such as MitiS, Just A Gent, & a few others have gotten to when it comes to this kind of position. This means you need to check out his mix here and start keeping your ear out for when this one starts getting booked. Because with remix chops like this, it’s just a matter of time for this German upstart.