Monthly Archives: January 2018

Killa pair: @ZHUmusic meets @Ekalimusic for dramatic, pulsating “Blame”

EKALI & ZHU, “Blame” (free DL)

The ever-mysterious ZHU and Vancouver’s Ekali know how to bring it big individually, but together the intensity is full on with “Blame”.  It’s a cinematic-sounding song, starting off quietly but ultimately full of drama and powerful, orchestral synths to balance ZHU’s slight but always recognizable tones.  I’m not sure if this is a one-off or if there will be more, but “Blame” is off to a great start out of the gate thanks to fans of both with lots of Spotify plays and a Top 5 Electronic single on iTunes already.  It’s also available as a free download for now – go to the Soundcloud link above and find the download link in the description.

“Just A Kid” is joyous pop/dance from @TwoFriendsmusic featuring #KevinWriter that gives back

TWO FRIENDS featuring KEVIN WRITER, “Just A Kid”

Continuing with more originals as they started last year with their EP Out Of Love, L.A.-based producers Two Friends put a special spin on their latest single “Just A Kid”, once again featuring vocalist Kevin Writer.  This joyous slice of pop features contributions from kids from the program United In Harmony, for homeless children, which Matt and Eli participated in back in 2016.  Proceeds from the song also give back to the summer camp run by United In Harmony.  That aside, the anthemic song is on-point for a kid-friendly vibe that will appeal to any age.  I think it’s perfect for the Radio Disney audience but has enough power to win over club audiences too.  Check it out at the link above.

Two Friends are in the midst of their “Just A Kid” tour, which stops in Peterborough, Ontario on Saturday, January 20 at Aria.

Newcomers @BeauCollins & #Osrin offer sophisticated and pretty “Wonderland” featuring @allaboutMaggie

BEAU COLLINS & OSRIN featuring MAGGIE SZABO, “Wonderland”

It’s another global collaboration, this time newcomer producers Beau Collins from The Netherlands and Sweden’s Osrin with the sophisticated and pretty “Wonderland”.  Not only does “Wonderland” have layers of interesting synths and drops in all the right places, it features an appropriately gracious vocal by award-winning Canadian singer Maggie Szabo, who is now based out of L.A.  That vocal is always on point, and I enjoy that that producers have kept it a little gritty in spots.  The signs are all pointing to 2018 being a year filled with futuristic emotional electronic pop, whether sad or uplifting, and “Wonderland” is off to an early start in that regard.  And if these guys are as young as they look, then we’ll be hearing plenty more of Beau Collins and Osrin.

It’s a @Spirixmusic remix for “I Want You” by @Robotaki & @ManilaKilla featuring @MatthewJohnKurz

ROBOTAKI & MANILA KILLA featuring MATTHEW JOHN KURZ, “I Want You” (Spirix remix) (free DL)

Young L.A.-based producer/remixer Spirix has scored with a handful of both originals and remixes while he continues in college, with every one of them offering a somewhat signature sound that will serve him well going forward.  To me, Spirix actually improves on the original of “I Want You” by the awesome duo of Robotaki and Manila Killa (of Hotel Garuda), featuring a killer vocal by Matthew John Kurz, who himself has appeared in these blog pages a number of times.  It’s all about ear-dropping future bass beats and high end synths, so very complimentary to Matthew’s heartfelt vocal.  “I Want You” was a pre-holiday remix gift from Spirix, so get it while you can at the link above.

L.A.-based @Teffler has a well-rounded winner with “Never Let Me Go” with @iamDane8

TEFFLER & D.A.N.E., “Never Let Me Go”

Unless you recall the days of having a ‘formula’ for a hit record, songs that have both pop and electronica dance mixes that work for their audiences don’t come around too often.  L.A.-based Teffler and Chicago’s D.A.N.E. are two producer/DJ/songwriters who have tapped into something quite good with both the radio edit and club edit of “Never Let Me Go” for Wall Recordings.  Teffler has already been bringing the goods for a number of years as a DJ – an outlet for his own anxieties, many will relate! – remixer and songwriter for the likes of Ellie Goulding and Nathan Sykes. Featuring the sweet sizzle of an uncredited vocal by Christa Gniadek, the radio edit grabs the longing of the lyrics and leads them towards the bounce of the chorus, whereas the club edit focuses less on the lyrics and more on a classic piano 90’s flavoured house melody to make it pretty darned irresistible for clubs and dance radio shows.  Check out both versions at the Spotify link above.

Clever and sunny “In The Mood” scores for Belgian producers @HenriPFR and @RomeoBlanco featuring Canada’s @beingVeronica

HENRI PFR & ROMEO BLANCO featuring VERONICA, “In The Mood”

“In The Mood” combines many winning elements to make a sunny pop and dance hit for the winter month.  It comes together courtesy of Belgium’s Henri PFR and Romeo Blanco featuring a delightful vocal by Canadian Family Channel favourite Veronica.  It’s already a Top 30 chart hit in Belgium (Sony is behind it there), with Canada (where it’s an independent release) not far behind with lots of initial pop radio support thanks to Veronica’s presence as well as having Canadian songwriters.  The video for “In The Mood” is also both sly and enjoyable and well worth a watch at the link above.  I think you’ll be hearing “In The Mood” a lot over the next several months.  Some dance remixes would also enhance its staying power!

Have fun with two doses of @Throttle and @Nikomakesbeats, with “Piñata” and a cover of @JTimberlake’s “Signs”

THROTTLE x NIKO THE KID, “Piñata” and “Signs” (which is a free download above)

My but Australia’s Throttle and recent Grammy-nominee Niko The Kid (for his work on Odesza’s album) make a perfect playful pair with two recent releases, “Piñata” and a cover of the Snoop Dogg/Justin Timberlake collaboration “Signs”.  “Piñata” definitely takes some cues from the Martin Garrix school of fun deep house instrumentals, which will make you pine for arid sunshine and margaritas with a DJ spinning tunes on the side.  “Signs” is quite far removed from the 2003 hip hop/pop original, trading R&B rhythms for lighter, feel-good summery vibes, really only recognizable through its lyrics.  The guys gifted this one to us on New Year’s Day so you can download it for free above.  After some remixes as well as these two releases, maybe we’ll see a joint tour for Throttle and Niko The Kid one day!  

“I Wish U Heaven”, a YouTube playlist tribute to Prince, features @DarrenHayes’ stunning cover

DARREN HAYES, “I Wish U Heaven”

Rarely do I write about songs made available online-only, but when it means a new Darren Hayes vocal, then exceptions are made!  We’ve had no new music from Darren since 2011, while he works on other projects, making the occasional brief live appearance (such as the one I was lucky to see in April 2016 in L.A.).  Debuting on Christmas Day, in case you missed it, Darren seamlessly covers Prince’s brief “I Wish U Heaven”, originally from the 1988 Lovesexy album.  The song wasn’t a North American hit but did well overseas, particularly in the UK.  With a minimal arrangement of strings and piano, Darren’s vocal lovingly pays tribute to pop’s purple hero.  It’s not the first time Darren has covered Prince.  In concert 10 years ago as part of the Time Machine tour, which I saw in Toronto, he dazzled us by incorporating Prince’s “Baby I’m A Star” into a medley with his own playful funky pop of “Pop!ular”.  Perhaps we will see a video of it one day.  While I encourage you to check out Darren’s cover above, you can also listen to the entire “I Wish U Heaven” playlist right here.

Eurohouse flair shines through in “Moves” by #BigFish featuring @MikeGomesmusic

BIG FISH featuring MIKE GOMES, “Moves”

If you like your tropical house with add Euro flair, then you will particularly enjoy “Moves” by Italy’s Big Fish for Tipsy Recordings.  Though the artist is new, the song does a great job of selling itself with its totally engaging melody and slick production.  It also has this vibrant vocal by Mike Gomes of American duo Xuitcasecity – not an entirely unexpected place for Mike to show up, as you’ll remember Xuitcasecity’s memorable presence last year on “Runaway” by Spirix.  “Moves” is an easy add for club DJ’s who want to encourage their audience to strut their stuff rather than simply watch the DJ at work.  Check it out at the link above.