January 2021 – BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

“Stories” is a charming, hopeful ode to past relationships from NYC-based singer/songwriter Victor Perry @wallflowerperry

VICTOR PERRY, “Stories”

The prolific Victor Perry offers his first solo release since last year’s EP Rewind with “Stories”. It’s a charming and hopeful ode to past relationships that weren’t meant to be. We can only think that those past friends and lovers that we will never see and who aren’t connected to anyone else we know will speak about us in our favour. It’s a cool observation and Victor conveys it with his always welcome earnestness and eloquence. Victor’s vast talents can traverse almost any style and genre, but his solo pop/R&B releases open another very inviting door which we otherwise don’t get to see through. Collaborating with German producers/songwriters Cal1 and l’essay has delivered a seamless execution. Like Victor’s songs on Rewind, particularly “What I Deserve”, “Stories” is one grower to soak in and let linger.

Check out “Sugar”, the catchy, teasing pop/dance release from Dance Yourself Clean @DYCtonight and Michael Medrano @stachepapi

DANCE YOURSELF CLEAN x MICHAEL MEDRANO, “Sugar”

“Sugar” sparkles like all of the glitz and glamour we imagine when we think of the warm fantasyland that is Los Angeles. It’s a fun, teasing pop confection brought to you by Seattle producers Dance Yourself Clean and SoCal vocalist/songwriter Michael Medrano. We’ve heard Michael move from style to style pretty effortlessly over the past few years, and “Sugar” is a winner that would be played in clubs if they were open. The production draws from 70’s disco flavours and Michael’s falsetto gives it a huge lift.

Check out “Don’t”, dreamy electronic pop from Miami’s @calicamusic and Chicago producer Daniel Loumpouridis

CALICA and DANIEL LOUMPOURIDIS, “Don’t”

Calica is a singer/songwriter/producer from Miami who has paired up with Chicago songwriter/producer/arranger Daniel Loumpouridis for “Don’t”, which is culled from their EP called Lens. It’s dreamy, almost low-key psychedelic and 80’s flavoured sophisticated pop for those who enjoy their music tastes outside of the mainstream. Calica is a graduate of the University of Miami Frost School of Music who broke out within the last year on Tik Tok when an excerpt of her song “Little Girl” went viral. She’s also recorded and collaborated with Grammy-nominated dance producers SMLE, whose music has graced these blog pages. At age 17, Daniel Loumpouridis co-produced and co-wrote Louis The Child’s breakout hit “It’s Strange” (featuring K-Flay) and received notice from Taylor Swift and Lorde, among others. He hasn’t looked back since, becoming a one-guy A&R, recruiting talent for the likes of Alex Da Kid. So with Calica’s well-honed vocal landscapes and Daniel’s layered electronic textures, it will be no surprise if this collaboration receives enough traction to quickly move them out of the indie scene, making it a good time for you to get to know them through “Don’t”.

UK singer/songwriter @KarenHarding meets UK producer @ShiftK3Y for pop/dance treat “Morning”

KAREN HARDING x SHIFT K3Y, “Morning”

Karen Harding mixes it up by following two heavier, sophisticated-sounding deep house bangers, “Undo My Heart” and “Let’s Get Together”, with the spry “Morning”, in collaboration with UK producer ShiftK3Y. The son of 80’s rock musician and dance producer Chas Jankel (“Glad To Know You”), Shift K3Y, like Karen, has had his taste of singles success with catchy gems like “I Know” in recent years. “Morning” is a fast-moving, uncomplicated pop/dance track which shows off both Karen’s vocal power and range. It contemplates letting loose and being so wrapped up with your partner and stuck in deep moments that you lose track of time and don’t even care if morning comes. I’d pitch “Morning” to fans of Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, as well as dance music contemporaries like Vassy and Becky Hill – it has loads of potential for either genre.

Australia’s Beamish Brothers take on corporate greed in “Dollar At The Heart”

THE BEAMISH BROTHERS, “Dollar At The Heart”

Australia’s Ben and Jeremy Beamish continue to prove that they, as The Beamish Brothers, are talents to keep your eyes and ears on with their latest alt.pop/rock single “Dollar At The Heart”. Once again using soul-flavoured melodies and provocative, well-thought lyrics as with their last release “Nature”, the brothers keep sounding better with each song – Jeremy’s vocal runs and Ben’s almost acapella solo in particular being highlights. “Dollar At The Heart” is timely because it focuses on corporate greed, something that doesn’t even let up for a second during a pandemic when so many people are living in recessions and when some are losing everything they have. As a counterpoint to the serious subject matter, the video for “Dollar At The Heart”, which appears to be set in the 80’s given the fashion, telephones, and computer work stations, is a hoot as office workers unite to bring down the big cheese. Ahhh, fantasy 😉

Jamaica’s own @OMImusic returns with @StudioKillers and “Party Like It’s Your Birthday”

OMI and STUDIO KILLERS, “Party Like It’s Your Birthday”

Following up his fun Fall-but-should-have-been-Summer hit “Rollercoaster” is Jamaican singer/songwriter OMI who reworks Studio Killers’ 2018 release “Party Like It’s Your Birthday”. This is simply cool electronic dance music to keep you in a great mood, no more, no less. OMI’s cheery vocal and the video, which plays out a party on a yacht, lead the way set to Studio Killers’ music. Studio Killers of course are are the European/UK internet phenomenon created for animated characters, similar to Gorillaz but more focused on electronic dance pop. OMI’s version elevates the song, which you can expect to hear sometime in clubs whenever they resume.

Your new theme song: Toronto electronic dance producer @RyShepherdmusic’s latest is “Hello Sunday” featuring UK singer/songwriter Caitlyn Scarlett @CaitlynSmusic

RYAN SHEPHERD and CAITLYN SCARLETT, “Hello Sunday”

Give yourself one day a week to let go and enjoy yourself during these difficult times when many places are in lockdown or under many restrictions. “Hello Sunday” is your theme song where you can “focus on yourself” (check out the lyric video above). It’s brought to you by Toronto producer Ryan Shepherd, no stranger to these blog pages or my personal chart where his huge release with Loud Luxury, a rework of Craig David’s “Fill Me In”, reached #1 and now has over 36 million streams on Spotify alone. To help lift people up and gently persuade them to assist Toronto’s declining bar, restaurant and nightclub businesses, as well as local and national charities, Ryan had weekly “Hello Sunday” fundraiser shows on Twitch and Instagram last year, and his much-praised philanthropy has already raised over $20,000. The song is co-written with UK singer Caitlyn Scarlett (who has sung on tracks by Rudimental and Jack Wins), a real pick-me-up that will help and inspire people away from being down too often. Let’s hope Ryan’s goodwill continues to spread and that we’ll see more of the “Hello Sunday” shows this year.

Feel-good song of the winter: “Push Up The Fader” by NYC’s @SIRPAUL

SIRPAUL, “Push Up The Fader”

“Push Up The Fader” has got a vibrant, contagious enthusiasm about it, as brought to you by the singer/songwriter who knows NYC dance music the best, SIRPAUL! It follows up last year’s retro-sounding “Out Of Our Minds”, which was his first song in four years, and will also appear on his upcoming album Escapist Behavior. And there’s good reason for the giddiness in “Fader”.

SIRPAUL says: “I heard all of this really loud noise happening outside. I realized it was 7 pm and that the sound was everyone cheering for the essential workers. After feeling so isolated during [lockdown], 7 pm had become a moment I looked forward to every night. It was one of the only times when I felt connected to the rest of the world during such a difficult time. I stopped recording and ran out to join in. It was unusually loud that night and some people were banging pots and pans together. Some of my neighbors must be musicians as well because they were playing some really dope beats! I grabbed my phone and started recording while we all were cheering. You can hear that moment in the breakdown of “Push Up The Fader“. It gives me the chills every time I hear it.”

Music is here for you to release and put your head (and feet) in another space. “Push Up The Fader” is guaranteed to do just that, and I look forward to what’s next from the upcoming album!

Enjoy the frenetic techno-flavoured pace of “Love Is Never Ever Wrong” by Italy’s @DJMirkoB

DJ MIRKO B, “Love Is Never Ever Wrong”

The frenetic pace of “Love Is Never Ever Wrong” will be absolute gold to rave lovers, who are missing their regular electronic music fix. It’s another offering from the prolific Italian producer DJ Mirko B, who follows up his recent techno rework of his own song “Let Me In”. “Love Is Never Ever Wrong”, featuring a captivating uncredited female vocal, is a crazy fusion of Italohouse and techno, and it will leave you breathless, particularly if you’re used to a little headbanging at electronic dance shows. With “Love Is Never Ever Wrong”, you won’t be sitting still for long!

Renown French producer @Tchami remixes “Freefall” by @whethanmusic and @olivertree into a hybrid rock-dance anthem

WHETHAN and OLIVER TREE, “Freefall” (Tchami remix)

More so over the last few years than ever, electronic dance music has been mingling quite favourably with other genres of music. One could say, for example, that the ‘sadboi’ style is a fusion of progressive rock and electronic dance. Chicago producer Whethan released his album Fantasy last year, which spans the gamut, featuring a variety of other artists. Like last year’s infectious “All In My Head”, which featured Canadian singer/songwriter grandson, “Freefall” is alt.rock at its roots, this time relying on vocals by the often outrageous Oliver Tree. Masterful French producer Tchami has managed to temper the rock flavours in favour of a dynamite deep house mix, and it works extremely well. In fact, the remix likely turns “Freefall” into more of an emotional anthem than in its original version, since it leaves Oliver’s vocals intact and surrounds them with big, super fun beats. So you can call “Freefall” new alt.rock electronic dance fusion at its best!