“Useless” has arrived from Two Friends and Emily Vaughn just in time for Matt and Eli to start playing clubs again, for their music is meant to be enjoyed and played loud in person. Having the increasingly familiar voice of Emily Vaughn aboard to lend an engaging and sympathetic vocal on “Useless” is a huge bonus – she recently sang on Taska Black’s Top 20 dance hit “Easier”, as well as on Smallpools’ cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” and Gareth Emery’s “You Are”. Her voice plus the vibrant synth arpeggios, which are getting to be a trademark of many of Two Friends’ releases, are what will pull you in and keep you there. Summer is here and Two Friends will make you sweat it out to their distinct brand of fun. All three performers feature prominently in their “day at the pool” video up top.
Back in early May, I wrote about Indian producer Ashwyn‘s rock flavoured electronic track “Sell My Soul”, which features awesome guitar work and an intriguing story sung with a committed vocal. Continuing to find gaps to tell his own musical story, Ashwyn has followed up “Sell My Soul” with the decidedly different “Déjà Vu”. This one is likely to appeal to rock music fans even more than “Sell My Soul”, while still capturing progressive electronic music fans’ attention with its rich production which would sound fantastic in a stadium setting. With a big nod to Pink Floyd, the song starts with two minutes of instrumentation before Ashwyn’s vocal kicks in to tell the story about looking outside of the box while routine and history repeat themselves. Amid the beautiful instrumentation are the sounds of a live string quartet orchestrated by Spanish composer Pedro Osuna. “Déjà Vu” is all about mystery, quality and experience, and the real instruments give the song warmth and depth. It’s hardly what you might have expected after “Sell My Soul” and might be a transitional release as a result, but there’s no denying that Ashwyn’s music can stand apart from the rest and hold its own.
“Nature” is out to grab your attention from its first few bars and a standout blend of pop, dance and soul. It’s brought to you by the global collaboration of Portuguese producers Dubio, German producer Toniia, and American vocalist/ songwriter Brandon Rogers, who many of you will remember as a Top 12 finalist on “American Idol” in season six (Jordin Sparks won that year). The style here is edgier and grittier than the usual dance release, but it’s a perfect match for its backstory about being at ease and comfortable as yourself, with all of your strengths and weaknesses, which helps put anxieties and self/society-inflected pressures at bay. Brandon is also an eloquent and powerful songwriter – he co-wrote Troye Sivan’s “Happy Little Pill” among others. Dubio are relatively new faces to the dance music world, having established themselves out of Portugal with some major label releases. The more seasoned Toniia, whose own “Only Human” was recently remixed by Brazil’s RAMAH, added his distinct, progressive touches, making for a compelling release that still goes down easy.
My10/10 feature is back with edition #18, the first 10/10 since April. There are just so many fine releases out right now and I don’t want to cast any aside that deserve your attention.
For those not familiar with10/10, I write about 10 hot and fresh songs in no particular order, for your kind consideration and attention. I continue to write individual blog posts about certain songs. That does not mean that songs in the 10/10 lists are any less than those featured individually, and they are not listed in any particular order. Writing 10/10 posts means I can cover more songs in one shot. So you get to learn about more new music that I hear but don’t always get a chance to write about.
I must say that edition #18 has quite the global variety of musical flavours for you to check out!
JAROD GLAWE and ROBIN VANE, “Belong To You”
Chicago producer/songwriter/engineer Jarod Glawe is still a relative newcomer to the music scene, but he’s moved very quickly to receive remixes by the likes of Thomas Gold and AMPM, and to start his own Sony The Orchard-distributed label, Blu Ember Music. “Belong To You” is the first release, and you might has well start off with a bang. It’s a gorgeous deep house track full of emotion that’s heavily reliant on the vocal by Dutch singer/songwriter Robin Vane. Together Jarod and Robin are a dynamic force. Outside of the song’s chorus, Robin’s voice at times reminds me of Dan Smith of Bastille when he sang “Happier”, but he has soulful edges that perfectly suit the warmth of this song. “Belong To You” is a delightful surprise waiting for you to hear it.
AUTOGRAF and WIN & WOO and SINGA, “Break Me Down”
Two of Chicago’s finest house production teams unite for “Break Me Down”. The duos of Autograf and Win & Woo have released some of their best music within the last two years, particularly Autograf’s “Ain’t Deep Enough” and Win & Woo’s “Sleepwalking” (both landing in the Top 10 of my personal chart last year), so it’s intriguing to hear the results of their collaboration. “Break Me Down” is a fairly easy going but atmospheric chill house track with lots of interesting synth sounds and an expressive vocal by Philadelphia’s SINGA. It would be fitting to play this song early on in a club set to get the crowd moving. Autograf and Win & Woo have given “Break Me Down” lots of layers that pull you in and keep you listening (and dancing).
AIBAI and COLBY HANSEN, “Aura”
“Aura” is a lilting and melodic slice of electronic pop from Minnesota, courtesy of producer Aibai and singer Colby Hansen. While the song narrates a queer relationship about being smitten with a cute girl while out dancing and wantingto dance with her, it is easily relatable for all genders. It leaves to chance about whether or not to pursue your thoughts and feelings, and be caught up in the excitement of a first-time encounter. Colby’s dreamy vocal basks in the blurred circumstances, while Aibai’s production will keep your feet moving, though it sometimes overwhelms Colby’s vocal towards the end. Nonetheless these two young women have created a tight collaboration that works.
I’ve said many times before in these pages that I’m a big believer in remixes, and how they can transform a song. “Fuck It I’m Good” by San Fernando’s own Amy Correa Bell isn’t a new song, in fact it was released three years ago until the singer got the brilliant idea to reinvent it during the pandemic with a variety of producer friends. The resulting Beat Ventriloquists remix is certainly a fun deep house rework with a funky edge that keeps you guessing where it’s heading, particularly beyond the three minute mark. The new mix adds more spice to the feisty attitude that Amy brought with the original. So if you like your house mixes on the adventurous and unconventional side then be sure to check this one out.
daysormay, “Ego”
Vernon, British Columbia trio daysormay tackle Sigmund Freud in their own unique way in “Ego”. The indie rock group take influences from the likes of The Beastie Boys and Blink-182 and roll it all up into a convincing package which is a lot of fun if – when it doesn’t wear out its welcome. The video for “Ego” is clever, with eyes very hard not to be on lead singer Aidan Andrews, who lends a lot of inspired energy to the proceedings. Twin brothers Carson and Nolan Bassett round out the group, and they are often hidden under masks when not in synchronized rhythm with Aidan. While obviously filmed on a budget, the video does have its moments (some scenes from The Art Of Noise’s “Close (To The Edit)” come to mind), but like the song itself, is simply too long. Less is often more but this is a fine first look at daysormay, and I’m looking forward to more from them.
iamrebelwill, “Addicted”
iamrebelwill is a talent for the 2020’s. A queer black singer born in Montreal but based in Toronto, he created “Addicted” as an anthem about being hopelessly in love – and being just fine with that – after spending his early years afraid of being himself. He’s got an engaging voice and personality in this song, and influences seem to be drawn most from the late 90’s such as The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, and OutKast. With a tight groove and lyrics co-written by Tafari Anthony, whose own music has appeared in these blog pages, there’s a lot to enjoy about “Addicted”, and iamrebelwill is certainly a name worth remembering for future releases.
PROMISE LAND x DANNY DEARDEN, “You Turn My Love Around”
Veteran Italian duo Promise Land (Nazario and Fabio) team up with UK singer/songwriter sensation Danny Dearden for house music that oozes positive vibes in “You Turn My Love Around”. Promise Land has been releasing music for about 12 years, and have had great success with many of their Spinnin’ Records releases, as well as with remixes for Fedde LeGrand, Flo Rida, and especially with Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child”! Danny is becoming a go-to voice in dance music with his versatile tones and seasoned songwriting skills. “You Turn My Love Around” mixes 90’s European house vibes with bright synths. At times the production and its high synth notes seems to compete with Danny’s high register, but it’s a minor quibble in this quick but lively release.
MONSIEUR ADI, “Guardian”
In true surprise fashion, French-American musician/producer Monsieur Adi returns to the music scene rather inauspiciously with “Guardian”. In the former part of the last decade, Adi remixed songs by the likes of Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Rey, and also released a number of solo releases which often had vocals by others. In 2014, he was the opening DJ on Beyoncé’s “Mrs. Carter” European tour, and was poised to break out with his rework of Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life” as “What’s Going On” (featuring A*M*E, which peaked at #2 on my personal chart). Since that time, he’s released a scattered few singles, so it’s nice that “Guardian” surfaced as some of our strange times are coming to an end. It’s a warm and mellow song, almost like a fable that unfolds about some unknown presence who is there to guide and perhaps look after you. The vocal for “Guardian” is also by sung Adi for the first time and it’s a pleasing performance. Hopefully “Guardian” will be followed up soon with more new music from Monsieur Adi.
SHOBY & VICTOR PERRY, “Hero”
It’s not covered very often, but there’s no one else I could think of who could do Enrique Iglesias’ smash from the early 2000’s more justice than NYC singer Victor Perry. It’s a faithful version of “Hero” which is turned into a mid-tempo house number spiced with a lot of sax sounds by German producer Shoby. It was especially important to my ears to get the bridge down right and Victor embraces it right down to the quiver in his voice. The pair bring the song up to date while paying homage to it, so be sure to give it a listen particularly if you’re a big fan of Enrique or the song itself. “Hero” has also been released through Warner Denmark, no less.
DIRTY RUSH & GREGOR ES, “The Rhythm”
Dirty Rush and Gregor Es are two Polish producer/DJ’s who have a pretty wild output of house-flavoured music. They are tamed somewhat in their latest release “The Rhythm”, which shows off their slick skills without needing to embellish them too much with effects or crazy ideas. The beats are huge, with plenty of bounce, so it’s not hard to picture “The Rhythm” being played around midnight in a club to crank up the party.
It’s officially summer in Canada and as things start to reopen, I expect there will be a need for more high energy dance music. I’ve noticed that there are also a lot of personal and reflective songs being released because of people’s experiences in the pandemic. But all of these songs should make it a quite interesting next few months!
Zipping back to #1 is Los Angeles-based producer Mahalo with “Got That Love”. This one is all about the build up to the rollicking chorus, a bit different from what Mahalo has produced before, but I’m loving it all the same. You’ll recall that Mahalo’s “Not Watching Anymore”, which just departed the chart, was #1 right before Idris Elba and Inner City’s “No More Looking Back” which held court for four appearances (eight weeks). “Got That Love” is Mahalo’s third #1 on this chart.
Moving up 3-2 is Lordnox and Victor Perry’s “Myself In You”. This is a dance release that shows off Victor’s amazing range, and matches the #2 peak of his ballad from last year called “What I Deserve”. Victor’s latest concurrent chart entry, this time with French producer Kislaw, also moves up the chart. “Slip Away” climbs 25-20.
Jessie Ware’s glorious “Please” soars 6-3 and matches the #3 peak of last year’s “Save A Kiss”, also from the What’s Your Pleasure album. Jessie has been to #1 twice before, in 2014 with “Say You Love Me” and just before that with her appearance on Miguel’s reworked “Adorn”.
Also with its designs on #1 is “Sideways” by the excellent collaboration of Illenium, singer Valerie Broussard, and fellow producer Nurko. From Illenium’s forthcoming album Fallen Embers, it climbs 15-7 to become Illenium’s 8th Top 10 entry.
Singer/songwriter Chris Blue gets his first Top 10 with “Moon” climbing 11-8. I’m looking forward to hearing what this Season 12 winner of “The Voice” has coming up next!
Vancouver’s Glass Petals arrive in the Top 10 with “Heartbeat” rising 13-9. It’s one of those great dance songs I referenced up top that you might not hear in a club yet but you can enjoy wholeheartedly before they reopen.
The same sentiments go for “I Want Love” by Gryffin in a punchy Cat Dealers remix that moves up 12-10. The Brazilian brothers who are Cat Dealers will be touring North America, but just got hit with a setback with passport issues, so hopefully they will be resolved soon!
The Fastest Riser on the chart is the no holds barred rave up by Cash Cash and Alex Newell called “The Feels”. It vaults 23-12 and is culled from Cash Cash’s new album Say It Like You Feel It.
Also making a bold move is Greyson Chance, who has also announced a fall North American tour that will be coming to a city near you! From his upcoming album Trophies is the fun and seductive “Hellboy”, moving up 22-16.
The highest of four debuts belongs to Sweden’s Darin with his English-language pop/dance delight “Can’t Stay Away”, which arrives at #22. It’s Darin’s first chart entry since 2010’s #8 “Lovekiller”, so a big ‘welcome back’ is in order!
Next up at #25 is Toronto indie teenage singer of Portuguese heritage who calls herself CMagic5. Her sultry new single “Love Me If You Can” deserves your attention with its incredibly catchy chorus.
Then at #27 there’s the first appearance on the chart for Dutch producer Regard with “You”. It’s a unique track boosted by excellent vocals from Troye Sivan (his 9th chart entry) and Canada’s Tate McRae, also appearing on the chart for the first time.
The final new addition to the chart is the beautiful new electropop song “Waves” by Belgian producer Anzano and go-to vocalist/songwriter Robbie Rosen at #28. It’s Robbie’s fourth consecutive entry – though “Habits” departs after reaching #20, “When I Lost You” is still hanging in at #15 after peaking at #4.
NEW!! I’m pleased to announce that I will be your weekend announcer onHalton Hills OnlineandRadio GTAstarting in July for my show “Your Weekend Music Mix”. The show will air Saturday and Sunday afternoons on Halton Hills Online and Saturday and Sunday evenings on Radio GTA. Watch for it in less than two weeks!!
Planet Radio Canadahas returned to the interwebs with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and his “3D Variety Show” each week for three hours of great music as well as a few features. Listen to my New Music Pick of the Week (usually featuring a song on the chart) in the second hour of the show. Tomorrow, the show will feature the music of The Bee Gees! Planet Radio Canada’s “3D Variety Show” is simulcast on http://www.classichits.caand http://www.radiogta.ca from 6 to 9 pm EST.
The music from this chart and blog are also featured regularly on the online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings, also with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers, and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades! You can start by joining Radio GTA’s new interactiveFacebook group too!!
View the full BILLCS Top 30right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify:BILLCS Top 30 Songs
Yung Bae’s recent single with UPSAHL called “Woman On The Moon” had its lens on alternative flavoured pop, and his latest release “Wonder” couldn’t be anything more different. This time with Compton rapper Channel Tres taking the vocal reins, the Portland, Oregon native has opted for a semi-sung hip hop song that charges right in with disco lights and mirror ball ablaze! I could be wrong but I think there is a sample in there too that helps drive the song with its orchestral melody. “Wonder” is very well crafted, with interesting lyrics and vocal that don’t come off too heavy. I guess the best thing to bear in mind with the music of Yung Bae is to expect the unexpected and ride those cool grooves.
After a few rough relationships, we usually change our focus and start looking for someone better. “Lighter”, by Quebec City native Kayliox and NYC singer/songwriter Jessica Chertock, chronicles that search and zeros in on someone who has that special light inside them. We already had a splendid taste of Kayliox’s rich house, melodic sound earlier this year with “Lost Control” featuring the voice of Victor Perry. Jessica Chertock’s lovely voice and adds the golden touch to this production to make it a winner. The song is co-written by her with best buddy Jesse Blumenfeld, and its hopeful lyrics and gentle strokes are exactly what music lovers need right now. Expect more great things from both Kayliox and Jessica very soon!
I’ve written about the music of Boston’s indie alt.rocker Almost Owen several times over the past few years. He’s an inventive songwriter, singer and musician who has unique perspectives on life that get translated into song. I didn’t connect with many of his songs last year, but “State of Mind” is a refreshing and joyous anthem that he wrote as a way to break out of the pandemic rut that we’ve all experienced. The video is bright and uplifting, and we now get to see an updated visual side of Almost Owen that only makes you want more. I particularly like his vocal in “State of Mind”, it seems to have drawn some soulful inspiration from Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It”. All I can ask is for more songs like “State of Mind” please!
Serbian production duo Vantiz have been known over the past few years for their live performances, having played some of the best of them thus far like TomorrowLand, as well as the Ibiza club circuit, and a month long tour in China. “Preach” is deep down soulful house music, with an alluring uncredited vocal that’s likely a royalty-free “splice” sample, as I’ve heard it before in GRAEY’s “High There”. Regardless, it’s a very well placed sample, and the guys structure a balanced and ear-catching song with lots of big synths and beats around it. Vantiz has ongoing support from some of the best like Showtek, Fedde LeGrand and Firebeatz, so a welcome back to live performances is imminent.
MOBY featuring GREGORY PORTER and AMYTHYST KIAH, “Natural Blues” (reprise)
Much respected electronic dance producer Moby caps a 30 year music career with a new album called Reprise. It reworks many of his more popular songs such as “We Are All Made Of Stars” and “Go”, and features such diverse talent as Kris Kristofferson, Skylar Grey, and on “Natural Blues”, Grammy Award winning jazz/R&B singer Gregory Porter and Grammy-nominated Americana singer Amythyst Kiah of the group Our Native Daughters. You’ll remember that the hook of the original 2000 version of “Natural Blues” revolved around a sample of classic Blues singer Vera Hall’s “Trouble So Hard”. And while the sample is included in this new take, the potent voices of Gregory and Amythyst take centre stage in an orchestral setting and truly elevate the song. While I will always appreciate the innovation of the original “Natural Blues” 20 years ago, this new version joins it in kind of a tie as my second favourite Moby song (next to the remix of 1995’s “Every Time You Touch Me”). Congratulations to Moby for taking “Natural Blues” to this unexpected next level.
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