#BILLCSTop30 #639 – May 9/22

Four highly danceable new songs charge on to the new BILLCS Top 30, and one recent one takes over at the top of the chart. The power in great dance music is to make you feel great, react, and even lift you off your behind to get you to spontaneously dance!  There’s tons of great dance music that I listen to each week that doesn’t get recognized by music fans outside of its genre, and that’s always a shame. What Top 40 and AC radio play is a pop-inflected generic version of it to liven up regular programming. Dance music radio – mainly in the US – plays a broader mix but it’s hardly what I would call risk-taking. But a major release, like say “High” by The Chainsmokers, is embraced immediately and quickly gets regularly included on station playlists. As I’ve often mentioned, my chart is in its own lane, and I appreciate everyone who follows the blog and chart and checks out all of the songs!

Make sure you read about my frequently updated ONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES (see details after the post)!

France’s Mercer gets his second number one with his loving tribute to “Aretha”, which is a song that showcases her vocal abilities without actually singing more than a word or two.  It follows his rollicking 2018 #1 “Satisfy” (featuring vocals by Chicago house legend Ron Carroll).

The rest of the Top 4 basically switches positions, with “The Half Moon Comes Up In The Sky” (above) by Frankmusik and “Careless” (below) by Mahalo, Milkwish and Lena Leon, both inching up a notch 3-2 and 4-3 respectively.

Joining the above songs in the Top 5 is the infectious house track “Hold Me Down” by Italy’s Luca + Giam featuring Florida singer/songwriter Sam Merkin, climbing 8-5.

Three songs leap into the Top 10 after being held back a bit previously by some favourites which have begun their descent.  Florence & The Machine’s outstanding “My Love” (above) leaps 13-7, becoming their third Top 10 entry. It’s followed by “As It Was” (also above) by Harry Styles, climbing 17-9 and becoming his 5th consecutive Top 10 entry. And the EuroVision entry from Sweden, “Hold Me Closer” (below) by Cornelia Jakobs, soars 19-10 and is the Fastest Riser of the Week. Let’s see what the rest of the world thinks of it on Saturday May 14!

One of the competitors of “Hold Me Closer” in Sweden’s Melodifestivalen contest is right on its heels. “Bluffin'” by Liamoo climbs 20-12. It was my underdog favourite and it came third in the competition.

Damon Sharpe and VIVID find themselves quickly in the middle of the chart with their collaboration “First Time”, moving up 23-15.

Songs in the Future Bass sub-genre occasionally find their way onto the chart, and “Fall Into Me” by NGHTMRE, SLANDER and Dylan Matthew is one of the best of what that sub-genre offers. It climbs 24-17.

As “Oxygen” departs from its #7 peak, Victor Perry’s latest solo single “Punching Bag” (above) is off to a great start, rising 27-20.  And my other debut from two weeks ago, “don’t you wanna know” (below) by Syence and Britt Lari, is right behind, moving up 28-21.

The Highest Debut belongs to “The Edge” by Belgian producer NIVIRO and California singer/songwriter Harley Bird, and arrives at an impressive #22. Emotional lyrics + powerful vocal + intense synths and rhythms is always a package that will get attention from me, and “The Edge” has it all down pat.

Next and new at #24 is “Romance With A Memory” by Oliver Sim, who is a vocalist and bassist with British alternative rock favourite The xx. This is a funky, unusual and very Prince-worthy track that you need to hear. Its lyric video is a memorable but odd kettle of fish with some drag queens in bizarre costumes showcasing their dance moves.

Another intense and emotional dance track bows at #26 and it’s “Mind Of Mine” by Danish producer Henrikz featuring British singer/songwriter Danny  Dearden. Danny previously charted last year with producer Bobby Harvey and “Tell Me” (#4).

Rounding out the debuts at #27 is “Afterglow” by Swedish dance legend Nicky Romero in collaboration with rising favourite, Israel-born NYC-based GATTUSO, and sung by Massachusetts’ representative on “American Song Contest”, Jared Lee. Nicky previously charted with ROZES on “Where Would We Be” in 2018 (#11), while Jared has been featured twice before, on Midnight Kids’ “Those Were The Days” (#5, 2019) and Autograf’s “Ain’t Deep Enough” (#3, 2020). You can check out Nicky and GATTUSO performing the song at Ultra Music Festival Miami, below.

View the full BILLCS Top 30 right 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! You can also follow me on Spotify at the following link:  BILLCS Top 30 Songs.

Check out and ‘like’ the BILLCS Music Projects Facebook page 🙂

ONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES

You can hear me and many of my blog choices on this growing list of online radio stations and features! Links to all stations appear later in this section in blue.

Radio GTA

Listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST on Wednesdays as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs.  The show also repeats on Sunday mornings on Radio GTA at 2:00 AM EST, at 8pm EST on Sundays on Party Dog Radio, and then at 7:00 am EST Fridays on Unique Radio Australia!

On Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm EST I bring you “Your Weekend New Music Mix” six hours of commercial-free music from the 2000’s including many song choices from this blog.

Halton Hills Online

“Your Weekend Music Mix” has a second home on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 8pm to Midnight EST! It’s a different mix from Radio GTA’s show, and like that one it is also commercial free, now brought to you by the Appalachian Pub & Eatery in Georgetown, Ontario!  “The Big 20” also airs on this station at 6pm EST Saturdays.

The 3D Variety Show by Planet Radio Canada

I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm EST with my New Music Pick of the Week which debuts every week on “The 3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments.  A repeat of “The 3D Variety Show” now airs on Wednesdays at 7pm EST on Radio GTA.  

My New Music Pick of the Week also now airs on:

More new affiliates are joining and I’ll update this list in two weeks!