The music will speak for itself today as I have eight more fresh songs for you to check out along with several features of note!
In the Report, you can also check out my pick of the week, along with one from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host DJ Hunter’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers from online radio’s “3D Variety Show” has his Classic Five all from 1986.
The BILLCS New Music Report is always a work-in-progress and I welcome your suggestions so feel free to contact me at through my social media links right here.
Reminder: Click on the photo to watch the video or listen to the song.
EKONOVAH, “Find My Flow”
At Miami Music Week, largely because he was playing three venues that I had planned to attend, I found myself drawn to sets by Phoenix’s Ekonovah (aka Stephen Scotti), particularly the one that he played for a small audience at the pre-EDMA Awards show. It was a riveting set that made me want to check out his releases, and “Find My Flow” has a terrific melodic hook that would fit like a glove on dance music radio. It’s a propulsive vocal house track to make you bounce and will captivate you for its almost three minutes. Ekonovah is no overnight success, he’s been honinh his craft for more than five years, and this year that helped land him a set on the Ultra Miami stage. “Find My Flow” is also released by Deadmau5’s label Hau5trap so I think more fine things are in store for Ekanovah in 2024.
N i G H T S, “Casino Royale”
Philadelphia lo-fi pop/hip hop duo N i G H T S follow up their outstanding recent single “Hopeless” (currently rising up the BILLCS Top 30) with what sounds like another post-breakup song, “Casino Royale”. There’s nothing about James Bond, spies or intrigue mentioned in the song, so I’ll take it that the song revolves around taking gambles when you feel like you may have fallen in love. The lyrics in “Casino Royale” are quite specific – the protagonist sounds like he’s getting over a breakup and might be mentally on the rebound to take another stab at romance, but now he needs to check off all the boxes before doing so, realizing love is a two-way street and not one-sided. The song features some interesting but simple effects and once again another more invested vocal than on past releases. N i G H T S is clearly, shall I say, on a roll.
PLS&TY, BEN SAMAMA, “Upside” (Alex Adair remix)
L.A.-based producer PLS&TY (aka Tommy Leas) is not one to knock a good remix, so he created an alternate version of his recent album 3 Days, 2 Nights with remixes. I previously wrote about the Cat Dealers remix of “Yours”, and now it’s British producer Alex Adair’s take on “Upside”, featuring L.A. vocalist/songwriter Ben Samama. The original is more of a straight-forward pop/dance track and Alex’s remix provides more bounce and effects for the club and festival crowd. And PLS&TY always surrounds himself with solid talent – Ben Samama co-produced Rosa Linn’s worldwide smash “Snap”, and has co-written several songs you’ve found in these blog pages, such as Illenium & Nurko’s “Sideways”, “Balance” by The Him & Oktavian, and Afrojack and James Arthur’s “Lose You” – all of those songs have ended up in my Top 20 of their respective years.
BABY JANE, “Da Da Dum” (Ethan Capps x Riddler radio mix)
Like Z3LLA’s “Why Should I?”, L.A.’s Baby Jane could have yet another independent dance music release that finds a strong foothold on national dance music radio, where “Da Da Dum” has just cracked the Top 40. I don’t usually go for vocal releases that have little to say, but do check out one of its remixes, by Houston, Texas newcomer Ethan Capps who has teamed up with an outstanding veteran of the music business, including clubs and radio, Filipino-American Chicago-born DJ Riddler. It’s a transformative radio mix that amps up the light fun created by the original. “Da Da Dum” holds its own without being one of those annoying tracks that you want to just go away. Baby Jane has only been releasing music since 2022, but club and radio play should be pretty well guaranteed for “Da Da Dum” throughout the summer.
ALEX PRIMA, ADARA, “Teleport”
There’s nothing like a good sci-fi themed romance set to trance melodies as you’ll find in “Teleport” by Alex Prima, a NYC-based electronic dance producer relatively new to the scene, with vocal by DJ/producer Adara, who has sang on releases by Adventure Club and MiTiS. The song has a beautiful, evenly placed build up to its climactic “let’s kiss and teleport” moment. By that point, you’re immersed in the song and the beats and will want to hear it again. Fans of Gareth Emery, Armin van Buuren’s trance releases, and Above & Beyond will adore “Teleport”. With only four singles to his credit, “Teleport” is a standout release for Alex Prima, and club DJ’s who play trance-flavoured tracks won’t be disappointed when they slot the song into their playlists.
TYDL, “God Complex”
“God Complex” is a powerful flip-off to bullies by Brighton duo TYDL, which consists of vocalist/songwriter Rebecca and percussionist Jack. Character traits like narcissism and bullying are becoming more and more intertwined these days as we seem to be learning that the people who exhibit them seem to have both. Having a “God Complex” is a good way to attribute it to those folks in a nutshell, and you often don’t get to see it on full display until you’ve got to know them quite well. Rebecca’s voice at times has the same kind of urgency of Sinéad O’Connor, and the production is well-crafted. You can find “God Complex” on TYDL’s new EP, Ethereal.
JAMES CLARK INSTITUTE, “Phantom Girl”
With “Phantom Girl” as the new single release from The James Clark Institute, I revisited the track from their recent album Under The Lampshade, produced by Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness, Trans-Canada Highwaymen). If jangly guitar work and 1960’s raw rock flavour are your thing, then you can’t go wrong with “Phantom Girl”. It’s augmented by tight harmonies and keyboard sounds which remind me of a farfisa organ. The influences for “Phantom Girl” though are drawn from post-punk rock circa 1980, like Nick Lowe, The Undertones and The Records. The James Clark Institute knows how to make it all go down easy and you’ll find yourself humming “Phantom Girl” once its chorus gets stuck in your head.
The James Clark Institute performs on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at The Rivoli in Toronto.
GOLD 88, FRANKY, “I Belong”
“I Belong” is a drum ‘n bass flavoured dance/pop track by Northern Ireland production trio Gold 88 and Yorkshire, England talent Franky. The song is a cool and completely unrelated companion piece to another song that comes immediately to mind, and that’s Manila Killa’s “Take Me Higher”. The busy and riveting production injects the song with energy, and Franky’s intense vocal provides the fire to win you over. “I Belong” is a changeup for Gold 88 after a number of deep house releases, including 2021’s “Give Me That” with Charlie Lane and Kate Wild (which reached #4 on the BILLCS Top 30) and Franky has co-written songs with millions of streams, including Dua Lipa’s “Hallucinate”, as well as previously releasing under the name Frances. Hopefully the changes for both artists will continue to serve them well, and “I Belong” is sure to grab your attention.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs on several online radio stations around the world.
Sweden’s Darin returns, this time in English again, with “Electric”
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S PICK OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online stations Radio GTA, Halton Hills Radio Online, & FM108.ca. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week every week on the “Top 40 Timeline”.
LA’s Lovelytheband returns with “Nice To Know You”
DJ HUNTER’S BOP OF THE WEEK
DJ Hunter is the host of the online radio shows “Modern Hype”, which can be heard on several online stations, and “Pyjama Party”, with both shows anchored at Energy 885.
As DJ Hunter says, here’s “a neurodivergent anthem” for Autism Awareness month – “Someone Like Me” by ISHAN
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show heard Tuesdays on Planet Radio Canada. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” usually of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
Eddie Money – Take Me Home Tonight
Cyndi Lauper – True Colours
Bananarama – Venus
Glass Tiger – Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)
Huey Lewis & The News – Stuck With You
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 
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