Sweden’s @weareBROHUG offer more pop-friendly, hip hop/R&B-influenced “Be Somebody”

BROHUG, “Be Somebody” (single and club mix)

It’s a real departure from their usual heavier EDM sound, but Swedish trio Brohug return with the more pop-friendly “Be Somebody”.  Although many songs with that title have surfaced of late, “Be Somebody” draws on hip hop and R&B influences with an uncredited female vocal for a song that could be come one of Brohug’s festival favourites in either its single or club mixes. The single mix (above) has a surprising breakdown that fits in quite well, whereas the shorter club mix (below) focuses less on vocal verses and hip hop flavours in favour of deeper, progressive house rhythms and anthemic focus on its title.  Both versions of the song have their positives, but if you think Brohug were all about a specific sound and style then consider yourself proven wrong by “Be Somebody”. 

BROHUG play Toronto club Uniun on Friday December 7.

French duo @Loge21official mix in classic house with slick effects in “Detroit”

LOGE 21, “Detroit”

Perhaps giving a nod to Fedde Legrand’s early 2000’s classic “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” with its enthusiastic arrangement, French duo Loge 21 have a winner with the song simply called “Detroit”.  It takes early 90’s house influences with snippets of a powerful soulful vocal and adds some ear-wrenching contemporary effects that should help “Detroit” become an immediate dance floor draw.  Its 3:18 length simply never lets up and you’ll be breathless and very satisfied by the end.  2018 continues to bring us great dance music out of France and I’ll look forward to hearing more from Loge 21.

Former @SmashSatellites and My Darkest Days vocalist Sal Costa drops exclusive unreleased song “Lover Of A Lost Cause”

SAL COSTA, “Lover Of A Lost Cause”

I think this one even surprised his most ardent fans. 

Over a year ago, former Smashing Satellites and My Darkest Days frontman, Toronto’s Sal Costa, pretty much announced his retirement from the music business to pursue other interests and support his young family, although he didn’t totally dismiss the ideas of performing or offering new songs in the future. 

So yesterday, those of us that follow one of the most genuine guys in music on Facebook got the unexpected thrill of hearing the previously unreleased “Lover Of A Lost Cause”, written with Cody Hanson and Marshall Dutton not long after Sal left My Darkest Days. 

“Lover” is a completely smokin’ song which made many of us realize how much Sal’s singing is missed.  It’s as powerful as Satellites songs like my favourite “Waterfall” with a simple arrangement including a backdrop of strings that really showcases Sal’s voice.  Whether it will see more than its appearance on Sal’s Facebook videos page remains to be seen.  However as you’ll likely conclude as well after hearing it, rock radio in North America would likely totally jump all over it. 

When I commented about the song on Facebook, Sal responded and suggested that I might write about it.  As you’ve read, I was more than happy to oblige!  There’s another new song coming on Wednesday November 28 at 7 pm EST so follow Sal on Facebook to find out more 🙂

With “Where Is The Love”, Niko The Kid @nikomakesbeats cranks up classic house with @AnnaDellaria

NIKO THE KID and ANNA DELLARIA, “Where Is The Love”

While the theme of “Where Is The Love” is nothing new, this new song by Atlanta-bred producer Niko The Kid, long a favourite of this blog these past few years, cranks up house beats like nothing Niko has made before.  It’s splendidly classic fast-paced house, with a high energy vocal by L.A.’s Anna Dellaria, that doesn’t let up.  Niko saves the best for within the last minute when you don’t entirely expect some familiar piano riffing to take control and sail along to the end.  Niko keeps mixing it up with fun and heavy dance and EDM vibes on each release, and “Where Is The Love” will definitely be a dance club draw.

Veteran Dutch producers @LNYTNZ embrace wild abandon with “Anyway” with vocal by @XERXESBAKKER

LNY TNZ and XERXESBAKKER, “Anyway”

There are times, sometimes regularly for some of us, when we have to JUST DO IT.  “Anyway”, by Dutch duo LNY TNZ, embraces these acts of wild abandon feverishly.  Singer/songwriter XERXESBAKKER adds a most suitable anthemic vocal to flow with familiar but engaging beats that will simply make you want to bounce.  What I also like about “Anyway” is its rock flavours that recall classic stadium acts and which other performers like San Holo are bringing to their live performances.  “Anyway” is a memorable crowd-pleaser for those wilder club and festival moments when letting loose never goes out of fashion.

Chicago’s CHO @seeayCHO returns with the dark intrigue of “Strange World” with @SKYLRsings

CHO and SKYLR, “Strange World”

In his alt.rock peppered second release “Strange World”, Chicago producer CHO basks in the power of dark intrigue in song with themes such as loneliness, but from a young woman’s perspective.  Aggressive and hypnotic rhythms draw you in, immensely supported by the committed vocal from singer and fellow Chicago native SKYLR.  “Strange World” strikes a compelling balance between alt.rock and dance which seemed to have been all but abandoned till recently.  CHO has wisely decided to join a growing path of producers such as Odesza and Illenium who take risks and embrace rich, deep sounds, and the story within “Strange World” is different and dangerous enough to grip you till the end.  

Nashville duo @weareApolloLTD will lift you higher “On The Way Up”

APOLLO LTD, “On The Way Up”

“On The Way Up” by Nashville duo Apollo LTD takes a trademark anthemic sound that bands like Imagine Dragons offer to pop and mainstream radio fans, but transforms it through a big synth arrangement for clubs.  That doesn’t mean at all that the song is all fist-pumping power.  “On The Way Up”, in fact has a dynamic arrangement that brings the music down to those quiet, phone-flashlight moments before it erupts again.  Plus, Apollo LTD clearly knows how to get you to those unmistakable highs thanks to an immensely catchy chorus.  So “On The Way Up” ends up having wide appeal that should be supported by pop, rock and dance music fans alike.

#BILLCSTop30 #548 – November 12/18

Some new personal faves make significant moves this week, and there are three debuts.  

The Top 10

  • The smashing two some of Kiesza’s “Phantom Of The Dance Floor” (above) and “Verona” by Peter Wilson and Sean Smith (below) hold on to the pole positions handily, but may have to give them up in two weeks given the challenges being presented immediately below!
  • Seattle duo Odesza had never appeared on my chart before but are slowly taking over with their redux of a festival fave, “Loyal”, which climbs 9-3.

  • Busting the fastest move on the chart for a second time is “DJ’s Gotta Dance More”, the oh-so-true deal from Montreal’s A-Trak and house legend Todd Terry on vocals.  It’s up 13-6 and will definitely give Odesza a run for the top in two weeks.

  • Also new to the Top 10 are Florida producer PLS&TY with “Down For Me” in its splendid Morgan Page extended mix (above), climbing 11-8, and Canadian producers Botnek with the retrotastic “Days Of Disco” (below) rising 16-10.

Movin’ On Up

  • I’m totally digging their second full album New York Narcotic, and The Knocks are closing in on another Top Tenner here with “Goodbyes” featuring Method Man moving up 17-11.

  • Though it’s “Thank U, Next” that’s everywhere, “Breathin” is still my go-to Ariana Grande song, rising 15-12.  Check out its new video above.

  • The Chainsmokers have had a busy few weeks, with several new remixes of “This Feeling” (featuring Kelsea Ballerini) as well as a new video (above).  The song climbs 21-16.  Check out the official remix by Canadian duo Young Bombs below 🙂

 

  • UK singer/songwriter Sam Dickinson is looking to bust out in two weeks with “Wild Sun” (up 23-18) as the Handbag House remix (above) and his EP From The Glass House: Part One are released this Friday.  Ahead of that, Sam has also released a lyric video for the upbeat pop/dance track “Hanging By A Thread” (below), where his high register is in winning Mika territory.  

  • Jessie Ware’s “Overtime” is her best, and funkiest, single in years, and it rises 27-21.

Debuts

  • It’s been a while but Sweden’s Hellberg is back in a huge way, with his new single “Headlights” in a co-billing with none other than the sensational voice of Leona Lewis.  With an intriguing, suspenseful video, “Headlights” arrives at #22.  Hellberg has been to the Top 10 three times including a #1 with Dzeko & Torres with “Care For Me” in 2016.  Leona has been to the Top 10 twice with “Bleeding Love” and “Better In Time”.

  • What would a year be like without a Bright Light Bright Light appearance on this chart?  It’s been the lead off single from his recent EP Tough Love, but it’s grown on me so much with repeated plays that it debuts at #25.  I will be seeing Bright Light Bright Light once again in concert, this time in my city, on Thursday November 15!

  • The next night I will be seeing Dutch producer San Holo in concert for the first time, but in NYC!  His recent pairing with vocalist Bipolar Sunshine on “Better Days” premieres at #26 from San’s acclaimed release Album1.  Can’t wait to hear what it all sounds like in concert!  “Better Days” is San Holo’s second chart entry, following 2016’s #4 “Light”.

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! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: BILLCS Top 30 Songs

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

In collaboration with @Illeniummusic, @CallMeKarizma’s “God Damnit” becomes an empowering dance anthem

ILLENIUM with CALL ME KARIZMA, “God Damnit”

Let’s go back to March, when I first wrote about “God Damnit” as originally released by Minnesota rapper Call Me Karizma and called it one of ‘Riz’s finest songs to date, albeit short at only 2:14, about why you are good enough for not only love from oneself but from others as well.  Flash forward not quite six months and ‘Riz gets word that none other than Illenium is dropping it at the Red Rocks festival, one of his biggest shows.  To the surprise of fans, exit song from social media, but then “God Damnit” reappears as an official major label collaboration.  It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve seen happen in music in 2018, and both Illenium and ‘Riz are now front and centre together as faces for anxiety in young people through this song, and both will benefit from it immensely.  Illenium’s synth-sparkled production  indeed makes “God Damnit” the anthem that it should be, but no one could have expected this.  Everything about this collaboration – now at a 3:35 length – is so right that you should not only add it to your Spotify playlists but pick it up at your favourite online music store.

Fast-paced deep house track “In My Arms” is the latest from L.A.’s @Mahalo_dj with #Le:Blanc

MAHALO vs LE:BLANC, “In My Arms”

Following up his recent collaboration with Milkwish, “Rule Of Thirds”, as well as the propulsive “Easy To Love” featuring Vivaswan, is “In My Arms” by L.A.’s Mahalo, this time in partnership with fellow producer, newcomer Le:Blanc.  This is one of Mahalo’s best recent offerings, a short but fast-paced deep house track whose vocal hook should echo through clubland’s biggest and best.  The sultry uncredited female vocal provides the forthright longing of the song which could easily have been suitable as a ballad, but also totally compliments the percussive rhythms that make it a fine dance track for both clubs and radio.