French collective @SlowHours drop their adventurous debut single of many moods, “Endless”

slowhours

SLOW HOURS, “Endless”

After numerous well-received remixes, which led to most of the six members of Slow Hours – Khamsin, Rusty Hook, Kidswaste, Kultur, Astre, and Lain – branching out with many terrific solo efforts, many of which I’ve written about, the band has dropped their debut original, progressive-sounding single “Endless”.  It’s a moody affair for sure, but well worthy of your kind attention for just shy of four minutes.  Now these guys know how to start a record with a great lead up to a complete change of pace before the 50 second mark, which turns into a gritty, trappy main section that returns later in the song.  It’s punctuated by a quieter, cinematic-sounding break, and finishes with almost a minute of melt-in-your mouth piano and symphonic effects that help make “Endless” quite an unexpected musical adventure.  I hope more will be forthcoming soon to show off the many diverse talents within Slow Hours.

“Could This Be Love” is sparkling funky dance music from @Jenauxmusic and T-Elle

JENAUX and T-ELLE, “Could This Be Love”

I don’t know what I enjoy more about “Could This Be Love”, the latest from NYC’s Jenaux – the 80’s-tastic funky groove or the accompanying underlying keyboard hook of low notes, which when played in higher notes you’ll find up front in classic house music tracks.  This is all in fine contrast to T-Elle’s soulful and sometimes sassy vocal, so overall it comes off like fine musicians like Boz Scaggs or Toto pairing up with an R&B/disco queen like Evelyn “Champagne” King or Linda Clifford. And trust me, there is nothing at all wrong with that!! “Could This Be Love” is a tight and tidy addition to any disco/dance/soul playlist that highlights the classic influences of yesteryear, while offering a fine alternative to the everyday pop/dance you hear on the radio.  

Australia’s @Throttle is back with spry original “Wanderlust”

THROTTLE, “Wanderlust”

Though he’s been extremely busy on the festival circuit this year, Australia’s Throttle returns with a spry new original, “Wanderlust”, for his own Dirty Disco label through Spinnin’.  While his beats continue to be heavy and playful, the synths in “Wanderlust” this time stay in the high end often, as a synthesized voice reassures us that “lovin’ you is easy”, but when repeating the hook sings “lovin’ you is ***” – left to our imagination.  “Wanderlust” is all about a love for travel, and producer/DJ’s like Robbie who enjoy performing worldwide certainly get their taste of it, so it’s nice to bring positive thoughts back full circle and put them into song.  “Wanderlust” is an easy choice for clubs that will have hands clapping and lots of smiles lighting up the room.

New partially-masked producer @Aadysimusic offers up wild and futuristic “Myth”

aadysi

AADYSI, “Myth” (free DL)

Joining the mystique of fellow producers like Alan Walker by wearing a partial mask, the otherwise NYC-based Aadysi (say it like ‘odyssey’), who’s a student of the ICON collective (like Jauz or NGHTMRE), has a lot going on in his instrumental “Myth”, which is available below for free while it lasts.  It’s a striking song that has a lot of different movement within, from isolated piano sounds to grinding, wild ‘forbidden bass’ trap and almost industrial flavours.  “Myth” somehow all works because it’s so unpredictable and makes you anticipate that Aadysi’s music could be a lot of fun in the offering.  Its nearly 3 minutes come and go in a flash, so I’ll definitely be interested in hearing what’s coming from Aadysi.

https://soundcloud.com/aadysimusic/myth

 

 

#BILLCSTop30 #546 – October 15/18

The Ides of October are upon us already, and that means Summer favourites are departing the chart.  To replace them though, there’s no shortage of great tunes.  There are three debuts and a brand new #1!

The Top 10

  • Calgary’s Kiesza gets her first #1 on this chart with the season-appropriate “Phantom Of The Dance Floor”, featuring Quebec opera singer Philippe Sly, in only its third appearance on the chart.  It’s a fun song and an even more fun, manic video.  Spread the news about this one kids as people are missing out.  It’s also the first #1 by a Canadian since this year at this very time when Loud Luxury and Nikki’s Wives held court with “Show Me”.  Benny Benassi & Sofi Tukker’s “Everybody Needs A Kiss” slides to #2, still one of my faves of the year, and it will hang around for a while.
  • Another song that I can’t stop playing is “Verona” by Australia’s Peter Wilson and England’s Sean Smith.  It advances 9 to 4 this week, and the combination of 80’s musical flavour/production, great storytelling, and fine singing make “Verona” the total package!
  • Philadelphia’s N i G H T S get their second Top 5 hit with “Eyes”, following last year’s totally different “P A R T Y”.  Give these guys some time and they will make their mark, with so many songs up their sleeves.

  • Both “High On Life” by Martin Garrix and Bonn (above), and “All For You” by Years and Years (below), finally break into the Top 10 after a lot of patient waiting for some of my favourites to depart.  “High On Life” climbs 11-7 and “All For You” is up 12-8.  

  • “Vacant Love” by Caden Jester and Blake Rose hits another new peak, climbing 10-9.

  • Norway’s Jesper Jenset gets his second Top 10 as featured vocalist in Gromee’s “One Last Time” (above), which climbs 13-10.  He’s also featured in Lost Kings’ new single “Drunk As Hell” which you can check out below in its amusing Simpsons-ish looking video.

Movin’ On Up

  • It’s sort of peaked already but “Rise” by Jonas Blue and Jack & Jack (above) has been slowly making its way up my chart.  It climbs 15-11 this week.  Jack & Jack recently dropped their new song “No One Compares To You” (below).

  • Netherlands-based producers Revelries also continue to climb with their latest original “Infinitum”, featuring Australia’s Beamish Boys on vocals.  It rises 14-12.
  • The fastest riser on the chart is “Loyal” by Odesza, up 24-14.  This should be no surprise; it’s one of the most intriguing and unpredictable songs on the chart with a soulful female vocal (sample or no?) that drives it home.

  • Also making a significant leap is PLS&TY’s “Down For Me” in its club-ready Morgan Page extended mix, climbing 21-15.

  • Though it made a small move two weeks ago, “Soldier” by Sidney Samson & GWise is hardly done, and jumps 27-22.

3 Debuts

  • It took a few spins for me to really dig this record, but now there’s no stoppin’ me playing it!  My fellow Canadian A-Trak is back with a fun, inspiring original called “DJ’s Gotta Dance More”, made even more genuine with legend Todd Terry on vocals!!  This song is a MUST for every club DJ.  It’s classic, reverent house with a great message.  It bows at #24.  A-Trak was last on the chart as part of the trio with Kimbra and Foster The People’s Mark Foster in 2012 for “Warrior” (#10), a freebee at the time courtesy of Converse.
  • Mercer returns to the chart after his #1 “Satisfy” with “Fireworks”, a 70’s retrotastic song I’ve been playing for months that is re-released as part of French producer’s new EP Neo Disco, along with another new song “Monte Carlo”.  “Fireworks” arrives at #25.

  • The Chainsmokers are also back making a collaboration with Country singer Kelsea Ballerini work so well with “This Feeling”.  Their other recent single “Side Effects” failed to resonate with me, sounding too much like other dance pop on the charts.  “This Feeling” premieres at #26.

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 🙂

 

UK pop-soul singer/songwriter @SamDickinson returns with the many delights of “Wild Sun”

SAM DICKINSON, “Wild Sun” (original and Handbag House radio edit)

Sam Dickinson has been high on my radar since the initial release of his album The Stories That Occurred back in 2013.  A pop album that straddled ballads and dance-pop with a myriad of soulful influences , it sometimes felt like the second coming of Simply Red, and received a reboot a year later in a special edition.  During that time, the Newcastle upon Tyne-based Sam ended up twice in my personal chart’s Top 10 with “Learn To Wait” and “When You Left Me”. 

Sam’s upcoming EP, From The Glass House: Part One, is again equipped with both fine ballads and dance-pop, but veers away from 80’s flavoured soul in favour of 00’s styled songs that could easily be played at pop radio.  So “Wild Sun” is the single released a month in advance of the album, and, with its chorus laced with effortless high notes, is the perfect lead-in to the album.  It’s about breaking away from a relationship and making a daring move to learn to heal and be free, even if it stings a bit.  In its video above, Sam brings the immediate expression of the song to life interspersed with scenes of a couple whose relationship is growing stale. 

There are also remixes, and the Handbag House radio edit (below), available through Spotify right now but not yet for purchase, is a club DJ’s delight.  “Wild Sun” becomes an equally uplifting but slamming house track with booming bass synths that will lift up any evening out.  This style totally embraces Sam’s voice and dance music fans need to check it out.

Pick up “Wild Sun” on iTunes and watch for the release of the remixes and From The Glass House: Part One next month!

“I Own The Sky”, new from actress-singer @JaneBadler, gets a majestic dance-pop rework by @MattPopofficial

JANE BADLER, “I Own The Sky” (Matt Pop remix)

“I Own The Sky”, in its original version, is a deliberately-paced theatrical piece written for Jane Badler by the dynamic trio of Charlie Mason, John Matthews, and Richard Hymus, some of whom also contributed to a similarly dramatic original called “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” back in 2012 when the renown American but Australia-based actress decided to take her side singing career to new pop levels.  After some truly memorable pop records and videos (“Losing You” and the totally wacked out video for “Black Silk Stockings”, for example), Jane’s “I Own The Sky”, for Energise Records again like last year’s “Sunburn”, is refashioned by esteemed British producer Matt Pop into an engaging, celebratory dance pop anthem that is totally befitting the singer’s slightly wicked public persona.  Jane even takes it to video (above) to put on display, just by herself, everything that is majestic and inspiring about the song.  Need a lift and feel like you want to grab the world and shake it by its many heads when you feel things are wrong?  Then “I Own The Sky” is especially for you!!

UK producer @NotionDJ brings bass bounce to the floor with “Real” featuring Cecelia

NOTION and CECELIA, “Real”

Tiësto’s Musical Freedom label that shows how it’s breaking away from time to time from traditional house bangers. “Real” by British producer/DJ Notion is an uncharacteristic release for the label, a bass heavy track that still falls into the banger category with its infectious breaks and drops.  With an urgent soulful male vocal rooted in early 00’s British house through Cecelia, “Real” just doesn’t let up for its three minutes+, with its squeaky synth riffs that will resonate easily through big dance club speakers.  Notion definitely has a playful ear to make his sounds stand out without making some synth effects seem intrusive, and “Real” should continue to bring his name to the fore.

Meet Baltimore’s @BretSears with streetwise pop/hip hop of “Break The Rules”

BRET SEARS, “Break The Rules”

Baltimore’s Bret Sears is branching out from his dance/pop group project Casual Encounter, which I wrote about last December, to tackle fresh streetwise pop/hip hop with “Break The Rules”.  It’s definitely got a polished pop side but with some grittiness that could attract fans of  Justin Timberlake, Jesse McCartney, Logic, and G-Eazy.  While “Break The Rules” isn’t going challenge any boundaries, it’s got an undeniable hook which is when the vocal is at its strongest.  The melody has raw qualities about it that sound like throwbacks to 90’s NWA/Ice-T/2Pac releases which you generally won’t find in a pop-oriented record.  I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what’s next for Bret in this new undertaking.

“Moonlight” is a fanciful upbeat electro-ballad from Germany’s @itsLeviofficial and vocalist Victor Perry @perksofbeingvic

LEVI and VICTOR PERRY, “Moonlight”

I will always say that if the chemistry is there and you score with your first record together, then definitely make a second!  And so that’s what’s happened with German producer Levi and sweet ‘n soulful American vocalist Victor Perry, who first created the thoughtful, lilting “Sail” together last year, one of my favourite songs of 2017 which got to #3 on my personal chart.  The pair return with “Moonlight”, a different kind of electro-ballad that isn’t slow-paced as regular ballads usually are.  It’s got a playful, fanciful uptempo rhythm at times that seems to recall doo wop more than any other style of music, and is old school in the same vein of “Lost In Japan” by Shawn Mendes.  “Moonlight” is punctuated with great melody and another stellar vocal from Victor, who is a highlight to any release.  “Moonlight” isn’t a club banger but a lot of charm, rhythm, melody, and fine singing goes a long, long way (and maybe a Zedd remix is in order too 🙂 )!