Groove to the forlorn Italodisco of “Trust Me” by @DJMirkoB & Cicco DJ with Alessio Montesano

DJ MIRKO B & CICCO DJ and ALESSIO MONTESANO, “Trust Me”

It’s very atypical to hear 80’s and 90’s influenced Italodisco outside of European shores, but “Trust Me” from DJ Mirko B, Cicco DJ and young singer Alessio Montesano could be an exception.  It’s got an appealing, forlorn melody matched with a different kind of boy-next-door vocal that definitely recalls similar uncharacteristic sounding hits of the past by the likes of FR David or Double You.  But “Trust Me” has a simple slam dunk of a synth hook that makes it stand above other similar songs from Europe, and should make North American DJ’s and club goers turn their heads and want more.  “Trust Me” is definitely a notable grower, so check it out at the link above.

“Por Qué” is top drawer Latin house from @RyShepherdmusic and @FitoBlanko

RYAN SHEPHERD x FITO BLANKO, “Por Qué”

Sometimes in dance music, some unexpectedly wonderful collaborations surface out of the blue.  So with “Por Qué”, the pairing is Toronto producer Ryan Shepherd along with Panama-born, Mississauga, Canada-raised and world-renown Latin singer Fito Blanko.  If “Despacito” is in your wheelhouse then you may find “Por Qué” equally if not more enjoyable!  Ryan takes a well-known bar of classic 80’s house and builds a percussion-oriented synth arrangement around it, to create an idyllic musical setting for a Spanish song (the title means “Why”).  Fito’s vocal is fun and dynamic, which will make “Por Qué” a must for Canadian dance clubs, DJ’s, and Latin dance music lovers everywhere.  Add “Por Qué” to your Shake It Up dance music playlist using the Spotify link above.

“Heartbeat” is breezy, summery emotional house from @officialAevion

AEVION, “Heartbeat”

“Heartbeat” is one of those fine summery house songs that you can blast from your car stereo while driving down the highway at night, or play at a beach party.  It’s got an emotional and affecting vocal from an uncredited female singer, and UK producer Aevion keeps the production and rhythm at an even keel, never overdoing things with effects in favour of free flowing enjoyment just under 4 minutes that goes by in a flash.  The noted quality of the Aftr:Hrs label is driving this one, so add “Heartbeat” to your “Breezy Summer” dance music playlist using the Spotify link above.

“Get Down” is a killer future house summer jam from @RetroVisionfr

RETROVISION, “Get Down”

“Get Down” by French producer RetroVision has been a killer future house summer jam in the waiting since last year when the likes of Alan Walker played it at Tomorrowland.  I’m pretty sure I heard it more than once when I was at events at Miami Music Week too.  For it’s the instantaneous draw of the hook from The Shapeshifters’ classic “Lola’s Theme” meshed with a sample from Rob Base’s “It Takes Two” that seals the deal within the first 20 seconds of “Get Down”.  The rest of the song is no less than creative and bouncy fun featuring some well-placed future bass grooves, no effort required, just do as the title says 🙂  “Get Down” is meant for big dance clubs and festivals and is a great summer companion to Madison Mars’ “Back The Funk” which I wrote about a few weeks back.  Add “Get Down” to your “Party Your A** Off” playlist using the Spotify link above.

Vancouver duo @WeAreFurymusic bring the emotional goods with “Killing Me Slow”

WE ARE FURY, “Killing Me Slow” (free DL)

“Killing Me Slow” brings you to a tale of a poisonous relationship where you keep giving to no avail, which makes a perfect set-piece for an engaging new song by Vancouver duo We Are Fury.  With a soulful vocal that will please fans of The Weeknd and a steady rhythm that borrows from hip hop but stays firmly in the dance realm, “Killing Me Slow” takes what would be described as emotional trap music to another more accessible level.  There’s a lot going on inside the song that keeps your ears tingling for what’s next, and the song ably sustains its 4+ minutes in length.  The guys in We Are Fury seem to know what gels together and are a pair to watch.  You can get your copy of “Killing Me Slow” for free at the link above.

“December” in Springtime is brought to you by upstarts @Kalidemusic @outr3achmusic @officialEvix and singers @supimBianca & @NickSummerfield

KALIDE, OUTR3ACH and EVIX with BIANCA and NICK SUMMERFIELD, “December”

One could wonder what would happen when you mix in two vocalists and a producer from Australia, and add in more producers who are American and Canadian.  Perhaps a case of too many cooks not necessarily in the same room together?  And you wouldn’t think of a song about the last day in “December” being perfectly solid for Spring and Summer either, but yet here it is, and yes indeed it is!  What might be perceived as an everything-but-the-sink song actually benefits from solid and consistent production, with two vocalists whose styles really shouldn’t work together, but yet they are quite appealing together.  Nick’s voice is a bit deliberately rough around the edges in spots but very genuine and enthusiastic, while Bianca’s is more pitch perfect with the ability to soar, and they make the story in “December” work.  The song has a great future bass refrain which ties it all together too.  Kudos to Kalide, Outr3ach, Evix, Nick, and Bianca for making “December” an unexpected pleasure!

Gentle and reflective “Vice” is new from Australia-based indie singer/songwriter @Vincent_Pine

https://soundcloud.com/vincent_pine/vice

VINCENT PINE, “Vice”

I wrote about “Perfectly Familiar”, the debut release by Australia-based indie singer/songwriter Vincent Pine earlier this year, and it threw me back to the late 80’s and early 90’s and some wonderful songs of a similar fashion which came out of Britain at the time (the artist is originally from the UK).  With his rich and deep vocal, fine song structure, and production here which saves the best for last, Vincent’s guitar-based songs are well-suited to fans of Classic Rock, Folk, and Americana genres.  “Vice” is a gentle and reflective song where a familiar story unfolds and at around the 3 minute mark the song rocks out nicely in a way that would be perfectly suited to a live performance.  The music of Vincent Pine may seem to be very unassuming but it’s certainly convincing and well worth hearing as his style and songwriting develops.  

#BILLCSTop30 #536 – May 28/18

Some recent favourites give way to new ones in a particularly competitive Top 10, and there are three debuts.  

The Top 10

  • It’s French producer Mercer who gets to #1 in his first appearance on this chart with the rollicking “Satisfy”, featuring a terrific vocal by Chicago’s Ron Carroll.  There’s no wonder why the best DJ’s were playing this one back at Miami Music Week, where I first heard it.

  • Last week’s songs 4 through 8 each move up a notch. About songs 3 through 5:
    • Also prevalent at Miami Music Week was MK whose “17” (above, up 4 to 3) was a Top 10 hit in the UK at the end of last year, and it subsequently became a Top 10 dance club hit in North America.  
    • Duo Sofi Tukker are happily straddling the pop and dance music worlds, and my favourite song from their album Treehouse remains “Baby I’m A Queen” (also above), which climbs to #4.
    • “Everybody Hates Me” by The Chainsmokers (below) is poised to make its key move in two weeks as it rises to #5.  The duo won three Billboard Music Awards last week in the Dance music category!  Bravo!!

  • Jesse McCartney gets his first Top 10 on this chart since 2009’s #6 “How Do You Sleep” with “Better With You”, which rises 13-8.  So great that it was co-written with blog faves Brandyn Burnette and Molly Moore!
  • Quickly following “Prisoner”, Bobby Nourmand racks up another Top 10 with songs from his EP Subterranean – the title song and the dark and eerie “Estranged”.  They soar into the Top 10 rising 15-9.

Movin’ On Up

  • He only just turned 19 but he’s already on his way to having a Top 10 record on my chart.  That’s Chicago’s Whethan, who got to feature acclaimed New Zealand duo Broods in the compelling “Be Like You”, which climbs 17-13.
  • While talented Canadian singer/songwriter Tyler Shaw already has a Top 20 national hit with “Cautious” (up 18-15 in its Famba remix), he already has a second single out from his upcoming album.  You can check out “Anybody Out There”, with female vocalist Amaal Nuxx, below.

  • Brandyn Burnette’s upcoming album is called Emanate, and the debut single from that album is “Run”, which jumps 22-16.  The second preview of the album is “Layup”, below.

  • Not surprisingly, the fastest riser on the chart is the title song from the upcoming album by Troye Sivan called “Bloom”.  It zips up the chart 26-17 to follow up the departing “My My My!”, #1 this past week on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart!
  • Not far behind is Miami producer Adam Foster’s bold rework of Marvin Gaye’s classic hit from 1969 “Too Busy Thinkin’ About My Baby”.  Omitting the chorus, he makes a new one as he rechristens it “Time”, available as a free download, and moving up 27-19.

  • Norway’s Matoma and US singer/songwriter MAX are a joint force to be reckoned with in “Lonely”, which rises 28-24.  You can hear it now in 4 remixes, including one by Steve Aoki and another by MAX’s side project Party Pupils, below.

Debuts

  • James Bay has made a transformation from folk/rock troubadour to glamorous pop star in one fell swoop.  His new album, Electric Light, is one of the best of the year, so I am belatedly debuting its best song and second single “Pink Lemonade”, at #25.  It’s got unexpected 80’s influences all over it – I hear mid-80’s New Order for one.  The album is diverse and well-produced.  Don’t be surprised if other songs from Electric Light land on the chart in the coming weeks.
  • UK producer bvd kult arrives on the chart for the first time with the sunshiny pop/dance of “Let You Go”, featuring vocalist OT, which I wrote about a while back.  It debuts at #26.

  • Florence & The Machine gets its 6th chart entry with “Hunger” from the upcoming album High As Hope.  It has one of Florence Welch’s best recent vocals, and “Hunger” is also their first chart entry since 2012.  The band’s highest peak was attained with their first entry, the #2 “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”, back in 2009.

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 new BILLCS Music Projects Facebook page 🙂

 

“Broken Love” by @TheHim and @ParsonJames is a danceable pop feast for the ears and heart

THE HIM and PARSON JAMES, “Broken Love”

I don’t say it very often, but “Broken Love” by Dutch producers The Him and featuring acclaimed American vocalist Parson James, is one of those genuine, well-made pop records that is going to resonate through the rest of 2018.  Following up the soulful “White Lies”, Steven and Jeroen always come up with something new with each release, with their high standards all intact (including a big, winning anthemic chorus), but here I must say that they’ve thrown the showcase to a brilliant vocal by Parson James that will make you melt.  Parson has already had success with the worldwide hit “Stole The Show”, which was performed with Kygo no less.  But that was in 2015 – seemingly so long ago now.  That gap in time (in which he still released his debut EP The Temple) however helps make “Broken Love” sound quite fresh and bring on all the necessary feels.  “Broken Love” is a killer one-of-a-kind blend of production, songwriting, and vocal talent, and I hope we will hear from The Him and Parson James together again soon.  

“Love That About You” is beautiful, thoughtful ode to love from @McEwenofficial

McEWEN, “Love That About You”

Following his return earlier this year with original music with “Neon”, the former Adam Tyler is now McEwen with “Love That About You”.  The song is a seriously touching and thoughtful ode to love, being that he wrote it about his husband Erik for their wedding three years ago.  Their recent experiences as parents of twin girls are also well-documented and very entertaining as McHusbands on You Tube.  I’m so glad that “Love That” is released to share with everyone as you can feel the joy that it radiates from your speakers.  It’s also got slick enough production and a swirling rhythm to help you kill it on the dance floor with your special someone.  Although I enjoyed Adam’s darker and edgier dance music from earlier in the decade (well documented in these blog pages), “Love That About You” is as fresh as a reboot that anyone could want, and I’m hoping it’s a launching pad for similarly marvelous songs to come.  Adam and Erik also set the song to clips from their wedding, which you can enjoy below (and expect to finish very misty-eyed) 🙂