Silky UK soul meets deep house in “Lost Without You” by @iamJamesCarter1 featuring #ILIRA

JAMES CARTER featuring ILIRA, “Lost Without You”

19 year old producer/DJ James Carter has been on the tip for the last year or so, acquiring support from folks like Matoma and The Chainsmokers in the process for his remixes.  He’s also released a number of originals, which continues with “Lost Without You” featuring vocalist ILIRA.  It’s bright deep house with catchy drops all in the right places.  But I suppose what’s most attractive is how James has used ILIRA’s vocal to create a late 80s/early 90s UK R&B vibe, that clearly recalls people like Lisa Stansfield and Mica Paris.  In the UK this style is extremely successful, but in North America it has a niche market and always sounds refreshing and vibrant.  The lyrics are familiar but with a few kicks in the mix too.  Get to know James Carter’s music as I think you’ll be hearing it more, so start off with “Lost Without You” at the link above.

 

Why so serious? Lighten up with “Summer Thing” by @JoshTobiasmusic

JOSH TOBIAS, “Summer Thing”

New York-born Josh Tobias has already been making headway with his music with songs like “Beachside Lover” which garnered significant attention two years ago.  His latest alt.pop single “Summer Thing” has an interesting perspective – have a light, summer romance without making a commitment beyond that time, enjoy each other and have fun.  Whether that works for you is another thing, but it makes for an easy-going bright listen.  Josh produced “Summer Thing” himself and it’s an appropriately sparse recording with acoustic guitar and bass flowing with an R&B-flavoured rhythm creating a breezy groove.  You could easily pair it up with Phil Good’s “Sleeping In” from earlier this year, and I think some of Josh’s flair for identifying the lighter side of things might draw fans from Ed Sheeran’s camp too.  “Summer Thing” is pure pleasure to my ears, and I hope you indulge by checking it out at the link above.  Remix coming soon!!  

Pop/R&B singer @MarcoFoster_’s live NYC show, and his new romantic single with @TastyTreatMusic “Selfish”

TASTY TREAT featuring MARCO FOSTER, “Selfish”

I’ve been listening and writing about 23 year old NYC singer/songwriter Marco Foster these last few years and got to witness his talent as an acoustic performer last week in NYC on the eve of his new single with L.A. producers Tasty Treat called “Selfish”.  Marco exudes plenty of confidence whether he’s also playing guitar or keyboards or singing a duet with promising newcomer Mia Gladstone.  He can shift seamlessly between pop and R&B, featuring several other new songs that could veer in either direction.  But he really cleaned up the floor with a bang-on rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together”, a song that you don’t mess with unless you can sang it!  “Selfish” (above) is a deliberately sparse-sounding but romantic song that is easy to warm up to.  Following last year’s “Sideways”, Marco and Tasty Treat seem to have a good thing vibing together.  Timing is everything even for independent performers, but it looks like Marco’s time to weigh in to the pop/R&B scene is coming soon!

How can there be an art of making love without saying “I Love You”? @CarlosdNobrega reveals all

CARLOS NÓBREGA, “I Love You”

Your second taste of “The Art Of Making Love” by Carlos Nóbrega comes in the form of the mid-tempo pop/dance ballad “I Love You”, following the recent lead-off “Set Me Free”.  Because those very words are in fact the deal-sealer, a song about saying I love you always has to be committed and passionate, and I can’t think of anyone better to convey the importance of the message than Carlos.  With an elegant and sophisticated arrangement, it sometimes boils down to a simple chorus to tell all and make you think more about the special person in your life as well as anyone else to whom you show affection.  There’s more coming with the official release of “The Art Of Making Love” as well as Carlos’ second upcoming project “Almageddon”.  Watch the lyric video for “I Love You” above.

Asian Bass is the name of the game for @GianniMarino in “Make You” featuring #LunaMay

GIANNI MARINO featuring LUNA MAY, “Make You”

All of the pieces of “Make You” are the sum of familiar parts, assembled carefully and artfully by Dutch producer Gianni Marino, who gets an outstanding vocal by Australian singer Luna May that really rings true.  What starts off like many other EDM ballads quickly shifts into different territory with the nifty addition of “Asian Bass” melodies which seem to be popular these days with producers from the Netherlands (DROELOE was onto it last year as well).  So a pleasant enough song becomes exotic and delightful, with a requisite amount of tenderness and emotion to send it home.  You can give it your undivided attention at the link above.

“Under My Sheets” is about getting it right the second time from @JoeyDalemusic x @RicoandMiella

JOEY DALE x RICO & MIELLA, “Under My Sheets” (free DL)

A lot of times, when we hear a song we like in a club, we’ll get on the dance floor to break out a few moves and get close, but we don’t often listen to what the song is about.  “Under My Sheets” is a fab collab with Dutch producer Joey Dale and NYC duo Rico & Miella.  It’s a pop ballad disguised as a dance song about getting it right the second time – so the first time with getting intimate and/or sexual with someone didn’t go too well.  Or maybe it’s something happening in a solid relationship.  Nonetheless it’s important that there is always a next time when you truly love someone because as much as there is fun and intimacy in bed, there is more to that if you want a relationship to endure. And while I do appreciate the message, the vocals really pull it through and the summery melody with all that great synth work is magnetic.  “Under My Sheets” is one of those rare well-defined songs to which you can compare your own notes.  And just like that, you can get it for free too by downloading it at the link above 🙂

You’re all “Noobs” to @Meatportmusic as he returns with #PurePlay for #TrapxRave

https://soundcloud.com/trapxrave/meatport?in=meatportmusic/sets/meatport-x-pure-play-noobs

MEATPORT x PURE PLAY, “Noobs”

Mysterious American producer Meatport follows up “The Troll” with “NOOBS”, in collaboration with equally mysterious Hungarian producer Pure Play for Trap x Rave.  Perhaps not as abrasive as “The Troll”, NOOBS seems to draw from influences from European folks like Showtek for a melodic and fun mix of dubstep and trap.  It goes by fast and furious at only 2:40 but with its tight, high energy level there’s a lot of protein in this meat 😉 Follow along with the entertaining Meatport posts on Twitter or Facebook @meatportmusic – ever the crafty well-dressed business guy, with purchase of “NOOBS” you’ll also get a free download 🙂

meatport

 

“Into The Night” is @BrightLightx2’s inspiring, romantic companion piece to “New York Pretty”

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT, “Into The Night”

“New York Pretty” is already one of Bright Light Bright Light’s very best songs to date, complete with glorious New York City travelogue video too.  So a few weeks later, along comes its companion piece, “Into The Night”, also from BLx2’s latest EP Tales Of The City.  And it indeed is another one where NYC chews up the scenery with both familiar and remote places.  The song, like “New York Pretty”, is as contemporary disco as there is any, similar rhythmically to, say, the earlier “Disco Moment”, but in a much happier place lyrically.  And Rod Thomas and his creative partners make it abundantly clear as they add romance and affection into the mix, making it an equally grand video as “New York Pretty”.  “Into The Night” is definitely about finding yourself content in that much happier place and with someone you know to whom you can return home and find open arms waiting for you.  How can it be, you might ask, to come up with something so simple as one of the best stories of the year in a video?  Check it all out at the link above.

“Move” is infectious dance/pop from @KohnerRice with a delightfully silly video

KOHNER RICE, “Move”

A few years back, I was fortunate to hear some catchy songs from Florida-based Kohner Rice, who at the time was in a duo with his brother, but their overall spin on a teen-pop sound seemed to be starting to go out of vogue, and so the songs I heard never saw official release.  Now solo and with a fine-tuned sound that would not sound out of place next to R5 or Conor Maynard, and Kohner returns with a video for “Move” as his re-introduction.  Its fun pop vibe will be sure to hang on to the fans he and his brother won over and likely get even more.  The video is delightfully silly as Kohner and his friends try desperately to teach each other some basic dance moves, culminating in one that you might have seen in “Dirty Dancing” (or, maybe not!).  The video closes with outtakes of said move.  It’s a fine re-emergence for Kohner that should find friends on video playlists, and is definitely on-the-money for Top 40 radio airplay consideratio.  Definitely watch and listen for more of Kohner Rice, but do check out the video for “Move” up at the top.

Producers @MRBNBelgium lend sparkle to jaunty “Somewhere” by @WildCubmusic

WILD CUB, “Somewhere” (MRBN remix)

Sometimes it’s best not to take the ‘quirky’ out of the mix at all for best results.  Belgium’s MRBN have managed to transform the jaunty and eccentric “Somewhere” by L.A. trio Wild Cub into a sparkling crowd-pleaser.  In its original form “Somewhere” is a playful 90’s-inspired romp – think Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  In its remix, the vocals come off sounding more raw and from the 80’s – reminiscent of say The The’s Matt Johnson or Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch.  The horns are replaced by glistening synths and the song retains its jubilant chorus.  So MRBN have kept the ‘quirky’ appeal of the original all intact while making significant changes to lend more appeal to dance music fans and clubs.  You can hear their remix of Wild Cub’s “Somewhere” at the link above.