“Mama Say” by @BettyWho receives a classic club mix by @DJShadesmusic

BETTY WHO, “Mama Say” (Shades remix)

Since her debut in 2013 with “Somebody Loves You”, which went viral and eventually became a #1 club smash, Aussie-born NYC-based Betty Who has amassed a loyal following, particularly in clubs, where they will never let her go, especially after her recent revival of Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever”.  From her new album The Valley, “Mama Say” doesn’t mince any words about being a strong, remarkable you, and NYC duo Shades offers a classic, sparkling official club remix that’s a natural fit for Betty’s uplifting style.  And that’s something that attracts new fans.  Check the Shades remix of “Mama Say” at the Spotify link above.

The Netherlands’ @DROELOEmusic creates another fascinating instrumental with “See Through Me”

https://soundcloud.com/bitbirdofficial/droeloe-see-through-me

DROELOE, “See Through Me”

After some pretty relentless touring across the USA these past few months, the wildly creative Dutchmen of DROELOE are back with new music with “See Through Me”.  Recalling the drunken melody of their earlier “Shibuya”, “See Through Me”, like that song, takes us on a journey through several electronic movements with loud and quiet moments that will turn heads in an early-evening club set.  It’s music that gets inside your head and kind of makes you sway uncontrollably.  So perhaps these talented guys will find their way up to Canada for a show or two as well.  “See Through Me” is alt-EDM that I think will preface something a little more pop-oriented like their recent “In Time”.  DROELOE is getting quite the established repertoire intact and it’s great to see new label Bitbird (currently revelling in the success that is San Holo) behind them.  Check out “See Through Me” at the above link.

Fast & Furious: NYC’s @ReidSpeed’s “Animal” is a triumph of tough melodic dubstep featuring @Burnheart_music

REID SPEED featuring BURNHEART, “Animal”

If you like your trap mixed with drum ‘n bass and lots of melody, then “Animal” by NYC producer/DJ Reid Speed is for you.  She concocts a mix that does not let up, with beautifully sweet melodic moments in stark contrast to some of the hardest dubstep and trap you’ll hear in a song that has big crossover potential.  It’s aided fittingly by a deep and soulful vocal by L.A.’s Burnheart (aka Scott Bernhardt) that takes “Animal” to yet another level within one song.  I was not familiar with Reid Speed before this song but I can see why she is being touted as one of North America’s most innovative producer/DJ’s regardless of gender.  Check out “Animal” above and be prepared to have your senses twisted and turned and eventually reassembled.

“Difficult” by @Sweekuh and @Armorsmusic is crowd-pleasing grower

SWEEKUH & ARMORS, “Difficult”

“Difficult” by Philadelphia’s Sweekuh and L.A.’s Armors (from Tipsy Records) is the sly teaser of a crowd-pleaser that make take a few listens but it’s well worth it.  Quite simply, it’s a by-the-book three-minute pop single with a big beat and alternately endearing and challenging vocal by Armors.  It’s what helps make it a real grower – by third or fourth listen your head will be bobbing and you’ll tap into everything that’s positive about a song called “Difficult”.  You may recall rising young producer Sweekuh (a play on Zack Cwieka’s last name) from his entertaining dubsteppy remix of Molly Moore’s “Peace Of My Heart”, which was a tell-tale sign for a fine original like “Difficult”.  Check it out at the Spotify link above.

“Make You Mine” by NYC’s @AireAtlantica shows off its high end featuring L.A. vocalist @Ameriamusic

AIRE ATLANTICA featuring AMERIA, “Make You Mine” (free DL)

“Make You Mine” is all about a formidable pairing of effortless vocal and infectious high end.  Aire Atlantica is a NYC producer whose mixes and remixes of songs by Lorde, K-Flay and Billie Eilish have acquired attention from key tastemakers.  This has also helped him land the opening slot on the current tour by Hotel Garuda, which takes him to Austin this week and back to NYC in two weeks.  His production on the original “Make You Mine” (for Lowly Palace) is on-point, with Hungary-born beauty Ameria’s voice soaring against a rather simple but well-placed high end hook.  “Make You Mine” has anthemic qualities and audiences will tape into that.  For now you can hear it above on Spotify and download it for free right here.

#BILLCSTop30 #507 – April 17/17

And the great new music keeps coming – 5 debuts again for edition #507.  And I had a Top 4 songs that I was really torn over what song would be in what position.  So…….

The Top 10

The Top 4 stays the same 🙂 but watch for a shake up in two weeks!  All but the Top 4 are in upward movement mode, but all are bulleted nonetheless!

  • “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay stays on top for a third appearance (six weeks), so we’ll see if they anchor the pole position in two weeks.  Their debut album Memories…Do Not Open is #1 this week in North America and Top 5 in the UK, all from the same guys who brought us “#Selfie” 3 years ago.  And instead of relying on that success, they transformed and have not looked back 🙂

  • “Mad About You” by Koni featuring Danelle stays at #2.  Italian producer Mark Mendy has a bouncy and equally cheerful official remix hot off the presses so check it out below and download it for free 🙂 

https://soundcloud.com/mark-mendy/mad-about-you

  • Mahalo and Cat Lewis get their second consecutive Top 5 song here with “WTFYWF”, which soars 10-5, positioning itself nicely to advance further in two weeks.
  • Toronto quartet Blajk continue their trek up the chart with the seductive “Lethal” from their EP “Limited”, climbing 9-6.  Check out the eye-catching video – Jordan Radics is one singer who does not look like his voice!

  • Crywolf and his emotion-torn epic “Windswept” ascends to a new peak of #7, from his EP “Skeletons”.
  • From only his third EP, Brandyn Burnette gets his 10th solo Top Tenner here (which includes three #1’s) with “Manifest” from “Feature Films”, rising 11-8.  That doesn’t include his pairing with Molly Moore on “Just A Dream” (#4) nor his Cosmos & Creature featured entry on Vicetone’s “Bright Side” (#7), which would bring the total to 12.

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/manifest

  • WRLD’s collaboration with SMLE and vocalist Kiddo AI charges 13-9 into the Top 10 with “Stranded”.

https://soundcloud.com/thewrld/sets/wrld-x-smle-stranded-feat

  • Michael Christofi’s dynamic and uplifting remix of Elohim’s “Hallucinating” jumps 12-10, Christofi’s second time in the Top 10 after his original “Don’t Need You” got to #8 in 2016.

Also Movin’ Up

  • Don’t be too worried about “Stay” by Zedd and Alessia Cara ranking #11 this week.  It will be well into the Top 10 in two weeks and by then, as I understand it, there will be remixes available!

  • Continuing their North American tour are two truly nice guys – Steve and Jeroen – aka Dutch production duo The Him.  “I Wonder”, featuring a unique vocal by LissA, climbs 17-13.

  • The fastest riser on the chart this week is a bit of a change of pace for Swedish producer Alesso – which might be why I like it a whole lot!  “Falling” soars 23-16.

  • With a new song already on deck that is equally charming, L.A.-based singer/songwriter Axel Mansoor moves up 25-19 with “Wasted My Love”, still available as a free download for you too!
  • And making new friends every week is the infectious “Cruel” by L.A.-based singer/songwriter Eddy Faulkner, which climbs 28-22.  Expect to see some remixes sometime very soon!

5 Debuts

  • ‘Twas the week of Harry Styles and with good reason – “Sign Of The Times” is a great song with a fantastic vocal!  So it’s hard not to jump aboard the ride – it bows at #21.  It’s the first time anyone from One Direction has appeared on this chart, band or solo!

  • There’s a one-of-a-kind melody that graces “Runaway” by young L.A.-based producer Spirix featuring Florida vocalists Xuitcasecity.  The combination of EDM, pop and hip hop flavours helps send it to a #23 debut for the Spinnin’ Premium label.  Spirix got to the Top 5 last year twice – once as co-collaborator with LZRD on “Take Me Apart” (#5) and as co-remixer of Brandon Skeie’s #1 “So Bad”.

  • Another young producer who has seen songs in the Top 10 of this chart over the past year is The Netherlands’ Steve Void.  His latest is “Never Been Better” and it arrives at #26, following his collaboration with No Mondays on “Chemistry” (#10) and his remixes of both SNBRN’s “Beat The Sunrise” (#5) and Matoma’s “False Alarm” (#6).
  • The mysterious ZHU makes his chart debut here with “Nightcrawler” at #27.  It’s a creepy, slinky number that will get under your skin much like the debut which brought him a 2014 Grammy nomination, “Faded”, which I would have charted had I not heard it well after-the-fact.  One of those ‘couldabeens’ 🙂

  • The fifth debut comes from two super NYC guys, Andy Suzuki and Kozza, who call themselves Andy Suzuki & The Method.  The guys continue to play gigs throughout North America to support their second album The Glass Hour.  The 80’s flavoured and soulful “I Need You Now (The More You Leave)” premieres at #29.  The band had had two previous chart entries, “Dirty Floors” (#7) and “Keep Me Running”, from their 2013 album “Born Out Of Mischief”.

 

View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

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

Listen for me on http://www.planetradio.ca on Tuesday evenings with my Top 10 of Toronto’s yesteryear, and with my Pick of the Week segment airing throughout the week most days at 2:20 6:20 10:20 AM/PM EST 🙂

High quality musicianship, ear-pleasing melodies all showcase @Cloudchord’s excellent new album “Imprint”

CLOUDCHORD, Imprint

Austin-based Cloudchord (aka Derek VanScoten) has released his first album under that moniker called “Imprint”, and it will definitely leave its mark on you, warranting multiple listens to beautifully layered songs full of striking and bright high end that will leave you in a great mood afterwards.  And it’s more likely to make you want to dance than not!

I’ve mentioned it before, but Cloudchord isn’t just an EDM producer/remixer, he’s a studied musician, and his diverse guitar work kicks Imprint up many notches.  The use of other live instruments like trumpet as well as top notch, complex synth melodies should call attention to other producers and arrangers.  The album is mostly instrumental, and seems to take a lot of cues from progressive ambient musicians like Brian Eno and Jean-Michel Jarre, with a lot of heavy jazz influence too from people like Pat Metheny (specifically his 80’s works).  But there are those slamming beats too, which fall out of deep house, tropical and future bass sub-genres, which should totally win over club DJ’s.

The release of Imprint was preceded by two of its songs, the sunny “Golden XO” (which I wrote about a while back) and “Light U”, with its perky rhythm and vocal effects.  The other songs that stand out to me are the imaginative “Aviator”, with all of its lovely melodic shifts – it could be made into a mini-movie in itself – the playful and complex “Lacuna”, “Sidewalk Spirits” (notable guitar work here), “Lavender Mimosas”, and “Birdbath and Beyond” (definitely loving some of the humour in the titles).  

If you enjoy your EDM drenched in variety within that genre, along with countless other influences, then Cloudchord’s Imprint is meant for you for a thorough listen.  Check it out at your favourite digital store using the link above.

Folk meets EDM in warm and catchy “Silent Games” by @LarsBeckMusic & @super2beHenri featuring @Zektmusic

https://soundcloud.com/selectedsounds/silent-games

LARS BECK & HENRI PURNELL featuring ZEKT, “Silent Games” (free DL)

“Silent Games” is one of those understated surprises that only comes along once in a while.  It’s a gem of a direct storytelling folk song that is amazingly married with a buoyant tropical house rhythm that equals sing-a-long/dance-a-long 🙂  I’m not familiar with Lars Beck but Germany’s Henri Purnell collaborated with Dutch teen producer Teison last year on the enjoyable pop/EDM “Your Loving”.  Zekt is a Honolulu-based singer who is a real find with his unique gruff vocal style, perfectly suited for “Silent Games”, with its interjection of a few swear words to catch your attention.  “Silent Games” is highly recommended, so get the free download above and enjoy 🙂

Deep house stylin’: Dutch duo @projectSaxena amp up “Darlin'” by @W2THmusic featuring @Serafinomusic

https://soundcloud.com/classyton/welcome-to-the-hotel-ft-brandon-serafino-darlin-saxena-remix?in=projectsaxena/sets/welcome-to-the-hotel-darlin

WELCOME TO THE HOTEL featuring BRANDON SERAFINO, “Darlin'” (Saxena remix) 

“Darlin'” is a perfectly decent pop introduction to new performers California’s Welcome To The Hotel and NYC-based singer Brandon Serafino, and perhaps more will be known about them as they make their social media presence.  Dutch duo Saxena have taken the song on a sideways route, and amped it up big time with classic deep house rhythms, using Brandon’s voice to accentuate this style while accompanied by a lovely saxophone to give it even more pep.  The result is an engaging, free-flowing 90’s flavoured dance track that’s bound to keep even the stingiest of dancers happy on the dance floor.  My ol’ disco feet rarely lie so this one’s yours for free downloading at the link above.

#BILLCSTop30 #506 – April 3/17

The Top 10

  • The Chainsmokers continue keep our attention, with their debut album Memories…Do Not Open due this week, and a third song just released in advance of the album called “The One”.  But for me it’s currently all about their collaboration with Coldplay on “Something Just Like This”, which scores a second appearance at #1 handily.

  • “Something To Say” by Toronto’s Loud Luxury and Ryan Shepherd has got such a great house groove but it’s also such a singalong to the lyrics of Craig David’s “Fill Me In”.  I heard it at a club last night and it sounded amazing.  “Something To Say” soars 8 to 4.

https://soundcloud.com/aftrhrsrecords/somethingtosay

  • After laying low two weeks ago, “Memories Of You” by Miami’s Alyx Ander featuring Srey Davi is on the move again, climbing 7-5.
  • New to the Top 10 is another Toronto band called Blajk, who I’m hoping will surface to perform songs from their EP Limited, such as the one that moves 12-9, a seductive song called “Lethal” thanks to Jordan Radics’ unique vocal.

  • It’s 2-for-2 as L.A.’s Mahalo scores a concurrent Top 10 hit here with “WTFYWF”, once again featuring vocalist Cat Lewis, rising 15-10.  “Be My Love” drops to #7 from its #5 peak, and the duo have released a 4th single called “Current Mood”, which I wrote about yesterday!

Movin’ On Up

All of last week’s debuts lead the big movers on the chart.

  • The fastest riser is “Stranded” by The Netherlands’ WRLD and Miami’s SMLE featuring a stunning vocal by Kiddo AI that will leave you hanging for more at the end.  It vaults 21-13.
  • Not far behind is the riveting collaboration of Zedd meets Alessia Cara with the bouncing, joyful “Stay”, climbing 22-15.

  • “I Wonder” is a bright, shiny mid-tempo dance song that stands out in a crowd from Dutch duo The Him featuring vocalist LissA, and climbs 24-17.

  • “Worship” by The Knocks featuring UK singer MNEK will get you down on your knees on the dance floor in complete bliss.  It’s from The Knocks’ new EP Testify and jumps 25-20.
  • Yet another Dutch producer, Lulleaux, is on the move with his latest song “Sinner”, featuring vocals by SVM, and it leaps 27-21.

Debuts

  • The 25 year old Swedish producer Alesso (aka Alessandro Lindblad) arrives on this chart for the first time with his beautiful new song “Falling”.  I’ve always enjoyed Alesso’s style over the years, more so earlier songs such as “Calling (Lose My Mind)” with Sebastian Ingrosso and Ryan Tedder, and “Years” with Matthew Koma.  “Falling” has a breathtaking uncredited vocal that marries beautifully with Alesso’s melody, and it bows at #23.

  • “Wasted My Love” is a mid-tempo indie EDM ballad by L.A. based singer/songwriter Axel Mansoor that’s available as a free download.  It’s a lovely song sung with cool confidence about a relationship that was not meant to be, and premieres at #25.
  • Also on the indie tip at #28 is the versatile pop/dance song “Cruel” by another L.A.-based singer/songwriter, Eddy Faulkner.  The slick production, sensitive vocal, and dark undercurrent make this one a winner.

View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

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

Listen for me on http://www.planetradio.ca on Tuesday evenings (returning on April 11), and with my Pick of the Week segment returning on April 3, aired throughout the week at 2:20 6:20 10:20 AM/PM EST 🙂