JUSTIN CARUSO featuring VICTORIA ZARO, “Talk About Me”
Young L.A.-based producer Justin Caruso has been noted up to now for ear-catching remixes last year of songs by the likes of The Chainsmokers and 3Lau. But his campaign to make original music starts with “Talk About Me”, a solid dance tune that will do well enough in clubs, but has a lot going for it as a song unto itself. Benefiting from a gracious and slick vocal by Victoria Zaro, the lyrics tell an important tale, about being yourself and who you are regardless of what others may say. “Talk About Me” starts off like it might be a ballad but revs up the tempo that will work well in any club set. Just shy of a million Soundcloud plays already, the song is a sign of great things to come for Justin Caruso.
I’ve been a big believer in Vancouver singer/songwriter Tristan Thompson since his debut release Here For You in 2014 yielded a soulful piece of pop ear candy called “Tidal Wave”, which also topped the BILLCS Top 30. That song as well as “Burn Again” and the title track received significant national radio airplay in Canada for an independent performer, and got notice overseas, particularly in New Zealand.
Fast forward three years, and the singer, who is not even 20, has created a new project called Diamond Cafe, after a second album last year stalled and the label behind it folded. The EP Breathe is full of five lush, soulful pop/dance songs that will appeal mostly to Michael Jackson and Prince fans, but also to fans of performers as diverse as Sade and Adele. The singer has also taken on production duties, and he’s definitely on the right track though perhaps some songs might benefit from a deeper sound. His now-richer vocals with some commanding high notes score throughout, and the songs to zero in on are the title track, “Commercial Love”, and “Diamonds”.
I think Diamond Cafe will find friends with club DJ’s, EDM fans, and R&B/soul fans interested in hearing 80’s/90’s sounds mixed in with the style of today. Some of the songs, like “Diamonds” could benefit from remixes. Tristan Thompson should find a new and more mature audience with Diamond Cafe. Check out the entire album on Spotify at the link above.
With instantly relateable lyrics, NYC trio Cash Cash have a winner for Big Beat with “Matches”, which features an affecting, potent by none other than ROZES, about whom I’ve written a few times since her breakout on The Chainsmokers’ “Roses”. Cash Cash have worked with quite the variety of vocalists, including Nelly, Bebe Rexha, Christina Perri, and John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls, among others, in recent years. Always in it for more variety, “Matches” gets really big and anthemic when it needs to and ROZES takes us for a brisk ride before it’s all done in typical spot-on three minute single style. I expect “Matches” will take off in clubs within the next few weeks so give it a solid listen at the Spotify link above.
Their friendly and hook-filled style has had me listening for more than a year now, and L.A.’s Two Friends production duo (Matt and Eli) brings us their first all-original three song EP, Out Of Love. It’s at this stage when musicianship takes over and we have before us three quite different songs which show that Two Friends are not at all stuck to the frenetic EDM of many of their fine remixes.
And what would Two Friends do of course but to bring along more friends! I’ve already written abouttheir collaboration with Brandyn Burnette and Molly Moore, aka Cosmos N Creature, on the title song. A second collaboration with the immensely talented MAX (aka Max Schneider) on “Pacific Coast Highway” follows their sparkling redux of MAX’s “Lights Down Low”. It’s a wistful EDM remembrance meant for a late night drive down that long highway or one similar. But the best of the lot is the harmonica-laden “Mona Lisa Eyes”, which sort of celebrates what Avicii brought to the EDM fold five years ago with country flavour and takes it a number of steps further. It also happens to be a gorgeous song with an amazing vocal by an uncredited singer.
Pick up Two Friends’ Out Of Love EP at your favourite digital store.
So help me, everything that WRLD touches lately just glitters! “Stranded”, the Dutchman’s collaboration with Floridians SMLE for Heroic, is big and bold and will smack upside between the ears. The song wastes absolutely no time hooking you up with big beats that give way to quieter moments to let Kiddo AI’s pitch-perfect vocal really soak in, which in turn gives way to more huge sounds that end with a resounding high note that will make you want much more. I think another record with WRLD, SMLE and Kiddo AI is in order. “Stranded” has all of the right pieces in place to slide from dance music clubs and radio and onto the pop scene. Don’t say you weren’t told! Listen above on Spotify and pick it up on iTunes.
Regardless of what you think of The Chainsmokers after their 2016 successes, including a Grammy win for “Don’t Let Me Down”, you had to know that the only way was up in 2017. So they’re touring in Europe and headlining some of the biggest festivals. Yet they always find time for the fans and the up-and-coming producer/DJ’s who would like to taste even a modicum of what they’ve accomplished in a short period of time. Those who knew them before the “#Selfie” days must be gleaming.
So this week on the BILLCS Top 30, The Chainsmokers have the distinction of having the top two songs. The reflective “Paris” (above) remains at #1 by a hair, but the second single from their upcoming Memories…Do Not Open album co-written and performed with Coldplay, the anthemic singalong “Something Just Like This” (below), bows at #2 and is set to succeed “Paris” in two weeks. It’s the first time in a year since the same performer held the Top 2 – currently-charting Brandyn Burnette did it in January 2016 with “Nothing At All” at #1 and “Lost (Stripped)” at #2. And it’s Coldplay’s first appearance on this chart, their 8th in total, since 2008’s #1 “Viva La Vida”.
And with this feat, half of the Top 10 changes…
Four More New Entries in the Top 10
German producer/DJ/guitarist Koni soars 13-3 with the glorious pop tune “Mad About You” featuring a delightful vocal by Danelle. Had The Chainsmokers hits not come along, well, you can do the math!
The sultry and evocative “Memories Of You” by Alyx Ander featuring Srey Davi bounds 15-7 in this release for Nettwerk Records.
Following the #4 “Just A Dream”, Molly Moore follows it into the Top 10 11-8 with “Imaginary Friends”, from the EP Now You See Me, with fine remixes by Pluto and TelyKAST.
Heroic Records lands in the Top 10 for the first time thanks to German producer JPB and British singer Luke Cusato with the lovely “For You” rising 12-10.
Set to follow “Cake By The Ocean” into the Top 10, DNCE gets “Naked” moving 14-11.
The fastest riser on the chart belongs to a third German producer/DJ, Levi, but featuring the gorgeous tones of American singer Victor Perry on “Sail”, which vaults 24-13.
Crywolf is in the midst of his North American tour, and a new EP Skeletons is due next week. The epic “Windswept” climbs 20-14.
The Toronto pairing of Loud Luxury and Ryan Shepherd is responsible for a killer deep house redux of Craig David’s “Fill Me In”, retitled “Something To Say” (and also remixed by none other than Tiësto!), and it leaps 25-15.
While The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s high, high debut kind of steals some of its thunder, totally catchy in a different way is “WTFYWF” by Mahalo featuring Cat Lewis. And yes, this collaboration is still riding high in the Top 10, moving to #9 with the exceptional “Be My Love”. “WTFYWF” is a ribald, no holds barred party song which debuts at #22.
View the full BILLCS Top 30right 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 onhttp://www.planetradio.ca live on Tuesday evenings, and with my Pick of the Week segment throughout the week at 2:20 6:20 10:20 AM/PM EST
The prolific Minnesota rapper/songwriter Call Me Karizma brings us his most recent EP Emo, following the single “Disconnected”, where he showed off his equally fine singing voice. Emo sticks to Riz’s trademark downbeat rap style, which always has a lot to say, expressed often in amazingly simple words. Such is the case with “Rain”, a singalong in which he duets with lower-voiced Erik Astle, after a few past ones with women such as Cass on “F U Till I F U”. So in “Rain” the guys mope away while recalling past relationships wanting those old feelings to ‘wash away’. It’s very much like bored kids just sitting by the window watching it rain, and perhaps that’s why Riz samples the voices of children, including what sounds like one from the classic Little Rascals movie series. Nonetheless, it’s no mean feat to right simple-sounding songs, and few people get it right, but more often than not Call Me Karizma always finds the right words in the songs on Emo, including his tip of the hat to those who have experienced mental illness in “Zombie”. Check out “Rain” and the Emo EP on Spotify.
Call Me Karizma is in the midst of a US tour also featuring Cosmos & Creature (and I’m sooo jealous as it isn’t coming anywhere near me). Check out Call Me Karizma’s website for tour details.
LONELY KID featuring JOSH CARTER, “Dancing Just To Be Cool”
While Canada has a fierce EDM scene, some people wouldn’t associate the east coast with dance music. And following Halifax’s Famba (the insanely catchy “Right Here, Right Now”) comes Prince Edward Island’s Lonely Kid with on-point pop/dance tune called “Dancing Just To Be Cool”. It’s a celebration for the nerd in all of us to get up and let loose, though most of us are guilty of doing exactly what the title says (and to heck with it, says I 😛 ). The song is at its best when the tempo soars and Josh Carter’s voice becomes its most expressive, bringing out the vibrancy in the song. Through Tipsy Records, Lonely Kid will be making many, many more friends in 2017 if he has more tricks up his sleeve like “Dancing”. Give it your attention at the link above.
It only has one lyric – “check this out”, so ubiquitous for the last 30 years in dance music – but Argentinian producer/DJ Fernando Lopez Piña has lots of good stuff brewing in “Chek!” through Balmung Digital Recordings. It’s a majestic theme to an unmade spy movie where you can visualize the car/boat chase, the attractive couple escaping from danger, and of course the inevitable explosions. And all of that imagery of course makes “Chek!” an extremely fun song for dance clubs. It doesn’t have any deadly drops but instead gets under your skin with early 2000’s techno influence which currently seems to be happily in vogue. Though the middle gets a little repetitive, which means the song likely could have been 30 seconds shorter, you’ll likely find yourself wanting to hear more of “Chek!”. Hear it in full on Spotify above.
Now based out of Chicago, producer/DJ Aash Mehta firmly establishes a unique approach to EDM with his new 6 song EP Stardust on release by Casual Jam Recordings. It’s lush and romantic to be sure, with songs telling stories out of personal experience, initiated by the instrumental introduction “Welcome To Stardust”. It’s also light and playful, echoing sentiments that one does feel in a romantic relationship.
The music often relies on repetitive synth effects to accentuate joyfulness, and there are a number of fine vocalists showcased throughout the EP. Best of all, I’m so glad “Wings”, featuring a beauty of a vocal by Jess Forman, is included. I wrote about this particularly outstanding song back last summer and it has even more potential these months later. Also key is the effortless-sounding “Friendzone” featuring another top notch vocalist with whom Aash has recorded before named Lydia Kelly. Aviella carries two songs brimming with emotion, “Hold Onto Me” and “Never Gonna Stop”, while the remaining track “In Your Eyes” features Bri Tolani and Zephure. All of the songs glide by in the best of ways but I think your attention will be stuck to “Wings” and “Friendzone”. Stardust is a great start to a full body of original music by Aash Mehta.
Given the many varied remixes Aash concocted in 2016, Stardust represents a significant turn-of-the-page with loads of possibilities for what’s next in 2017. Be sure to pick up Stardust at your favourite digital store.
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