CALL ME KARIZMA featuring AVALON YOUNG, “If I Had A Heart”
Minnesotan pop/hip hop vocalist, songwriter and producer Call Me Karizma has perhaps made his deepest most warmly personal song yet with “If I Had A Heart”, featuring pop/R&B singer Avalon Young. ‘Riz has no problems laying out exactly what he feels in his songs whether it’s with humour or a wink (“u suck” and “F U Till I F U”) or cutting and to-to-the-point (his recent “Disconnected”). “If I Had A Heart” is a bit more of an about face, turning to a more pop-oriented vibe and EDM flavour with poignant lyrics that share sentiments that most of us have felt more than once or twice. Like with “Disconnected”, ‘Riz continues to show what a fine singing voice he has as well. With every new song he creates, Call Me Karizma makes us think and go for a gut reaction, which is a great approach in finding out what his audience wants to hear. And of course he continues to want to get to know his fans, so do reach out and chat with him 🙂 Even better, be sure to check out Call Me Karizma’s show when he comes to your town! Listen to “If I Had A Heart” above and pick it up at your favourite online digital store.
Call Me Karizma and Avalon Young and friends play at Skully’s in Columbus, Ohio tonight, and then tomorrow at The Loft in Lansing, Michigan.
CADEN JESTER featuring CHRISTOPHER BLAKE, “Fireplaces”
If you like your EDM splashed with a smooth alternative R&B style but with enough topline rhythm to shuffle you out on to the dance floor, then “Fireplaces” is for you, courtesy of 18 year old San Diego producer/remixer Caden Jester and vocalist Christopher Blake via PRMD. I’m getting a bit jealous of all of these talented teens who have been producing great stuff in 2016 🙂 It’s definitely one to get cozy and personal with, a solid companion to other moody, romantic songs that might include ones by Bryson Tiller, Anderson.Paak, RKCB or Opia. Perhaps not as progressive or deep down soulful as other recent releases, “Fireplaces” still has plenty of positive, lazy vibes to enjoy, particularly if you’re in colder climates like me in December. Enjoy “Fireplaces” at the link above.
“Warped Tides” is a new progressive instrumental EDM track by relative newcomer, Boston’s CRVE U (aka producer/remixer Jared Rapoza) brought to us via Lowly Palace. It’s a layered, sometimes chilled-out track that takes its time to build, and could sound great in an early evening set to draw folks out on to the dance floor. It more than sustains its four minute length by coming on full throttle in the last minute when it’s so critical to hold people’s attention, after a middle part that might be a little repetitive. But stick with “Warped Tides” throughout – it’s one of those songs that you’ll want to hear multiple times before it sinks in. CRVE U is off to a fine start with this original and you can download it for free at the above link.
“Sofia” is the lead track from the upcoming album by Columbus, Georgia-based hip hop performer PM Lowe, amusingly titled Don’t Let Me Die Before Dating Sofia Carson. How the Disney Channel star feels about this, we may never know 😛 But “Sofia” slams in all the right places, and will instantly appeal to fans of performers as diverse as Kanye, R. Kelly, T-Pain, Future, and Party Next Door, while finding its own deep rhythm and direct delivery courtesy of producers The Alumni. I think perhaps the rigid pace at times could have been broken up a bit more with other elements but nonetheless PM Lowe and his team do a great job with getting you to both listen and groove to “Sofia”. Download it for free at the link above and watch for more from the upcoming album soon.
SAXITY featuring VICTOR PERRY, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” (free DL)
Collaborations are often amazing as they can bring out the best in both talents. And two that I didn’t know before 2016 dazzle with their updating of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”. Germany’s Saxity of course has had many original, cover, and remix zingers this year including the most recent “Brothers”. And Georgia’s Victor Perry graces us with his beautiful voice again just after his gorgeous cover of Everything But The Girl’s “Missing”. Together, their rendition of this classic is the perfect holiday song to set the tone for your party and get people into a great mood. It’s an uptempo version packaged with everything you might want – guitar, sax, rhythm and assured vocal – how can you go wrong? You can’t – go and download it for free at the link above 🙂
Italy’s DJ Mirko B is on a roll with massive-sounding progressive Italohouse records that have a touch of 90’s flavour to them, such as his recent collaboration with Alexandrius on “Balmung”. “#Bomber!” pairs him up this time with another fellow Italian, BeatmartHz, in this release for Digital Complex, and come that critical time in the evening when a DJ wants everyone on the dance floor, “#Bomber!” is one of those songs that will fill it – sports teams looking for theme music should also take note! It’s simply sheer epic fun – don’t think, just let loose. You can pick up “#Bomber!”on Beatport.
We in the rest of the world often forget how much Australian performers continue to contribute to the dance music scene, witness the huge success of Flume in 2016. With an accessible yet edgy and bold sound, WasteLand is another new Aussie name to know, with support already from BBC Radio. “Tail Lights” has all of the right traits to rattle you – sharp trap beats, sharp effects, and a resonating vocal by American singer Melina Cortez. It’s also off to a great start debuting on the ARIA club chart. WasteLand has no formula here, just absorbing pieces of the best of the best and concocting his own sound. There’s also an intriguing video for “Tail Lights” shot in Perth’s Murray Street Mall, in one take guerrilla-style starring Aussie drag queen Scarlet Adams, which you can watch below.
You first encountered UK duo Lily and Mick, aka YES BABEZ!, in these blog pages in June with their smile-worthy doo wop-meets-Scandinavian-styled electronica in “Madame Beaujolais”. The pair returns with the even more decidedly different crowd-pleaser “Round Around”, and hey if Avicii and others can add Country elements to dance music, then YES BABEZ! can flirt with Bluegrass-flavoured indie pop. The showcase here again is on the effortless vocals, which are imperfectly unpolished and totally suited to the raw Bluegrass and Country tones of “Round Around”. It’s a brisk 3:25 blast that will win you over like a crisp breeze of morning air. Check it out at the above link.
Only three more charts until 2016 is over, and some favourites will depart in the next few weeks, making room for a lot of new music that’s been waiting patiently to get into the higher reaches of my chart. As a result, there are only two debuts this week, but a changeover at the top…
The New Number One
The power of a fantastic melody and amazing production is what gives The Weeknd his first #1 on this chart with “Starboy”, featuring Daft Punk, who also get their first #1, after having three previous Top 10 entries (“One More Time” in 2001; “Stronger” with Kanye West in 2007, and “Get Lucky” in 2013). It’s so great seeing someone from my neck of the woods – Abel grew up near my neighbourhood in Scarborough, Ontario (east Toronto) – knock it out of the park and I look forward to hearing the entire album. “False Alarm” (below) also moves up 27-21. And part of what has helped the appeal of “Starboy” for me is the cover also below by producer/remixer Koni featuring vocalist Johannes Weber, the best one I’ve heard to date (and a free download). “Starboy” replaces Gramatik & Leo Napier’s “Native Son Prequel” (Jenaux remix) after three appearances at the top (now down to #4), which will depart the chart after the maximum 10 appearances.
The Top 10
Elephante’s “Plans”, featuring Brandyn Burnette, advances to #2, one of the top songs from the I Am The Elephante EP. Brandyn also figures prominently in the Top 10 with his gal Molly Moore at #6 with “Just A Dream” (below) and at #7 in a Sean Turk remix of his own “Closer”.
“High” (Young Bombs remix) by Norway’s Jesper Jenset remains at a strong #3, and has been followed up by his great new single “Lies”, which I wrote about recently.
“In My Head” by Steve James featuring vocal duo RKCB, continues to move up 6-5. Check out the recently released remix with Australia’s Joe Mason below, which is a free download 🙂
“Luminary” by NYC trio Liquid Diet from their Double Life album (below) grabs #8 on the new chart, while Rihanna’s retro-flavoured “Love On The Brain” advances to #9, and Bright Light Bright Light’s disco-tastic “I Only Want To Please You” (featuring Scissor Sisters’ Ana Matronic) climbs to #10.
Movin’ On Up
While a continuing log-jam below the Top 10 results in new peaks by songs by Fabian Luttenberger, Satchmode, Cole Plante, and Stefan Alexander, most of the bigger moves are from our debuts two weeks ago (such as the aforementioned “False Alarm” by The Weeknd).
“Right Here Right Now” is a fun EDM track with a cool narration by Halifax native Famba, which rises 20-16.
“D E E P in NY” by Bobby Nourmand featuring DOC & Goodmorning is Bobby’s hip hop reinvention of his infectious instrumental “D E E P”, which advances 22-17. It recently received release on The Magician’s Potion label 🙂
The fastest riser on the chart is “Burn” by Pet Shop Boys from their album Super, musically a throwback to their 1987 hit “It’s A Sin”. It climbs 26-18.
Despite its title, “The Thirst” by Eric Sharp featuring vocalist Kenny Zhao is a more seductive and memorable house track rather than an aggressive one. It moves up 25-20.
NYC singer/songwriter Ayer mixes emotional pop with lighter EDM for “My Hands” which moves up 28-22.
Two Debuts
“Brothers” by German producers/DJs/musicians Saxity and featuring Norwegian vocalist Strøm arrives at #25. It’s a charming, warm songthat I wrote about a while back, and I was the one who instigated the connection between the Saxity lads and the songwriters, which led to the birth of “Brothers” 🙂
I wrote about“All The Way” by Sweden’s Hellberg late in the summer, but it has stuck with me so much that I had to add it to the chart. It’s a potent feel-good EDM instrumental from this talented producer who brought us “Synchronize” and “Care For Me” (with Toronto’s Dzeko & Torres) earlier this year. “All The Way” bounces on to the chart at #26.
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 with my Pick of the Week at 2:20/6:20/10:20 AM/PM EST onhttp://www.planetradio.ca most days Monday through Sunday, and my flashbacks to a Toronto Top 10 of yesteryear Tuesdays at 9pm EST!
You’d be hard pressed to find someone in the dance community who wouldn’t say that “So Happy” by Tony Moran featuring Jason Walker isn’t one of their favourite songs of 2016. Like with that song, a throwback to festive disco/dance of yesteryear, the pair are back to bring joy to the dance floor with “Say Yes”, which is currently gracing the Billboard Club Play chart and headed for the top. The video provides all kinds of fashionable razzle dazzle as Jason cavorts in the subway and in downtown Manhattan with golden balloons in tow. “Say Yes” is one of those songs where you just need to let go and forget about everything for less than four minutes, and the result, like with “So Happy”, will be a big smile on your face.
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 