California’s BKAYE looks to have a breakout on his hands with his intense workover of L.A. soul/pop duo Opia’s “YDU” (meaning ‘you don’t understand’). In its original version, “YDU” is a languid, lingering jam when something is amiss mid-relationship. BKAYE plays on that and cranks it up with strong, crusty, futuristic synths that will keep you on edge until some vocal effects hit an appropriate climax right before it’s all over. Jacob and Cole from Opia have such marvelous voices and BKAYE’s take on the song complements their talents instead of losing them in the mix. Hear it all above and then download it for free 🙂
SANDER VAN DOORN, MARTIN GARRIX & DVBBS featuring ALEESIA, “Gold Skies” (Ambi-DXtrous remix) (free DL)
It always takes a lot of effort to transform a song a lot of people love, but L.A.-based, Ohio-bred Ambi-DXtrous totally gets how to refashion “Gold Skies”, the late 2014 dance hit that was the concoction of Sander van Doorn, Martin Garrix and DVBBS. Ambi-Dxtrous focuses on a bright and sunny remix rather than a wistful, dreamy one, and it works well, not shaking up the song structure too much but adding well placed effects that take nothing away from the original. It’s guaranteed to work well if DJ’s drop it mid-set to keep their dancers giddy and shaking it on the dance floor. It’s a free download too, submitted as part of a talent contest, and even if it doesn’t place in the contest it’s still a winner for Ambi-DXtrous well worth hearing.
For a different kind of remix full of an immense variety of sounds, check out what Florida’s Vasta has created to refashion teen-on-the-rise Billie Eilish’s “Six Feet Under”. He actually plays off her uniquely expressive somewhat Lana Del Rey-ish style in the quieter, emotional parts of the song and adds a bass undercurrent, sharp percussion, and other soaring synths with a driving rhythm that takes the song to different places than the original. It might take a little longer to arrive at in the second half but it’s definitely worth your while to stick with it. Take a listen above to Vasta’s melodic house remix, and download it for free.
Some favourites remain at the top while others tumble this week to make room for songs that have been waiting patiently in line…
The Top 10
“Native Son Prequel” by Gramatik and Leo Napier (Jenaux remix) (above) and “Balance” by The Him (below) have been my one-two punch now for three charts (six weeks), and it looks like they will yield to other songs in two weeks – but exactly which ones I do not even know yet!!
“Plans” by Elephante and Brandyn Burnette is definitely a contender for the top as it climbs 7 to 4. Check out the new Acoustic version below 🙂
The fastest riser on the chart belongs somewhat surprisingly to The Weeknd and Daft Punk, whose “Starboy” rockets 12-5, to become the highest ranking song by The Weeknd on my chart to date. And… he has one of four debuts too!
L.A.-based producer Steve James pairs up with fellow L.A. duo RKCB for a fine blend of EDM and soul on “In My Head”, which rises 9-6.
And you’ll see Brandyn Burnette two more times in the Top 10 as his duet with his gal Molly Moore on “Just A Dream” (above, from her brand new EP Now You See Me, which he produced) leaps 13-8, while the Sean Turk remix of his own “Closer” (below) moves up 11-9. Brandyn has achieved this feat before and most of his songs just make a bee-line for the Top 10 anyway 😛 It’s also the third song called “Closer” to reach my Top 10 this year, following songs by Elephante and The Chainsmokers.
Movin’ On Up
NYC trio Liquid Diet close in on the Top 10 with their Eurotastic “Luminary” and its provocative video, up 14-11 from their album Double Life.
That unassuming instrumental “Vague” by Fabian Luttenberger in its playful Stan Sax remix continues to gain momentum, climbing 17-14.
Cole Plante’s reworking of Womack & Womack’s classic “Teardrops” from 1988, featuring a powerful vocal by Bobi, rises 21-16 and is currently a Top 5 Billboard Club Play hit 🙂
My fun, fun, fun trio of debuts from two weeks ago are on the move: “Right Here Right Now” by Halifax’s Famba (above) jumps 26-20, while Bobby Nourmand’s rework of his instrumental “Deep”, now called “D E E P In NY” featuring rappers DOC and Goodmorning (below), rises 25-22, and Convex & Titus get naaasty in a Snøwmass remix of “Bad Kids” (27-23, also below).
Released by The Disco Fries’ new label Liftoff, producer Eric Sharp and vocalist Zhao have a powerhouse deep house tune called “The Thirst”, which is the highest debut at #25.
Pet Shop Boys put on an amazing show last week mixing in old with new and even a bit obscure, and one of the best songs from their latest album Super came out sounding quite grand. “Burn” isn’t a single – but it should be – and arrives on the chart at #26.
If you’re used to the slick and soulful side of The Weeknd then you may be taken a bit aback as he lets loose with the rock-flavoured “False Alarm” at #27, from the upcoming Starboy album. Not of course to be confused with the Matoma/Becky Hill song which hangs in at #21.
One of the nicest and most uplifting songs around right now is the EDM pop ballad “My Hands” by NYC vocalist Ayer, and it lands on the chart at #28.
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 this Wednesday (Nov 16) and next Tuesday (Nov 22) at 9pm EST!
EAU CLAIRE, “All The Wonder”, also in a LoFrames remix
After making her name well known across North America as a producer/DJ and remixer, Washington, DC-based Eau Claire has launched her own recording career with her EP All The Wonder. And unlike many other performing women in the EDM genre, Eau Claire has chosen to sing the title song. As a producer, it makes perfect sense as she’s written for her own voice and the results are not only assured but pretty darned catchy as well. The sparkling keyboards and melody all join forces with the vocal to make a solid song structure to keep you more than interested throughout. And French duo LoFrames have come up with their own darker, unique-sounding take on the song that sends it through some Daft Punk-ish kind of motions, particularly right before the 3 minute mark, which will sound fabulous on big club speakers. You can pick up Eau Claire’s EP and the LoFrames remix on your favourite digital platform, but check them both out at the links above.
Australia-based producer Latchmere is back with a new original called “Take Me”, following his infectious deep house collaboration with Andreas Liberos this past summer, “Limits”. Featuring a sultry vocal by Reina Winters, “Take Me” is a high quality, bass-driven song that will have no problem winning you over midway with with an ominous-sounding backdrop and some expressive synths, creating another ear-catching melody. It’s a bit low-key and different on the surface but “Take Me” ultimately will wrap you up in its variety of sounds. You can download it for free at the link above (Soundcloud now hides other buttons like this under “More”).
Georgia pop/R&B singer Victor Perry shows off two of his major talents in this stripped down cover of Everything But The Girl’s 1995 smash “Missing” – his slick ability as an interpreter and his beautiful high register. Of course “Missing” is best known as a pop and dance hit thanks to an historic remix by Todd Terry, which transformed and reinvented the slower, more emotional acoustic original from the Amplified Heart album. Victor turns it back down with piano for support (courtesy of dad/producer William Perry Jr.) and the result is very special, which Everything But The Girl/Tracey Thorn/Ben Watt fans will love, as Victor’s take conveys a similar emotional vibe to the original. And just when you think that’s not enough, he lets his high register take off for most of the last minute of the song to give a gorgeous, long-lasting coda that you would have never expected. And this all came about thanks to a Twitter chat Victor and I had about some of our favourite 90’s records: I sent “Missing” his way, he fell in love with it, and voilà! 🙂 Thanks for running with it Victor and putting your own signature stamp on “Missing” 😀 Also be sure to check out Victor’s debut EP 4 AM Nostalgia. Listen to “Missing” at the above link.
“Imaginary Friends” is one of three songs previewed in advance of the release last week of Molly Moore’s second EP Now You See Me, and I’ve written about them all 🙂 The song now gets a remix courtesy of German producer Pluto. And what in its original version is about the pain of loneliness when relocating to a big city receives a change in perspective from the remixer. Its new futuristic trap surroundings bring out a more hallucinogenic, almost nightmarish side of the song – more of a companion piece to Molly’s “Just A Dream” – wherein you realize that the friends are indeed all in one’s head. As much as I enjoy the focused production of the original of “Imaginary Friends”, Pluto’s remix takes you on a different journey and will sit well with dance club patrons. Give it a listen above – it’s available as a free download.
Following up his recent Intimate Science album, full of the sexy and pulsating dance music that NYC’s SIRPAUL creates so well (including a cover of Madonna’s “Physical Attraction”), comes “Kiss Me Kill Me” from a film of the same name. This is a bit of a change of pace for the singer, a perfectly thrilling dance track that exudes ‘movie theme’. In the above video, SIRPAUL is the dapper secret agent-type who lets the story unfold interspersed with scenes from the film, and it helps bring back the sophistication missing in much of today’s beat-and-genre focused dance songs. We’re the beneficiary of SIRPAUL’s rich contemporary dance music experience here and “Kiss Me Kill Me”, while sinfully good in its original version, would benefit from remixes that will help take that sophistication to other levels. “Kiss Me Kill Me” should not be missed by dance clubs looking to dazzle their patrons.
NYC duo Truth x Lies take singer Ayer’s rising joyous, melodic pop/dance single “My Hands” to the centre of dance clubland with this official deep house remix. It’s an increasingly big favourite of mine, now officially available on digital platforms everywhere as part of an EP package that includes other remixes by FrankMusik and Cazzette. There aren’t any real surprises here as Truth x Lies create a classic bass-laden mix that changes the sway of the original into more of a bounce effected by well-placed drops. This remix of “My Hands” will only make you want to get out and celebrate on the dance floor more. For now, it’s also available as a free download at the above link.
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