“Guilty” by @iamChrisJamison is full of catchy R&B-influenced bounce

CHRIS JAMISON, “Guilty”

With his easy-going, effortless R&B-influenced style, it’s easy to see why Pittsburgh’s 22 year old Chris Jamison has been a fan favourite from TV’s The Voice (Season 7, finishing third).  “Guilty” is culled from his independent self-titled EP, and it’s got a recognizable bass-filled bounce to carry it along with Chris’ seamless vocal.  The song deserves a better video treatment but nonetheless, you could dress his voice up in glitz and synths all you want, and it still suits the singer’s no frills approach.  If you want to have Chris sing on The Voice again soon, then you can vote for him right here.  Watch the video for “Guilty” above.

More bass please: @AnggerDimas & @itsApocalypto give us “Out My Mind” featuring Louise LaBelle @LaBellemusic

ANGGER DIMAS & APOCALYPTO featuring LOUISE LABELLE, “Out My Mind”

“Out My Mind” is indeed a cross-continental collaboration by the rising Indonesian DJ/producer Angger Dimas and Australia’s Apocalypto featuring powerhouse vox by British singer Louise LaBelle.  “Out My Mind” is the best of two EDM worlds – a riveting ear-catching singalong in a dirty, progressive, futuristic mix full of bass to slay you in your boots on the dance floor.  It doesn’t let up with intents on leaving you breathless in a nasty kind of way 😛  Check it out above; it’s culled from the four song EP Angger Dimas & Friends.

“Fight” is an energetic, promising new song by Andy Suzuki @andtheMethod (@AndyxSuzuki and @Kozza)

ANDY SUZUKI & THE METHOD, “Fight”

Can it be four or five years now since I first heard “Fairytale” by NYC’s Andy Suzuki & The Method?  Riding high on devout fandom from the Malaysian country of Brunei, the duo of singer/songwriter/guitarist Andy Suzuki and songwriter/percussionist Kozza Babumba (grandon of Grammy-winning Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji) returned to their city, playing club gigs around the USA to support their EP Ghost Stories.  Come 2014 they issued a top notch mix of country, folk, rock, and pop in their album Born Out Of Mischief, and I caught the hella-nice pair performing in NYC on one of my visits.  Up next, after touring on rock music cruises as well as with Joshua Radin, Marc Broussard, Amanda Palmer, and others, is a brand new album in early ’17 called The Glass Hour.  In advance of the album we have post-USA election encouragement with “Fight”, sure to be a crowd-pleaser.  I particularly enjoy the arrangement, which sends the bass in and out of the mix to focus on the high end of the song.  This is definitely not the diverse kind of rock music you’ll hear on the radio, but it has everything it needs to attract more new fans, and maybe even get them back to Brunei 🙂  Check out “Fight” at the link above. 

Revel in the epic heartbreaker “Windswept” by @runCryWolf

CRYWOLF, “Windswept”

After the complex but captivating “Quantum Immortality” comes “Windswept” by California EDM performer Crywolf (aka Justin Phillips).  It’s an epic heartbreaker that returns to the same ground set by “Slow Burn” earlier this year.  Both songs are connected by stories of relationships that went so sour that they resulted in being emotionally trapped.  “Windswept” is full of torrents of ups and downs that would be perfectly suited to be acted out in front of us on stage, much in the way that Jim Steinman wrote for rocker Meat Loaf.  The quiet moments of anguish will have you tearing up, while the majestic rebounds will have you leading the charge to abandon all thoughts of that relationship once and for all, but by then there is nothing left but the existential question asked at the end.  Crywolf’s “Windswept” is powerful stuff, long at 6:27 but worth every second at the link above.

“Light” by @SanHolobeats is a sweeping synth symphony

SAN HOLO, “Light”

It’s one of those songs that will literally sweep you off your feet, on the dance floor or not! I don’t know much about Dutchman San Holo, but till now he’s offered up some of the most infuriating, progressive alternative EDM I’ve heard this year.  With “Light”, he’s cut the melody and song down to something simpler, and built a major wall of a synth symphony around it.  The beautiful  (but uncredited) vocal completely suits the song, but it’s the sonic blast well placed and starting at 1:20 that will win you over for the rest of “Light”.  This is inspiring creativity at its best and shows a side of San Holo I want to hear more often.  Listen at the link above and download it for free (at least for now).

“Lies” by Jesper Jenset (@jjenset) is infused with EDM, R&B and Hip Hop vibes

JESPER JENSET, “Lies”

Following up his success with “High” (still flying near the top of the BILLCS Top 30 in its Young Bombs remix), Norway’s Jesper Jenset continues to mix it up with “Lies”.  It’s a pretty worthy and straight-forward song, but given a jazzed up wash of style that’s full of EDM, R&B, and Hip Hop flavours.  It’s clear that Jesper’s team is listening to a lot of The Weeknd and Drake, as well as perhaps Martin Garrix and Skrillex too, and the result is a refreshing concoction that could play well on any radio station while being at home in a dance club too.  Can’t wait for the remixes.  Give it a listen at the link above.

“BDY” by @Stalgiaband is hypnotic, sexy R&B-infused electronica for the head and heart too

“BDY”, Stalgia

L.A. duo Stalgia bring us the hypnotic and sexy “BDY” for our consideration.  Fortunately, it’s one of the most unique songs you will hear over the next while.  It slides easily from pop/R&B flavour to hip hop-inspired EDM.  Lauren Day’s vocal is dynamic and affecting, conveying not only the sensual aspects of the melody but the emotional rapture of the lyrics.  Partner Brandon Leslie creates an effortless pulse and the result is memorable with a singalong chorus that will make you want to hear “BDY” again and again.  Give it a listen at the link above.

Fierce and powerful electronic alt.rock from @DanaandtheWolf with “Close Enough”

https://soundcloud.com/danaandthewolf/close-enough-1

DANA AND THE WOLF, “Close Enough”

L.A. duo Dana and the Wolf have some great things happening with their song “Close Enough”.  What might sound initially like it might be another routine Lorde-inspired track quickly leaves those thoughts in the dust as the arrangement constantly shakes up the proceedings where other songs start to fall apart.  In fact by the time around the 2 minute mark occurs, you realize that singer Dana Hobson has a fierce voice that perhaps draws influence more from Florence Welch and Shirley Manson.  She totally attacks the biting core of the song while partner and producer/multi-instrumentalist Daniel Wolf engages you with the drama with pounding drums and unrelenting synths.  All of this makes “Close Enough” a magnetic, complete package that you can hear at the above link.

New producer/remixer @itsWaitWhat refashions @BoomboxCartel & @Quixofficial’s “Supernatural” feat. @Anjulie

https://soundcloud.com/itswaitwhat/boombox-cartel-quix-feat-anjulie-supernatural-waitwhat-remix

BOOMBOX CARTEL & QUIX featuring ANJULIE, “Supernatural” (Wait What remix)

Berkeley, California producer remixer Wait What (aka Troy Skinner) has refashioned “Supernatural” by Boombox Cartel and Quix featuring Anjulie, and the results not only make the song his own but are highly complimentary to the original.  “Supernatural” as released contains a beautiful, other-worldly vocal by Anjulie which is most present in the first minute, before the song takes a wild dive into heavy futuristic trap, and glides into an enjoyable progressive EDM track.  Wait What takes advantage of the excellent vocal and uses it throughout the song, creating his own future bass trap/dub step arrangement in the process that completely works.  He adds some anthemic vocal effects which gives the song a hip hop spirit.  The result is a confident mix that doesn’t get too wild and focuses on a lot of strengths of the original song.  If you like it by listening at the link above, you can vote for it as a part of a contest at this link by clicking the “Like” button.

“The Great Escape” is potent EDM from @Ravitez & @Afrojack feat. @AmbaShepherd

RAVITEZ & AFROJACK featuring AMBA SHEPHERD, “The Great Escape”

It was a great thing when Afrojack launched his own label Wall Recordings, otherwise we might not hear sparkling new talent like Ravitez.  Afrojack has brought his fellow Dutch protege on many recent tours, and “The Great Escape” is as potent a pairing as you could wish for, made even better with yet another great Amba Shepherd vocal to highlight the high energy of the song.  I’d be shocked if “The Great Escape” doesn’t end up on dance music charts worldwide, and like with past Afrojack records like “Ten Feet Tall” or “Take Over Control” has pop crossover potential.  Watch for Afrojack and Ravitez to bring their show to a city near you, and in the meantime you can buy “The Great Escape” on all digital platforms, and listen above on Spotify.