L.A.-based R&B singer @BryanJmusic puts a subtle spin on @Drake’s “Controlla”

https://soundcloud.com/hogansville/controlla

BRYAN J, “Controlla”

I have plenty of Views of the 6 since I reside in Drake’s hometown and have a daughter who plays many a Drake tune when she’s with me.  So Georgia-born, L.A.-based R&B singer Bryan J’s rendition of “Controlla” definitely caught me off guard.  It’s silky smooth and in his soft vocal you can hear the many quieter sides of MJ, JT, CB, JB… and it would sound great as a featured voice within a Drake song itself!  I’m going to say right away that the beginning of the song is a bit too understated, but do stick with it because Bryan’s voice has tremendous potential and shines as he manages to transform Drake’s forceful rap into slick R&B balladry.  It’s a risky interpretation that pays off… lend a listen above.

“I Thought You Were My Friend” by @weareFightNight where punk influences and EDM make a happy medium

FIGHT NIGHT, “I Thought You Were My Friend”

The Washington, DC duo Fight Night, consisting of singer Andy Gruhin and producer Josh Grant, follow up their EP Underground with “I Thought You Were My Friend”, a decidedly different, rock-flavoured EDM track that can easily turn heads.  Picture if you will the approach and attitude of say All-American Rejects, Simple Plan, or blink-182 (timely this considering the latter’s comeback!), and pair it up with slick but not too busy electronica, which allows the rock guitars to be prominent throughout.  Add to that a common lyric for our teens and 20s generation and you have “I Thought You Were My Friend”.  I like it when performers and producers step outside the often narrow confines of pop music and can realize a song with true potential.  Find out why and download Fight Night’s “I Thought You Were My Friend” using the link above.

Unassuming “Chase You Down” by @Runagroundmusic will make you a fan

RUNAGROUND, “Chase You Down”

Runaground is a one-man band named Andy Kirk from L.A., and “Chase You Down” is one of those easy-going songs that you want to play while you’re driving into a pretty sunset.  Andy’s voice compares to singers like Ryan Cabrera or Howie Day, guys who can write a song and make it a shared personal experience.  “Chase You Down” is also a great companion piece to the similarly titled 90’s hit “Follow You Down” by Gin Blossoms, but of course mixed in with Andy’s pop setting with a rhythm perfectly suited for the dance floor.  Remixers will want to see what they can do with such a diverse and unassuming song.  It’s another pop/dance music hybrid score for Robbins Entertainment after last year’s “Over” by Goldhouse.  Watch the video for “Chase You Down” above and pick up the EP on iTunes.

Harmonizin’ mashup: “Never Forget You”/”Don’t Let Me Down” by @Parallel3music #ZaraLarsson #MNEK #TheChainsmokers #Daya

parallel3

PARALLEL 3, “Never Forget You/Don’t Let Me Down”

It’s so much of a pleasure to hear great voices blend together, and such is the case with Canadian/American trio Parallel 3.  I only happened to find out about them as I wrote about (2015 Master Chef Canada Top 4 finalist!) Cody Karey last year when he recorded a slick cover of The Weeknd’s “Earned It”.  Cody is joined in Parallel 3 by fellow Canadian Marc Devigne and American Brett Pruneau thanks to the wonderful ears of producer Trevor Hoffmann.  The mashup of course is a great choice of international pop/dance favourites by Zara Larsson & MNEK and EDM stars The Chainsmokers & Daya.  The trio shows what great songs these are stripped down to their vocal essence.  I’m sure with these kinds of vocals the guys have all kinds of music up their collective sleeves, and if you fondly remember the Canadian vocal group The Nylons, then you will know that there is room in the international market for Parallel 3.  Looking forward to hearing more!!  Watch the video below.

“Give It Up” is a sexy new crooner for @NathanSykes featuring @realGEazy

NATHAN SYKES, “Give It Up” featuring G-EAZY

As readers of this blog know, “Kiss Me Quick” by Nathan Sykes was one of my favourites of last year.  I enjoyed how this best-kept-secret from The Wanted stepped into a slick crooner role.  He took a step away from that style with his ballad “Over and Over Again”, which was transformed into a duet with Ariana Grande.  But what both songs have in common is that they became huge worldwide club hits.  So Nathan slides back as a crooner with a sexy video for “Give It Up”, featuring rising star G-Eazy, and the song I expect will also become a club floor filler – remixers get ready!  Nathan makes this a light, breezy affair and it’s no wonder that he is achieving incredible success outside of The Wanted.  “Give It Up” is a solid prelude to Nathan Sykes’ upcoming album and hits all platforms on Friday May 13.

@Saxity puts a crowd-pleasing spin on @Kygomusic’s “Fragile” featuring @MiaVerdoorn

SAXITY featuring MIA V., “Fragile”

German duo Saxity are back with another clever cover after their rollicking take on X Ambassadors’ “Renegades” featuring Canadian vocalist and violinist Gabriella.  The guys in Saxity are not just producers and remixers, they are performers, and if you think you’re hearing real instruments in the mix you are absolutely correct!  That definitely helps this pleasing cover of Kygo’s “Fragile”, which builds up so nicely until it becomes a crowd-swaying anthem.  Lebanon-based singer Mia V has a beautiful range and hits all the right notes when soft or loud.  You might find yourself remembering “Fragile” more so for a wicked sax break which is bound to have people cheering in clubs.  Download “Fragile” for free above.

@TwoFriendsmusic show their flair for melody in their remix of “Something Better” by @Audien and @LadyAntebellum

AUDIEN & LADY ANTEBELLUM, “Something Better” (Two Friends remix)

It’s hard to follow up a #1 club smasheroo like Audien and Lady Antebellum’s “Something Better”, and hardly the first time a country music song or performer found its way into clubs – anyone recall the disco mix of Dolly Parton’s 1978 hit “Baby I’m Burnin'”? 😛  And the clue for us was when Lady A performed with Zedd at last year’s CMT Awards.  Well Matt and Eli, aka Two Friends, have this amazing flair for melody, so they picked up the essence of “Something Better” and ran with it to make a remix definitively their own.  Hence, immediate reaction that followed even despite the song already being quite well-known.  Kudos to Two Friends who can show off this unique collaboration with their own stylish effects and instrumentation.  It’s no wonder Las Vegas already loves them.  Get the Two Friends remix of “Something Better” above for free.

Two Friends perform at the LINQ Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday May 14.

Finland’s @Hannismusic returns with a melodic trap mix of “In Another World” by @HAZEturntup

HANNIS, “In Another World” (HAZE remix)

Finnish singer Hannis caught me by surprise in 2014 with a powerful and instantly memorable song called “Time Has Come” (below), which quickly found its way to #3 on the BILLCS Top 30 and became one of my favourites of its year, thanks to a terrific vocal, great lyrics, and a dubsteppy mix that still sounds like no other song I know.  This time Hannis has opted for a softer song and held a remix contest recently – which elicited 392 responses!! – with the new age-sounding winner being a rendition that might easily be considered as an ear-filling theme song for a movie.  Out of the three top and diverse remixes, I prefer the crunchy and lush trap remix above from 21 year old Dutch producer HAZE (aka Joey van den Wildenberg) which lends an edge to the song much in the same way that dubstep enhanced “Time Has Come”, while retaining the silky qualities of the original.  Be sure to listen to “In Another World” – Hannis is a deserving, hard-working talent with a beautiful voice with a songwriting partner (Vadim Petrov) who knows how to write lyrics that suit it so well.

 

New music from @JamesBlake!!! Check out “Radio Silence”

JAMES BLAKE, “Radio Silence”

Surprise!  Grammy-nominated UK alternative EDM performer James Blake drops his new album The Colour In Anything tomorrow, and has already scheduled gigs within the next two weeks in lucky New York City and Los Angeles.  Of the four songs that he’s already previewed, I think you might find “Radio Silence” to be the most likely you’ll hear on an alternative rock station.  Undeniably influenced by old school folk and blues but wrapped in the sheen of careful but typically sparse EDM layers, “Radio Silence” also recalls the recent music of both John Grant and Icelandic singer Ásgeir (whose lyrics were translated by John).  It’s not for everyone and never has been, but the music of James Blake is undeniably hypnotic and his fans will eat this one up.

Soul and Body: “Worship” by @BrandynBurnette

BRANDYN BURNETTE, “Worship”

Following the recent “Underneath”, Brandyn Burnette releases another single in advance of his EP State I’m In.  This one’s a rather understated and different EDM ballad called “Worship”, a little moodier than usual for Brandyn but definitely with beautiful intentions.  It’s a pledge to the one you adore and worship, soul and body.  Brandyn mixes the EDM backdrop with hip hop and R&B and an honest vocal that seems totally, lovingly lost in the song itself.  Brandyn’s music world has definitely shifted for the better since he released “Thanks For Nothing” almost two years ago, which makes his songs so interesting to write about and enjoy.  Pick it up on iTunes.