Pop! goes Spring! British Columbia’s Tristan Thompson (@tristantmusic) returns with “Man Of Your Dreams”

TRISTAN THOMPSON, “Man Of Your Dreams”

“Man Of Your Dreams” is the perfect song to put that Popervescence into your Spring months.  Tristan Thompson is the teenage singer I wrote about two years ago when his  single “Tidal Wave” (from his debut album Here For You) caught my ears at his young age of 15 with its infectious Michael Jackson flavour mixed with a solid pop foundation, scoring a #1 song on the BILLCS Top 30.  Songs from the album found their way to radio stations across Canada, including the hard-to-break Quebec market, as well as far away places such as New Zealand!  Tristan’s second album Love You Can Believe In is on its way, and “Man Of Your Dreams” is a great lead-in featuring a friendly video and a vocal that is only giving you a taste of what Tristan is capable.  The song is produced by veteran production team Boomtang Boys, and Tristan this time gets a co-write with Tylor Johnson, whose words and music Tristan brought to life on Here For You.  Radio stations that enjoyed previous singles such as “Burn Again” will find listeners responding to “Man Of Your Dreams” too.  Pick it up on iTunes.

@DzekoandTorres continue with more emotional dance/pop with “Home” featuring #AlexJoseph

DZEKO & TORRES featuring ALEX JOSEPH, “Home”

Toronto’s Dzeko & Torres are smashing it on the BILLCSTop30 with their collaboration with Hellberg called “Care For Me”.  They follow that up with an equally emotional track that could fare well on dance music radio called “Home”.  Also available in various remixes, “Home” features a memorable, earnest vocal by Alex Joseph which will remind you a lot of Ryan Tedder.  The layered production keeps the sound and vibe moving enough to be a captivating 3 minute single.  Watch for this one to do well in dance radio and club circles and pick it up on iTunes.

Dzeko & Torres return to play home base Toronto on Friday, April 29, 2016 at Uniun.

French remixers @Ofenbachmusic transform #PraiseCats “Shined On Me” featuring @theAndreaLove into a dirty house anthem

PRAISE CATS featuring ANDREA LOVE, “Shined On Me” (Ofenbach remix)

In the dance music world, you just can’t keep a good song down – the dance community has an elephantine memory!  So now, a few years after initial release, a bevy of remixes of Praise Cats’ “Shined On Me” are surfacing, and one of the best is by French duo Ofenbach.  They took the house basis of the record and expand it with low distorted vocals and a much more layered sound in stark contrast to Andrea Love’s classic Martha Wash/Simone Denny R&B vocal.  It works like a charm and will breeze by in clubs beckoning patrons to the dance floor.  Ofenbach revive “Shined On Me” with the essence of house with a difference.  Get it for free at the link above.

#AlexSchulz and @KisoArmic envision @DJSnake’s “Middle” (featuring Kayla Diamond (@kayrachdi)as a romantic summery anthem

ALEX SCHULZ & KISO featuring KAYLA DIAMOND, “Middle” (free DL)

I say often that I’m not fond of covers, but there are some fine ones about lately.  Normally I’m also not fond when a cover takes too many liberties with song, sending it in a totally different direction from the original, making me think wait a minute….  But envisioning “Middle” as a summery romantic anthem is totally a good thing courtesy of Alex Schulz & Kiso.  This is a well-done, laid back tropically-seasoned mix with a splendidly hot Kayla Diamond vocal that is completely unlike the DJ Snake original.  This rendition of “Middle” is more innovative than simply trying hard to be different from the original.  It goes down smoothly and should do so equally in a club mix.  Get it for free at the link above.

Bounce along to the @Jenauxmusic remix of @TheChainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down” featuring @theofficialDaya

THE CHAINSMOKERS featuring DAYA, “Don’t Let Me Down” (Jenaux remix) (free DL)

The Chainsmokers are probably, and perhaps unexpectedly, the hottest production duo in EDM right now.  The guys work with a lot of remixers in the community, and it’s hard to even think of a remix of “Don’t Let Me Down” when this new hit is so different from its predecessor smash “Roses”, thanks in a big way to a charming vocal from red hot new singer Daya.  American producer/remixer Jenaux has concocted a rousing, slightly pitched-up futuristic house remix that takes away the sway of the original and puts a fun bounce into its place, along with some instrumentation you won’t find on the original.  It’s a neat alternative that has the ‘Smokers’ blessing on it so their fans are also digging it.  Jenaux’s remix quite rightly turns heads for immediate reaction and you can download it at the link above.

@Reigenmusic offers another taste of 5 Nights In America with the reflective “Feel For You”

REIGEN, “Feel For You”

While NYC singer Reigen’s songs often incorporate dance/EDM vibes, the essence of his songs is pure pop.  From his upcoming 5 Nights In America release is another song to tantalize you called “Feel For You”.  It’s a reflective ode about reconciling your feelings for someone with the inevitable and sometimes unenviable choice of opening a door wider or closing it altogether.  Like Sia (whose “Chandelier” he has covered), Reigen has an unconventional approach to the pop song with his unique and sometimes soulful phrasing, but when “Feel For You” gets to its softer, critical moments, they are straight up bare for all to hear, which makes those parts of the song especially memorable.  The video has the singer escaping the big city to a huge barren field for that reflection.  While we will share in the potentially painstaking decision to be made, we can still dance along and celebrate what has already been.  “Feel For You” wears Reigen’s emotions earnestly on its sleeve.  Watch the well-crafted video above.

@CosmosnCreature give a creative alt.rock spin to Iggy Azalea’s “Team”

COSMOS & CREATURE, “Team”

It’s great that Brandyn Burnette and Molly Moore have started a side project for songs that they wouldn’t necessarily record as solo performers.  They’ve already made sidebar inroads to the EDM world thanks to their recent appearances on Vicetone’s “Bright Side” and Lost Kings’ “Marathon”.  Now they’ve decided to tackle Iggy Azalea’s “Team” and the result shows the thought that went into covering the song.  The duo have taken away all of the attitude of Iggy’s performance and unveiled the song in a low key soulful, hip hop tinged alt.rock setting, which brings out the quality of the lyrics that are lost in Iggy’s version.  The result is fresh and interesting and well done for my ‘dream team’ 🙂 and well worth spinning for college and alternative radio stations.

Pop and R&B influences connect with @CallMeKarizma’s hip hop in “Love Me Right”

CALL ME KARIZMA, “Love Me Right”

We’re getting closer to the April 28 release of his upcoming album Uninvited, and Minnesota’s Call Me Karizma continues to unveil new music to whet your appetite for what’s to come.  “Love Me Right” is probably Riz’s most accessible song to date despite the usual in-your-face, direct verbiage which is definitively and lovingly Call Me Karizma.  Within the first 30 seconds we have a melodic check-in to R. Kelly’s “Ignition” followed not too long into the song by a choir-like chorus, which all lends to ear-catching variety to keep you listening.  This will be one of Riz’s key songs to hit home in concert.  Give it a listen above.

Call Me Karizma is opening for The Summer Set on their upcoming tour, which arrives in Toronto at The Mod Club on Tuesday, May 31, 2016.

Undeniably classic house music from L.A.’s @Christofi featuring @officiallyJVEN “Don’t Need You”

christofi

CHRISTOFI featuring J.VEN, “Don’t Need You” (free download)

“Don’t Need You” is simply undeniably classic house music that will sound great in a club or on your stereo and kick start your own private party. Producer/DJ Michael Christofi and vocalist J.Ven had their ears tuned into R&B when creating the song and its evolution into a house track was the right way to go.  Its universal theme of ending a relationship and moving on always works well in the dance scene and I would certainly pair it with a song like current Top 20 Billboard Club hit “Wait” by Vinny Vero & Mykal Kilgore for best results.  “Don’t Need You” is when all of the basics in house music come together just right and you want to hear more.  Almost 100K plays on Soundcloud already can’t be wrong.  Download it for free at the link below.

https://soundcloud.com/lesolmusique/christofi-dont-need-you-feat-jven

Maple Leaf #EDM: @YoungBombs reshape “Lost” by Connor Phillips (@cphiltv) into an emotional whirlwind

CONNOR PHILLIPS, “Lost” (Young Bombs remix)

It will leave a lump in your throat, make your eyes well up, and maybe you’ll just need to go and hug someone on the dance floor.  British Columbia native Connor Phillips’ rather simple and short acoustic song “Lost” gets an emotional makeover from fellow Canadian duo Young Bombs.  It’s not only ear-catching but incredibly moving thanks to Connor’s low key vocal mixed in with an outpouring of synths.  “Lost” is definitely a new favourite for me, and having had a daughter in dance competitions until recently for 10 years, I can see choreographers latching on to this remix for some beautiful dance routines.  Get it for free at the Soundcloud link above.