Following up his recent trance instrumental “Sanguine Energy”, NYC-based producer Greg Oakland returns with the complex “Convalescence”. This is a dreamy track layered with mixed emotions, one which fans of the trance genre would Shazam if they were in a club or at a festival. It’s best to check out the extended version above for full effect (edit is below), which allows the track to build and for the hook to kick in solidly, allowing the rest of the song to flow by quickly. I’m no expert at this genre so I don’t have many reference points as fans do. But for “Convalescence” to be picked up by no less than trance veterans Aly & Fila for release on the recent Future Sound Vol. 8 EP for their label Future Sounds of Egypt is pretty wild. Right now you can pick it up on Beatport for download.
After having several years as an announcer as well as manager, program director and music director in college radio back in the day, I never expected to be back announcing on a regular basis. My New Music Pick of the Week has had a couple of go’s round, but is now played on 21 online radio stations. I co-host and assist in programming the two hour show The Big 20 every week, and it’s played on more than 10 online radio stations around the world, and also includes my pick of the week segment. And I host Your Weekend New Music Mix which airs throughout the day starting at Noon on Saturdays and Sundays on two online stations. All of this is made possible through the wonders of technology. And on occasion I do appear live, such as on the 3D Variety Show some Tuesday evenings. I owe many thanks to James Rogers, Russ Horton and Hunter Wilbur for believing in these shows and for spreading the good word about them so that people all over the world can hear them! I enjoy being your online radio guide to new music every week. Links to each station now appear on my blog site home page near the bottom.
Make sure you read about my frequently updated ONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES(see details after the post)!
Harry’s House won album of the year on the MTV Video Music Awards, and I’m still hopeful that “Daydreaming” will be released as a single, which would definitely perk up Top 40 radio. “Daydreaming” reigns at #1 for a third appearance. It’s anyone’s guess right now as to what might be #1 in two weeks.
Cozying up to “Daydreaming” is “Dusk” by Manila Killa and Lights, which inches up 3-2, trading places with Darin’s “Superstar”. “Dusk” is a personal best for Manila Killa, having surpassed the #3 peak of 2018’s “I Want You” (with Robotaki and Matthew John Kurz).
Francesco Yates is back in Canada, opening for Backstreet Boys on their tour. His fun rocker “Jimi” moves up 7-5, becoming his third consecutive Top 5 on this chart.
Strutting its stuff in the Top 10 is “Free Yourself” by Jessie Ware, which rises 10-6.
Petawane’s beautiful ode to classic soul songs called “Music” soars into the Top 10, climbing 15-8.
Frankmusik’s “Confusion Girl Completed” rises 14-9 and passes the #11 peak of the 2009 original of the song. It also becomes Frankmusik’s 13th Top 10 on this chart, and second this year following #2 “The Half Moon Came Up In The Sky”.
“Love That About You” becomes McEwen’s 11th Top 10 entry on this chart, and first since 2014, climbing 12-10. He previously racked up the previous Top 10 hits as recorded by Adam Tyler.
Canadian-German duo Lola Dutronic has been breezing up the chart with their end of summer blast called “Let’s All Dance (One Last Summer)”, which rises 19-14.
The Fastest Riser on the chart is still on top of the official UK singles chart after 8 weeks. It’s by Scottish producers LF System called “Afraid To Feel”, which climbs 27-19.
Greyson Chance’s song about determination and moving on, “Athena” (above), moves up 28-23, and last week he released his final single from his upcoming album Palladium called “Homerun Hitter”, which you can check out below.
The Highest Debut belongs to 24 year old Compton, California native and Grammy nominee Steve Lacy with “Bad Habit” at #24. This is definitely a worthy out-of-left-field hit that lives up to its hype. While not immediately memorable lyrically, its melody gets easily stuck in your head, and then the lyrics follow. It’s from Steve’s second album Gemini Rights.
Next at #26 is the quick but superbly fun “The Boss” by collaborating French dance producers Coopex and Charles B along with singer/songwriter Robbie Rosen. Robbie is also riding the chart up 23-20 with “Stained Glass” with producers Severman and Arshan Joel. It’s Robbie’s 10th chart entry in just under two years.
At #28, Italian dance producers Luca + Giam and American singer/songwriter Sam Merkin follow up their #3 “Hold Me Down” with the similarly infectious “Full Force”.
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! You can also follow me on Spotify at the following link: BILLCS Top 30 Songs.
ONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES
You can hear me and many of my blog choices on this growing list of online radio stations and features!
Listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST on Wednesdays as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs. The show also repeats on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. EST and Sunday mornings at 2:00 AM EST.
On Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm EST I bring you “Your Weekend New Music Mix” six hours of commercial-free music from the 2000’s including many song choices from this blog.
“Your Weekend Music Mix” has a second home on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 8pm to Midnight EST! It’s a different mix from Radio GTA’s show, and like that one it is also commercial free. “The Big 20” also airs on this station at 6pm EST Saturdays.
I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm EST with my New Music Pick of the Week which debuts every week on “The 3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments. A repeat of “The 3D Variety Show” airs on Wednesdays at 7pm EST on Radio GTA. NOTE: “The 3D Variety Show” is currently on hiatus, returning on Tuesday September 6!
Modern Hype
This is a weekly show hosted by Hunter Wilbur that airs on several online stations but is anchored at Mix88.ca on Sundays beginning at 8pm EST.
For other details about the shows, such as dates and times of broadcasts, go to the bottom right side of my blog site home page!
Following up his first solo release in two years “Punching Bag” (just wrapping up a run on my personal chart, where it peaked at #5), Victor Perry returns with one of his best and most romantic songs, the upbeat “One More Minute”. The story behind the song is pretty straight-forward – about making the most of an opportunity or perhaps a key moment in a relationship where you want that moment to go on and on. Victor conjures up some delightful imagery set to an engaging vocal, which recalls some bright soul/pop singles of the 70’s. Your ears will be glued to every word in “One More Minute”, where lyrical substance wins when it’s sung against intuitive production that makes the most of every part of the song. It won’t take long before you’re wrapped up in “One More Minute” with the song on repeat.
Like no other song I’ve heard this year, “Palms” has “end of summer romantic anthem” written all over it. Kacey Fifield is back with her third single from her upcoming project, which reunites her with South Korean producer Little Rain, after releasing the successful “Ghost” last year. Little Rain co-wrote the song with Kacey and frequent collaborator/mentor Robbie Rosen, and it will transport you back to that special holiday in a warm destination where you just wanted to stay forever. Those palm trees will beckon and one day you’ll be back to create new memories. “Palms” has a relaxing lilt, and before you know it you’ll be swaying back and forth and enjoying Kacey’s story. At only 17 and with a solid, growing social media following on Instagram and Tik Tok, Kacey Fifield is a talent on the rise in the pop/dance genre and “Palms” is another fine song that puts on display the high quality and standards that come with each of Kacey’s releases.
Not too many songs can evoke simple sheer unadulterated joy. “Celebrate” happens to be one of them, brought to you by Dutch producer Laurentius, whose music has been featured in this blog before, and Luxembourg singer/songwriter Oke. The song however has festive, African-influenced rhythms to support its theme of striving for success set against imagery of Mount Kilimanjaro. Oke’s tireless, happily persistent vocal will instantly win you over in this song which reminds me of early 80’s songs by Juluka (or, later, Savuka). Laurentius’ uplifting production nails the vibe of “Celebrate”, so make sure you save this one for not only when you want to recognize some kind of achievement, but when you just want to kick off having a good time. Laurentius and Oke have a full EP coming soon called Jaiye, so watch for that one!
Germany-based, Netherlands-born singer/songwriter Xades (pronounced “shades”) is off to a fine start with her debut EP called Shaded. What’s quite interesting is that Xades has had a modest career as a DJ in Europe under the moniker MSJY, so she is stepping out from behind the decks to show off an attractive, sultry, sometimes sassy vocals. Latina through heritage, you can sometimes hear similarities to Selena Gomez in her pop approach, though her songs gravitate to the alternative genre. “Locked In” has kind of a puzzling start, but you’ll quickly get immersed in its hook and atmosphere, thanks to a mix of playful rhythms and interesting synth work. As a DJ, Xades knows what makes a record sound good, and the eclectic mix of electronics and jazzy backdrop in her EP is very appealing. “Locked In” is also available in a truly quirky and transforming techno-based remix by Switzerland’s Atrice.
BOYE & SIGVARDT, JESPER JENSET and HAYES, “Faded Off”
In 2021, Boye & Sigvardt released one of my favourite songs of the year with a real grower called “Microdose”, which ended up at the top of my personal chart near year’s end. “Faded Off”, their recent single, hones more in on a pop vein, in a collaboration with two Norwegian talents, vocalist Jesper Jenset (who has appeared on my chart as well) and new producer HAYES (who as Thomas Hayes, steps away from a steady acting career in his native country). The production is crisp, with some nice guitar sounds as highlights, the sound is mid-tempo and laid back, and Jesper’s vocal (which has moved on from the teen sound of his earlier recordings) is assured, making “Faded Off” a memorable release.
MENRVA, PINK PANDA and JESSICA HAMMOND, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”
UK/Irish producers Menrva are on a real roll this year, first with the fun and amazing “Play It Cool” and latterly with powerhouse vocalist MOYA on the buoyant and bubbly “You”. Now the lads unite with veteran UK producers and renown DJ’s Pink Panda and former UK contestant on “The Voice”, Jessica Hammond, for the swinging deep house of “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”. The song is solid, no nonsense house at its best, with a smooth vocal that really shines. It’s perfectly tailored for clubs and must be eyeing the UK singles chart with the sudden dance presence on that chart currently a welcome sensation. You simply can’t go wrong with a track like “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”.
What starts out like it might be another fine European-flavoured Robbie Rosen pop/dance track is immeasurably improved even more after 30 seconds when “The Boss” launches into deep house mode. This fun track is brought to you from two rising and prolific French producers, Coopex and Charles B (whose “Losing My Mind” I wrote about a while back), who know their way around structuring a production to maximize what the song has to offer in a scant 2:14. As Robbie has proved time and time again, his voice is highly adaptable to any dance music setting though it’s put a little further into the mix this time to offer a sophisticated edge to the song. “The Boss” is a blast, even providing a surprise salute to Diana Ross’ same-titled 1979 hit along the way. But what it really begs for is an extended dance remix to focus on its killer of a chorus.
Sometimes all it takes is a fine song for an artist’s voice to get stuck in your head. A perfect example of this is dhruv, a London-born singer/songwriter of Indian parents who spent much of his childhood in Singapore. That he has such a subtly soulful voice in his new single “Blur” seems contrary to where he was raised, but he latched onto American and British artists through his own discovery as a teenager. He was signed to RCA a few years back after an early single “double take” went viral on Tik Tok and topped charts in south Asia. He’s since released an album called Jezebel, and it’s taken a while but “Blur” is getting North American alternative radio attention, conveniently on the heels of another rising RCA artist, Steve Lacy. It’s an introspective midtempo song that shows off dhruv’s beautiful tone, which is kind of halfway between Zayn and Troye Sivan. Keep your ears open for more music this year from dhruv.
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