Check out Swedish singer @LillyAhlberg’s midtempo pop-house track “Young Forever”

LILLY AHLBERG, “Young Forever”

You may already know her name from her recent work with Sonny Fodera, Sondr and VIZE, but Lilly Ahlberg is carving out her own niche with her latest release, the pop-house track “Young Forever”.  Lilly has had a much travelled young life, being born in Italy, raised in Sweden, with time spent in Norway and Australia, and now dividing her time between Sweden and the UK. With specific guidance through Sonny Fodera’s slick production assist and release on his own Solotoko label, “Young Forever” bridges a big gap between pop and house styles quite admirably, and has amassed almost a half million streams in a few weeks of release. Her vocal is alternately chill and committed, a fervent mix that places her somewhere between contemporaries Robyn and Astrid S., and one to keep an ear out for more in 2021.  

L.A. singer/songwriter Perry Bancs teams up with New York’s @GemChantelle for the enticing alt.pop of “Alone Tonight”

PERRY BANCS & GEM CHANTELLE, “Alone Tonight”

Lately, dance music talent as diverse as The Knocks, Whethan, and Benny Blanco has found their way into alternative rock zones through radio play.  And other artists already popular in alt.rock like Machine Gun Kelly and grandson, have added electronics prominently to their recent releases.  So it’s no wonder that a song like “Alone Tonight” by indie singers/songwriters Perry Bancs and Gem  Chantelle is also mixing minimal electronics with hip hop flavours and settling into alt.rock trappings, while meeting with favourable reaction. It kind of picks up with a style that Halsey and G-Eazy started albeit quite briefly with the Top 20 pop hit “Him & I” .  “Alone Tonight” offers thoughts on two young folks who prefer to be alone much of the time for their own mental health reasons, but are still in need of companionship, compassion, and possibly more in their lives, and decide to get together. It stages that opportunity for one evening, which could just be for good company, or the start of something more. The singers have terrific chemistry in this uncharacteristic setting and have created a true “sleeper” that’s well worth hearing.

Buffalo NY native @LexxiRaine goes acoustic with the heartbreak of “Joker”

LEXXI RAINE, “Joker”

Although her direction is now headed away from alternative rock and into the Country music arena with her most recent EP Guilty, Buffalo NY’s lovely Lexxi Raine has a penchant for writing solid, often engaging and sometimes touching songs, whatever the genre may be.  Her latest single “Joker” is her own production while she prepares other songs for future release.  Stripped to acoustics, “Joker” is a cutting and affecting story of heartbreak, when you learn your relationship with your ex never even mattered to them.  It’s an interesting, relatable perspective and Lexxi’s bruised but reflective vocal shines in this purely pop setting. Check out the video above.

“Trust” by Sweden’s @_themakproject and vocalist Sabrina Ali is classy and melodic Europop

.mak and SABRINA ALI, “Trust”

Swedish producer .mak follows up his fine remix of “Slow” for Bankii and Billy Otto with a shimmering change of pace called “Trust”.  It’s classy, melodic Europop that features a captivating vocal by newcomer Sabrina Ali, and I think we’ll be hearing much more from her.  Along with Sabrina and “American Idol” contestant Robbie Rosen, .mak has crafted an easy-going electronic delight that succeeds on its own merits. It’s full of personality and a great antidote to bangers and heavier house tracks.

NYC Singer/songwriter @RobbieRosenlive has two different winners with “Piece Of My Heart” with Hungarian producer/violinist @musicbyZita and “Habits” with Canada’s @musicbyMada and Germany’s inLu

ZITA and ROBBIE ROSEN, “Piece Of My Heart”

MADA, inLU, and ROBBIE ROSEN, “Habits”

NYC’s Robbie Rosen, who you know as a Top 16 “American Idol” finalist, is determined to be everywhere in 2021 so that everyone can hear his songs, all without performing in concert.  He continues his ultra-prolific lyricism and recording streak with two different winners, the ballad “Piece of My Heart” and the dance/pop earworm “Habits”.  “Piece Of My Heart” is one of those melt-worthy ballads that comes along only once in a while.  It pairs Robbie with Hungarian producer and violinist Zita, who could easily follow Lindsey Stirling’s path to make the violin more prominent in pop music. The violin harmonizes so well with Robbie’s singing, making the song a real treat.  Then there’s a collaboration of another sort, “Habits”, with two new producers, Canada’s Mada and Germany’s inLu.  It’s a more danceable pop-oriented winner with a killer chorus and cheerful synths that call for immediate repeated listens.  Stay tuned for lots more high calibre Robbie Rosen songs like “Piece Of My Heart” and “Habits” to come!

UK/Canadian producers @realFutureKings are back again with vocal powerhouse @MOYAangela with the huge classic house of “Something New”

FUTURE KINGS x MOYA, “Something New”

Earlier this year, Future Kings and MOYA delighted us with their clubby collaboration with MOGUAI called “Laser Beams”.  The UK/Canadian production duo and the American Broadway star are back with feet firmly planted in classic 90’s house with “Something New”.  This is a faster-than-usual house track that often recalls the best work of David Cole and Robert Clivillés in C+C Music Factory as well as legends like Inner City and Todd Terry all rolled into one. MOYA simply slays “Something New” with a powerhouse vocal that keeps great company with songs sung by Martha Wash, Jocelyn Brown, and Loleatta Holloway.  It’s fun and ferocious, but most of all “Something New” is one helluva spicy house treat.

Love and desperation lay the groundwork for the energetic and soulful “Shine A Light” by French producers 2 Thunders and L.A. vocalist OMZ

2 THUNDERS and OMZ, “Shine A Light”

“Shine A Light” is a deep house track that has it all – a sensitive, meaningful story; a precise and frenetic melody; and outstanding production that brings out a soulful side and trance influences.  It’s brought to you by French production duo 2 Thunders, who have been building a European radio following and have remixed David Guetta among others, and prolific L.A.-based vocalist OMZ, whose songs have been featured by the likes of Hardwell.  “Shine A Light” easily beckons the audience to dance to its heartfelt lovelorn story with an emotional, pleading vocal, with intentions on comforting the dancefloor crowd and keeping them there with a steady light show of its own – and we can continue to fantasize about those club nights yet to come!

Halifax’s @DJDezza releases ambitious new album “44° North, 63° West” featuring lush ‘n lovely “Settle” with vocal by @LaurenLaimant

DEZZA and LAUREN L’AIMANT, “Settle”

Although he has been releasing music for most of the last decade, latterly through Enhanced Music (co-owned by Tritonal), Halifax electronic dance producer Dezza came to my attention last year with the infectious single “Carry Me” (featuring Mike Schmid), which got to #6 on my personal chart.  His new album has arrived, titled 44° North, 63° West, and its an ambitious 19-song effort that showcases both his work with vocalists as well as with progressive electronic instrumentals.  His synth work and production are compelling and definitely gave me the same feels as with much older releases by the likes of Above & Beyond and Zedd.  I missed it when it was released as a single late last year, but I’m focusing on the vocal track “Settle”, which is lush and lovely and given some grand lustre by vocalist Lauren L’Aimant, who sometimes recalls Justine Suissa from some of the huge A&B songs.  The synth work is fluid, creating a dreamy soundscape that intends to take you away from whatever you’re usually doing for a while.  Lauren also lends vocals to the new track “Ghost”, while the album also includes “Carry Me” as well as previous single “Getaway” (featuring EMME).  44° North, 63° West is an album that’s meant to be heard from start to finish.  It’s an audio crackerjack box where electronic dance music fans will find something to enjoy inside.

 

Australia’s Peter Wilson @pete80s and England’s @SeanSmithsolo return for another wonderful duet covering Robert Miles’ “One And One”

PETER WILSON and SEAN SMITH, “One And One”

I didn’t think another duet would ever happen, and I don’t think they did either, but Peter Wilson and Sean Smith are back in magnificent form with their take on Robert Miles’ 1997 classic “One And One” from Peter’s new album Electricity.  The Australian and British singers are solid talents in their own right, but something utterly unexpected and delightful happened with the release of their first duet, “Verona”, a few years back (check it out below if you don’t know it!).  It’s a song that I still play frequently and reached #2 on my personal chart.  This version of “One And One” doesn’t rely on Robert Miles’ original as its reference point, rather it dances a few years back to the heyday of Erasure for a fun, vibrant spin on early 90’s electropop, so feel free to dance your heart out.  Both voices shine and one thing’s for certain – we must have more!

Radio-friendly “Never Leave You” packs a wallop of talent from team @LucasEstrada including fellow producers Matvey Emerson, @JamesCarter, and vocalist MKLA

LUCAS ESTRADA, MATVEY EMERSON, JAMES CARTER and MKLA, “Never Leave You”

Veteran Swedish producer Lucas Estrada teams up with another master, Russian producer Matvey Emerson, as well as British producer James Carter – who I wrote about at the star of his career and is now keeping very good company – and fellow Torontonian, vocalist MKLA for “Never Leave You”. This song is as slick as it gets, given the global cadre of talent behind it, though it may take a few listens to really grab you.  And that’s precisely why you can expect this song might pop up on your favourite dance music radio station sometime soon.  It’s pure dance music goodness, minus any significant (and usually annoying) effects, and giving a real showcase to MKLA, whose vocal is effortless and memorable. Buoyant rhythms meet sparkling synths which help make “Never Leave You” really shine.