Tag Archives: electronica

Big, fun beats from @WhiteLowreal & @DJMirkoB with “Break It Down”

WHITELOW & DJ MIRKO B, “Break It Down”

“Break It Down” is one of those songs where you just need to clear your mind, and let your body flow with the music to have some fun.  It’s deep house Italian-style courtesy of the collaboration of duo WhiteLow and DJ Mirko B through Balmung Recordings.  The song has this comical kind of rhythm in its chorus which starts the song that would allow it to be set well against clips of black and white silent comedy slapstick.  But there’s a big slamming build up midway that is also perfect as a soundtrack to sports events.  The song doesn’t quite sustain over 3 minutes but is definitely a blast while it lasts.  Check it out at the Spotify link above.

#BILLCSTop30 #517 – September 4/17

Some of my favourite songs of the year continue to appear on this latest chart, which makes ranking them – which is totally subjective here, there’s no formula! – very difficult.  As a result some may end up ranking higher on the year end chart than other songs which peak at the same position.  Enough chart geekery, it’s another busy chart with four debuts!

The Top 10

  • “New York Pretty” by Bright Light Bright Light currently has an incredibly tight lock on #1 – may have to wait for another chart to see who might be coming next!

  • With that in mind, Toronto’s Loud Luxury and Nikki’s Wives make a strong case for #1 as “Show Me” is the fastest riser two charts in a row.  Loud Luxury were already up top earlier this year with Ryan Shepherd on their amazing redux of Craig David’s “Fill Me In”, so is a second consecutive #1 in order? 🙂
  • I second all of the emotions in CVBZ’s lyrical “Be Like You”, which in its Sean Turk ‘bedroom bass’ remix climbs 6-3.  

  • Dan Talevski acquires his 4th Top 10 hit on this chart with the fun and contagious “Birthday Suit”, which rises 11-9.  Dan has just wrapped an EP which is coming soon!

  • He’s at the top of the chart but also at #10 – Bright Light Bright Light’s latest Top 40 Billboard Dance Club Play hit is “Into The Night”, and with its companion video to “New York Pretty” moves up 15-10.

Movin’ On Up

  • A song called “I Like Me Better” has all the potential for being cloying and annoying, but singer/songwriter Lauv has managed to make it cool and clever all at once, which is why is climbs 18-12.  Why American radio is not all over this song yet is totally beyond me!!  I’ve given up asking about things like this and radio.

  • Iowa’s Kid Froopy has landed the opening act slot on Terror Jr.’s upcoming tour and most dates are already sold out.  The Kid also has an EP in the works, but for now you can indulge in his delightfully quirky and immensely appealing single “Drive Slow”, rising 20-14.
  • One of the grittiest songs for the wee hours on the chart is the latest from L.A.’s Mahalo in his pairings with singer Cat Lewis on “Perfect” (above), which jumps 21-15.  Yes folks, all of the vocals in the song are by the elusive Mr. Lewis.  The duo are also up 22-19 with the soulful club-pleaser “Heaven” (below).
  • Matthew Koma’s beautiful “Suitcase” – an older song of his which has finally seen release – continues to move up, this time 19-17.  It’s one of a few solid songs that is stuck in a bit of a jam which may break loose in two weeks.

  • “No Love In Brooklyn” could be seen as a song associated with the end of summer relationships with some great, memorable lyrics.  It’s brought to you by producers Nick Peters, who hails from France, and American Frank Pierce, along with US singer Scott Vega.  It wastes no time charging 25-20.
  • Bobby Nourmand’s second match-up with vocalists DOC and Goodmorning, following the #1 “D E E P in NY”, is the infectious “MIND” which rises 28-23.

4 Debuts

  • I’m absolutely loving the collaboration of one of our favourite young Dutchmen, Steve Void, and American duo Syence, in the heartwarming “We Won’t Leave You”. Its universal message of love and support is very welcome, and the guys manage to give the song a choral effect along with the electronics which bring it home.  The highest debut, “Leave” bows at #25.
  • Debuting on the chart is a powerhouse duo from Florida, Grammy-nominated producer Ricky Remedy with compelling new vocalist John.k and “Gold”.  This one will dazzle you with its restrained, on-point production and amazingly versatile vocals by John.k.  “Gold” arrives at #26.
  • Carlos Nobrega’s new album The Art Of Making Love has brought over 50,000 – you read that right! – visitors to these blog pages – totally amazing!  All of the wait for new music for Carlos was teased out with 4 preceding singles, including “You (It’s All About You)”, which premieres at #27.  It’s already at over a million plays on Soundcloud.  Carlos has took over this chart before, back in 2012 with “Music Makes You Lose Control (MMYLC)”, which also appears in The Art Of Making Love.
  • San Diego dubstep producer Convulsic is back after a 3 year absence from this chart with the dirty and dynamic instrumental “Anesthetic”, which debuts at #28.  This one will leave you a little more than shaken ‘n stirred!  It follows Convulsic’s 2014 Top Tenners here “Love Space” (#5) and “The Day You Left” (#7).

View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: BILLCS Top 30 Songs

Planet Radio Canada is on hiatus and will return http://www.planetradio.ca 🙂

Coming September 4:  the BILLCS Music Projects Facebook page 🙂

“Love Is Alive” by @LouisTheChild featuring @Elohimmusic gets the @ChetPorter treatment

LOUIS THE CHILD featuring ELOHIM, “Love Is Alive” (Chet Porter remix)

Chicago duo Louis The Child and Toronto’s Chet Porter on the same record, you ask?  The styles of these rising stars on the dance music scene fuse perfectly in this remix of “Love Is Alive”.  Supporters of the original, featuring on-the-bubble vocalist Elohim, will be pleased as “Love Is Alive” is ‘Chet-ified’ (yaaasss it’s gonna be a thang trust me!).  There’s a huge focus on melody and exotic, progressive synth sounds, as might be expected by Chet fans, while keeping the essence and hook of the song intact.  The remix is thoughtful, warm and gentle, and will be a floor-filler in clubs at the right time in an evening.  With all three acts currently touring, the song will definitely be well-in-hand throughout the Fall.  Be sure to catch any or all of them when they come to your city 🙂

Oops upside your head: L.A. duo @Ojivolta’s remix of “iSpy” by @superduperKyle featuring @LilYachty will make you spin

KYLE featuring LIL YACHTY, “iSpy”

I’m always listening for remixers who take the time to totally transform a song, and sometimes it happens even with a big hit like Kyle’s “iSpy” featuring Lil Yachty.  It’s even better when it’s a song that never really caught my ear in its original version.  Well L.A. duo Ojivolta will have your head spinning with this dirty but highly playful remix.  It doesn’t even sound like the original until about halfway through, and even then it’s the equivalent of being doused with hot sauce, making “iSpy” even more full of zing and oomph.  Ojivolta know how to work their magic around the vocals very well, leaving your ears a bit exhausted as the song wraps up with a wonky dubsteppy finale.  Check out this one at the link above and DJ’s should plan to add it mid-set when the audience will least expect for instant reaction!

“Would You Ever” by @Skrillex & @PooBear gets a high class @SCRVP remix

SKRILLEX & POO BEAR, “Would You Ever” (scrvp. remix) (free DL)

Quickly following up his collaboration with Secret Sauce on “Give It All”, MMXVAC’s scrvp. totally nails the pop-flavoured “Would You Ever” by Skrillex and Poo Bear.  In his future bass remix, he isolates the catchy chorus and sends it in to high-end-la-la-land and it’s a real ‘wow’ moment in the song.  “Would You Ever” is a simple enough retrospective ode to taking risks, but with some kicking funky beats in the mix, scrvp. turns it into a dance party centrepiece.  The original is already on the pop charts in some places (like my country 🙂 ) so dance music radio should latch on to this one and wait for the listener reaction.  scrvp.’s remix of “Would You Ever” is a marvellous treat!  Get it for free at the link above.

Another side of the remarkable @JaneBadler with breezy danceable pop of “Sunburn”

JANE BADLER, “Sunburn”

As much as I have been fascinated by the melodrama of Jane Badler’s recent songs such as “Losing You”, “Dead Eyes”, “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” and even “Black Silk Stockings” (with its wacked-out video!), another page is in motion for the much respected actress and singer with “Sunburn”.  Yet another delight from the words and music of Charlie Mason and Richard Hymas with production from ever on-point Ricardo Autobahn, “Sunburn” is breezy tropical-flavoured dance pop, which perhaps draws more from Jane’s jazz-pop recordings vocally than from recent releases.  UV rays and suntan lotion be damned, “Sunburn” goes down mighty easily, and it’s a first for Jane in collaboration with Energise Recordings, who have recently brought us Nicki French’s “Teardrops (On The Disco Floor)” and “Magic” by Sean Smith.  Some dance remixes of “Sunburn” would definitely be in order!  Watch Jane – and lots of smiling! – in the lyric video for “Sunburn” above.

Brisk house-flavoured pop by Italy’s @SAmusiceurope featuring @AvaKingmusic with “‘Bout A Thing”

https://soundcloud.com/selectedsounds/bout-a-thing

SA featuring AVA KING, “‘Bout A Thing” (free DL)

“‘Bout A Thing” is the kind of brisk, happy song that will keep the good times of summer extended into the fall months.  It’s brought to you by a relative newcomer from Italy named SA featuring L.A. vocalist Ava King, but it’s not at all what you’d expect when you think of dance music from that country.  SA definitely likes his mix to sparkle with tingly synth and percussion sounds up front but never hiding the house rhythm, while Ava’s vocal acrobatics flow along beautifully with the melody like they were made for one another.  Definitely playlist-worthy, “‘Bout A Thing” is a great start for SA with its global-friendly sound and it’s available as a free download from the link above.

“The Art Of Making Love” is here and all for you, with love from @CarlosdNobrega

CARLOS NÓBREGA, The Art Of Making Love

After teasing you with four singles over the past month or so, “The Art Of Making Love”, the full length album by Spain-based Portuguese singer/actor Carlos Nóbrega, has finally arrived after years in the making to make it so special just for you.  Well the folks in Spain rallied enough to have it debut at #4 yesterday on iTunes.  And the rest of Carlos’ patient and devoted fans worldwide have been hitting up this blog to make posts about two of its songs, “You (It’s All About You)”, and “Love, Love, Love” the two most-viewed posts in the almost 8 years of this blog.  

It’s an album about the many facets of love and being in love, even in some cases still being in love after a relationship has ended.  But this is not over-complicated in the least – having fun, enjoying each other, and most importantly ensuring romance is always in the air for your special person.  

Beyond “You (It’s All About You)”, “Love, Love, Love”, “I Love You”, and “Set Me Free”, which have all been enjoyed in advance, there are 14 other songs in The Art Of Making Love’s deluxe edition which you can stream up top on Spotify.  Carlos has you covered for every kind of song that will appeal inside the pop and dance music genres.  Two of my other favourites are “Morning Sun”, a sizzling wake up call to love, and the energetic “Free” (featuring vocalist Jvel), full of joyous bounce.  On the softer side we have the long and luscious “Forever In Love” and the emotional bonus track “Letting You Go”.  “Up and Down” and “Fuck on the Dance Floor” are a little spicier, and Carlos even included my personal favourite by him, the inspiring and contagious “Music Makes You Lose Control”, originally released in 2012 and ever-deserving of a big dance video with lots of costumes.  Perhaps it will be reignited in some 2018 remixes?  Just sayin’….  😀

So do yourself a huge favour and wrap yourself up in the warmth and fun and most of all the love charged in the songs of The Art Of Making Love.  This is the massive start of much more to come in 2017 and 2018 and beyond 🙂

 

.@KidFroopy transforms “Cut To The Feeling” by @CarlyRaeJepsen into the club hit that it should be

https://soundcloud.com/carly-rae-jepsen-official/cut-to-the-feeling-kid-froopy

CARLY RAE JEPSEN, “Cut To The Feeling” (Kid Froopy remix)

After the recent release of his excellent original “Drive Slow” (#20 on my chart), I was thrilled to see Iowa’s Kid Froopy land one of the official remixes of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Cut To The Feeling”. Music friends of mine adore the song; I’m somewhat indifferent to the original as I feel it’s more of a Katy Perry/Kylie Minogue throwback.  And certainly radio has ignored the song, with the over-saturation of “Call Me Maybe” still seemingly affecting the singer for a follow up after five years.  But Froopy creates a more deliberate rhythm that’s perfect for clubs and reshapes it into the dance hit that it rightly should be. So watch out worldwide club charts – and maybe radio could follow. 

Kid Froopy opens for Terror Jr. on their “Grapeland” already sold out in San Francisco, Montreal, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Toronto – L.A. music peeps still have a chance for tix!

“U Got That” is a deep down ‘n dirty bass club track this time from Atlanta’s @we_are_Halogen

HALOGEN, “U Got That” (free DL)

It’s a little hard to ponder after the delightful pop/dance duet-making that Halogen recently released in the form of “Can’t Resist” that the duo could turn their heads to a song so deep down ‘n dirty, but here it is, “U Got That”, which is available as a free download above.  I do enjoy hearing the other sides of what performers listen to and then record, and “U Got That” is a club bass banger that will fill your speakers.  Its low, ominous vocal is entertaining and the rhythm is impossible to resist.  Brought to you by Pinnacle Collective, “U Got That” is definitely one that DJ’s won’t want to miss!