WELCOME TO THE HOTEL featuring BRANDON SERAFINO, “Darlin'” (Saxena remix)
“Darlin'” is a perfectly decent pop introduction to new performers California’s Welcome To The Hotel and NYC-based singer Brandon Serafino, and perhaps more will be known about them as they make their social media presence. Dutch duo Saxena have taken the song on a sideways route, and amped it up big time with classic deep house rhythms, using Brandon’s voice to accentuate this style while accompanied by a lovely saxophone to give it even more pep. The result is an engaging, free-flowing 90’s flavoured dance track that’s bound to keep even the stingiest of dancers happy on the dance floor. My ol’ disco feet rarely lie so this one’s yours for free downloading at the link above.
The Chainsmokers continue keep our attention, with their debut album Memories…Do Not Open due this week, and a third song just released in advance of the album called “The One”. But for me it’s currently all about their collaboration with Coldplay on “Something Just Like This”, which scores a second appearance at #1 handily.
“Something To Say” by Toronto’s Loud Luxury and Ryan Shepherd has got such a great house groove but it’s also such a singalong to the lyrics of Craig David’s “Fill Me In”. I heard it at a club last night and it sounded amazing. “Something To Say” soars 8 to 4.
After laying low two weeks ago, “Memories Of You” by Miami’s Alyx Ander featuring Srey Davi is on the move again, climbing 7-5.
New to the Top 10 is another Toronto band called Blajk, who I’m hoping will surface to perform songs from their EP Limited, such as the one that moves 12-9, a seductive song called “Lethal” thanks to Jordan Radics’ unique vocal.
It’s 2-for-2 as L.A.’s Mahalo scores a concurrent Top 10 hit here with “WTFYWF”, once again featuring vocalist Cat Lewis, rising 15-10. “Be My Love” drops to #7 from its #5 peak, and the duo have released a 4th single called “Current Mood”, which I wrote about yesterday!
Movin’ On Up
All of last week’s debuts lead the big movers on the chart.
The fastest riser is “Stranded” by The Netherlands’ WRLD and Miami’s SMLE featuring a stunning vocal by Kiddo AI that will leave you hanging for more at the end. It vaults 21-13.
Not far behind is the riveting collaboration of Zedd meets Alessia Cara with the bouncing, joyful “Stay”, climbing 22-15.
“I Wonder” is a bright, shiny mid-tempo dance song that stands out in a crowd from Dutch duo The Him featuring vocalist LissA, and climbs 24-17.
“Worship” by The Knocks featuring UK singer MNEK will get you down on your knees on the dance floor in complete bliss. It’s from The Knocks’ new EP Testify and jumps 25-20.
Yet another Dutch producer, Lulleaux, is on the move with his latest song “Sinner”, featuring vocals by SVM, and it leaps 27-21.
Debuts
The 25 year old Swedish producer Alesso (aka Alessandro Lindblad) arrives on this chart for the first time with his beautiful new song “Falling”. I’ve always enjoyed Alesso’s style over the years, more so earlier songs such as “Calling (Lose My Mind)” with Sebastian Ingrosso and Ryan Tedder, and “Years” with Matthew Koma. “Falling” has a breathtaking uncredited vocal that marries beautifully with Alesso’s melody, and it bows at #23.
“Wasted My Love” is a mid-tempo indie EDM ballad by L.A. based singer/songwriter Axel Mansoor that’s available as a free download. It’s a lovely song sung with cool confidence about a relationship that was not meant to be, and premieres at #25.
Also on the indie tip at #28 is the versatile pop/dance song “Cruel” by another L.A.-based singer/songwriter, Eddy Faulkner. The slick production, sensitive vocal, and dark undercurrent make this one a winner.
View the full BILLCS Top 30right 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
Listen for me onhttp://www.planetradio.caon Tuesday evenings (returning on April 11), and with my Pick of the Week segment returning on April 3, aired throughout the week at 2:20 6:20 10:20 AM/PM EST
L.A.-based producer Mahalo is on a terrific ride right now with collaborations with vocalist Cat Lewis on the more pop-flavoured “Be My Love” and the anthemic “WTFYWF”, which both currently reside happily on my own BILLCS Top 30 chart. So now you need to factor in a fourth release since late last year with some smooth house in “Current Mood”. Like the previously released “Energy”, Mahalo distorts, lowers, and plays with Cat’s vocal, and it works much better here as the melody shows off Cat’s true range, despite sounding very unlike “Be My Love” or “WTFYWF”. It’s got a great flowing rhythm to keep club-goers pleased, and “Current Mood” definitely deserves your attention, particularly if you’re a fan of British house of the early 2000’s. Give it a listen at the link above.
I had the good fortune to see NYC/LA duo Powers (guitarist/vocalist Crista Su and bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Mike Del Rio) for the second time last night at Toronto’s Adelaide Hall (where I first saw them open for DNCE in November 2015), and they performed an energetic set for a highly appreciative and dedicated crowd. Flash forward a few years from their rollicking and infectious “Classic” (with The Knocks) and Powers now mesh more rock flavour into their dance grooves, especially with two of the three songs released from their upcoming album, due (fingers crossed) in June on Republic.
“Heavy” (above) has another catchy vocal by Crista with a jaunty, almost Caribbean-inspired rhythm married with 80’s pop riffs which could be mashed up with Men At Work’s “Down Under”. It’s definitely that groove that will keep you moving and some remixers could have fun with it as they have had with some of Powers’ other songs. “Dance” (video below) is much more aggressive, again recalling 80’s power rock (think Joan Jett’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)”), but loads of fun, with Mike and Crista letting loose in a video that manages to incorporate both a cowboy riding a bull and an astronaut. “Man On The Moon” (also below) veers away from the danceable side of things for a more alt.rock flavoured, lyrical song with some heavier instrumentation and harmonies at the bridge that still swings with an easier-going groove.
Though it was also great to hear other Powers’ songs like “Sunshine” and the hip hop inspired “Legendary”, I think the immediate future is looking very bright for this talented singing/songwriting duo, who also happen to be terrific, smart, positive folks in speaking with them after last night’s show. Check out “Heavy”, “Dance” and “Man On The Moon” and pick them up at your favourite online store, and watch for a solid album when it drops later in the Spring or early Summer.
“Love You To The Sky” is the first taste of the new Erasure album World Be Gone for duo Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, the follow up to 2015’s highly successful The Velvet Flame. That album put singles “Elevation”, “Reason” and “Sacred” back into the upper-end of the dance charts, where Erasure should rightly be more than 30 years after their first hit (my first club experience with Erasure was in 1986 😀 ). Andy also has a fab thing going on in collaboration with Dave Audé – two #1 Billboard club play songs in a row.
There’s nothing particularly new about “Love You To The Sky” – it’s reliably, solid Erasure with a straight-forward positive pop song about a summer romance with Andy’s recognizable voice front and centre, and a lilting, uncomplicated-sounding synth backdrop from Vince. It’s everything you know and want from Erasure that will be a singalong by the time they tour next. You can also head over to their page on Pledge Music where they offer up some incentives to help get World Be Gone finished and released. Check out the lyric video for “Love You To The Sky” above.
MARTIN GARRIX & DUA LIPA, “Scared To Be Lonely” (Joe Mason remix)
I wasn’t nearly impressed with “Scared To Be Lonely” in its original mix. Perhaps another song not so far removed from “In The Name of Love” came a little too soon after it, instead of one of Martin’s noted bangers. I don’t think either song are as big successes as what was anticipated, so that’s where remixes come in to give them extra shelf life! Landing with an official remix, Australian teen Joe Mason, about whom I’ve written about many times in the last year or so, jazzes up “Scared” with lots of spit and polish, adding more instrumentation and a perfectly placed reggae break that break up the melodrama of the original. And with a powerhouse machine behind Martin Garrix, Joe and his fellow “Scared” remixers will continue to make inroads creating fresh sounds that can accentuate the best from the pop/dance world. Check it out above and pick it up on iTunes.
You’re likely to get so wrapped up with the electro-house energy and power of “Rock Thiz” that you’ll be surprised that it’s over in a two and a half minute flash! Polish producer/DJ’s Dirty Rush & Gregor Es totally blast through the doors with this powerhouse which is out to not only work you out on the dance floor, but will totally slay you in the process. I’ve read the comments that some listeners say this is repping on “All Day” by Kill FM, and while there may have been some inspiration, I think the Polish duo make “Rock Thiz” stand firmly on its own. Listen at the link above, but be prepared to get silly while you do 🙂
Virginia-born but now L.A.-based singer/songwriter Eddy Faulkner has a no-brainer winner with his new pop song “Cruel”. Getting away from the power-pop of his EP Unbreakable, featuring “All The Way” which I wrote about last Spring, “Cruel” offers a gentle but sometimes emotional vocal up against a really big and rich, full-sounding house-y backdrop, which helps bring out a bit of a dark side to the song. It’s amazing what a lot of hard work will do in-between releases, but Eddy’s sound has matured significantly and stays ahead of the game with a song that easily stands out from the rest. It does beg some dance remixes, so you can watch for them in the coming weeks 🙂 Pop and dance radio will find themselves with a listener-friendly song in “Cruel”. Check it out at the above link and pick it up at your favourite digital store.
CAPTAIN CUTS, “Love Like We Used To” (Young Bombs remix)
“Love Like We Used To” is one of the best pop/dance songs I’ve heard lately by recent Sony signing the L.A. trio Captain Cuts (or, two Ryans and a Ben 😛 ) thanks to its fitting remix by Vancouver duo Young Bombs. It’s a really sweet song that can touch anyone who’s just gotten out of a relationship. The vocals are crisp and soulful, and Young Bombs take care of the song well in their remix. They add their usual panache by accentuating the music and slipping in some vocal effects which mesh well with the original. It’s perfect for a late night west coast beach party. You can’t go wrong with the remix or the original of “Love Like We Used To”, it is radio or dance club ready. Listen to Young Bombs’ take above and do yourself a huge favour and pick up the original at your favourite digital store.
Young L.A.-based producer/DJ Spirix caught my ears last year big time with his original with LZRD “Take Me Apart” and with his remix (with EDWYNN x TIKAL) on my favourite song of 2016, “So Bad” by Brandon Skeie. He’s since trail-blazed with other remixes of songs by Lost Kings and Vanic, but has now returned with another collaborative original, “Runaway”, for Spinnin’ Premium no less, featuring Tampa pop/hip hop duo Xuitcasecity. “Runaway” has a friendly pop flavour about it that’s thrown into an effortless Spirix dance mix that doesn’t let up, and doesn’t let go of the R&B/Hip Hop vibes that Xuitcasecity brings to the song either. “Runaway” is a pretty straight-forward song that will win you over on first listen and will keep us waiting for more new Spirix tunes 🙂 Get it on iTunes (the free download is no longer available).
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