German producer Levi and NYC Victor Perry are back to dazzle us again with the enchanting new single “Lost Boy”. The pair previously reached #3 on my chart in 2017 with “Sail” and also brought us the bubbly “Moonlight” not long after. “Lost Boy” is more of a natural follow up to “Sail”, alternately gentle and captivating thanks to a familiar, bassy deep house rhythm carried by acoutic guitar work (reminiscent of Mako’s “Breathe”) over which Victor weaves his vocal magic. “Lost Boy” quickly draws you in and keeps you there with its affecting chorus “I’m a lost boy with a treasure of gold, and I’m trying to find my way home” hitting the emotional chords. The song also has tremendous club potential which I think could be unlocked even more by some remixes.
NYC producer Adam Kahati has the flair to create bright and easy-to-digest dance/pop, and his EP 2:25 has five shining examples of what to do right. You won’t hear a lot of splashy effects because they would take away what these solid songs have to offer. Adam surrounds himself with fine vocalists – you already heard Gabi Sklar last year in the standout “Tell Me”, and there’s also the crystalline voice of Danielle Goz in the country-tinged title song, Danni Carra and rapper Ben Beal in ‘Because Of You”, Jess Meilman in the gentle but club-worthy “Fall Into Place”, and an uncredited winner in another previous single, the tropical-flavoured “Let You Go”. But everything is spot on – all of the songs are positive and agreeable and, of course, danceable. Sure it’s not for those who like their dance music full of heavy drops and big synths, but trust me when I say that the songs in 2:25 will definitely leave you with a big smile on your face.
Last week’s new music schedule was simply ferocious. There was so much new music to hear that I felt quite overwhelmed. I still haven’t digested it all, but in the spirit of sharing more of what I listen to on a regular basis outside of music that is sent to me for review, I’ve created a new Spotify playlist!
The BILLCS Viral Weekly is here 🙂 Some of the songs will change every week, particularly those by bigger name artists, and it will always include a mix of newer and independent artists with those who are more popular. Check it out below, and then on to the new chart!
Harry Styles obtains his second #1 on this chart with the totally charming “Adore You”. “Lights Up”, the lead single from Fine Line, reached the top last November and tumbles off the chart this week after the requisite maximum 10 appearances (20 weeks). Harry’s still back-to-back with Zayn as the latter’s outstanding vocal on R3HAB and Jungleboi’s “Flames” slides to #2.
Autograf and Jared Lee climb 5-3 with the classic house of “Ain’t Deep Enough” (above), while The Weeknd’s UK #1 “Blinding Lights” (below) rises 6-4. You can hear his latest song “After Hours” in the Viral Weekly playlist above.
“Better Day” (above) by Vancouver’s Young Bombs with the distinct voice of Aloe Blacc climbs 14-6. And Young Bombs have something in common this week with the artist at #7 – besides being Canadian – who is Famba with “Storm” (below), featuring Kyra Mastro. Young Bombs have in fact remixed Famba’s new single “I Feel Your Pain”, featuring David Aubrey, to spice up the ballad for the dance floor. You can also check it out below as well as on the new Viral Weekly playlist!
ZEROBADDAYS and Victor Perry land in the Top 10 at #8 with the sweet and soulful “Starlight” (below). It becomes NYC-based Victor’s 5th Top 10 as either a solo or featured artist. ZEROBADDAYS is usually the saxophone half of the German production duo Saxity, who themselves have been in the Top 10 twice, including once with Victor on 2018’s “You Found Me” – which also reached #8!
The third song to jump into the Top 10 is “Mirage (Don’t Stop)” by Jessie Ware at #10. It’s from her upcoming album What’s Your Pleasure, which will also feature a song released last week called “Spotlight”. And yep, you can hear it in the Viral Weekly playlist above!
The Fastest Riser on the chart is the previous chart’s highest debut, “Backfire” by Italy’s Deep Chills with L.A. singer Not Famous. It’s a tropical house-pop charmer to which anyone can relate, with an impressive vocal by Not Famous that will get stuck in your head. It soars 21-12.
Also not to be discounted is Arty’s “Daydreams”, featuring singer Cimo Fränkel in a Sultan + Shepard ‘echoes of life’ remix, which rises 18-13.
I must now skip to the five debuts on the chart which are all quite impressive in their own right.
Leading the pack is Whethan and grandson’s alternative dance concoction “All In My Head”, which arrives at #25. It’s from Whethan’s upcoming full album called Fantasy. Whethan previously charted in 2018 with Broods and “Be Like You”, which reached #8.
Also returning with plans to keep his Top 10 streak intact is UK singer/songwriter Sam Dickinson with the slick and soulful “Diamond Skin” at #26. Sam’s forthcoming album is called Off Script and is due in October.
Although I’ve seen him perform a few times over the years, this is the first appearance on this chart for British Columbia’s Shawn Hook. “I Don’t Wanna Dance” (#27) is a stunning new pop/dance track released by Ultra Records, and could prove to be not only a radio hit but another dance club hit for Shawn, following 2016’s #1 club smash “Sound Of Your Heart”.
Renown in electronic dance circles and a Grammy nominee, Porter Robinson lands on the chart at #28 with the thoughtful and emotional “Get Your Wish” from his upcoming album “Nurture”. And yes, that is Porter’s vocal, an adapted, effected, androgynous voice that he intends to keep for future releases. And when you’re such a well-respected wizard in the dance genre, you pretty much have a ticket to do what you want, so I’ll look forward to more vocal tracks by Porter!
The fifth debut is a no-brainer for dance clubs because it’s by Don Diablo! The song is “Congratulations” at #29 and features vocalist Brando, who is also at #24 on the chart with “Look Into My Eyes”. It’s the Don’s second entry on the chart following last year’s “Fever” (#15).
A reminder that the music from my chart and blog are featured regularly on the new online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂 Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades! I’m the new music consultant for the station so you can expect even more in 2020 🙂 You can start by joining our new interactiveFacebook group too!!
View the full BILLCS Top 30right 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! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify:BILLCS Top 30 Songs
I’ve been writing about Norfolk, England-born James Poole for many years now, after his exit from a well-established UK boy band and through a phase of You Tube videos of covers and original songs that never saw official release (shhh, you can still find some of them on You Tube if you look hard). The constants throughout this time have been his thoughtful songwriting, his strong and diverse voice, and his unpredictability, with songs alternately mixing serious subjects (the delightful “Perfectly Me” and “I’ve Started Fuckin’ Someone Else”) and funky/electronic whimsy (“Goodness Gracious”), playful falsetto vocals, and one HELL of a ferocious scream in the cathartic “I Am Lion”. All of the songs within Humanity have been released as singles since 2017, so it brings everything together in one package for you to enjoy. Aside from the aforementioned four songs, “Faith”, “I Got What You Need” and “Lost”, another worth revisiting is “If I Were The Devil”, which offers rock guitar, banjo and a clap-along rhythm amid a spry mix in which James is clearly having a lot of fun. As always, I look forward to whatever new songs James creates next. His is talent worth savouring in all of the music in Humanity, below.
MAHALO, DISCO KILLERZ and BRANDYN BURNETTE, “Tongue Tied” (Danny Quest and Frank Pole remixes)
RAT CITY and KIESZA, “Naked (With My Headphones On)” (Tungevaad, VIDA and Blinkie remixes)
I’m a firm believer that in some cases official remixes can improve on a good song’s success. Here we have two cases that clearly support what I believe.
L.A.-based Mahalo is extremely prolific and with a song like “So Cold” becoming such a major dance radio hit last year, it’s important that every release since that one must stand out. Despite the talent in partnership with Disco Killerz and EMAN8 (billed as Brandyn Burnette), two remixes of “Tongue Tied” actually add more to enhance the original song. Florida’s Danny Quest pumps up the rhythm with an arrangement that enhances Brandyn’s vocal (above). And Italy’s Frank Pole lends a Eurohouse vibe that will assuredly draw dancers to the club floor (below).
“Naked (With My Headphones On)” is such a strong song by Norway’s Rat City with my immensely talented fellow Canadian Kiesza singing it, and it has endured through social media since its release last Fall. A trio of remixes is definitely helping to reboot the song’s infectious appeal. Norway’s Tungevaad brings a European trance flavour to the proceedings in a shorter, tighter version of the song (above). London’s Blinkie offers similar sped up trance-y vibes while newcomer ZIDA focuses on Kiesza’s vocal and strengthens the pop appeal of the song (both are below).
If you checked out and loved the originals of “Tongue Tied” and “Naked (With My Headphones On)” then do yourself a favour and listen to the remixes too!
I’ve got to give Montreal’s BTSM and Atlanta’s ATLiens lots of credit for combining forces and releasing the highly creative “Frequencies”. You never lose interest in what’s happening within the song even from what sounds like an inauspicious start. It takes its time to build, and it’s well worth the wait getting through some nifty effects, beats and chanting before one of those essential head-banging drops kicks in. The rest of “Frequencies” is total progressive dubstep gravy, hardly making the song seem like it’s been 4:10 in length when it ends. This style of music is slightly outside of my wheelhouse so it’s guaranteed to please fans of both acts and dubstep/electronic dance wizardry.
While former One Direction members don’t have three songs again in the new chart, they are back-to-back in the pole positions.
Zayn’s featured vocal totally makes “Flames” by producers R3HAB and Jungleboi (above) , and it holds at #1 for a second appearance at the top. But right behind at #2 is “Adore You” by Harry Styles (below) from Fine Line, so the two songs will battle it out for #1 in two weeks. And Harry’s “Watermelon Sugar” rises a notch 8-7 too.
Awolnation’s catchy electronic rocker “The Best” (above) climbs 4-3, while Chicago production duo Autograf move up 10-5 with “Ain’t Deep Enough” (below). That matches featured vocalist Jared Lee’s previous peak appearance on the Midnight Kids’ “Those Were The Days” last year.
Not surprisingly, Famba’s “Storm” (above), featuring fellow Canadian Kyra Mastro, becomes his third Top 10 hit on this chart, advancing 11-9, while yet another Canadian, Ekali acquires his first one in collaboration with Illenium and vocalist Chloe Angelides on “Hard To Say Goodbye” (12-10, below) from the album A World Away.
More Canadians have the fastest riser on the chart. It belongs to Vancouver producers Young Bombs for their original featuring Aloe Blacc called “Better Day”. It zips up the chart 22-14 and is on its way to becoming their second Top 20 radio hit in Canada, following last year’s “Starry Eyes”. It’s also a Top 30 dance radio hit in the U.S.
The debuts from two weeks ago are already making inroads on the chart. Arty’s “Daydreams” featuring Cimo Fränkel (above) climbs 24-18 in its Sultan + Shepard “echoes of life” remix. The Russian producer has immediately followed it up with another thoughtful anthem, “You’re Not Alone” with vocalist Griff Clawson, below.
Louis Tomlinson’s touching “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”, from his debut album Walls, is well on its way up the chart, rising 27-20.
“Better Off Without You” by Becky Hill and Shift K3Y has leapt into the Top 25 in their native UK, and it’s done the same thing on this chart, climbing 28-23.
The highest debut on the chart is the first appearance for Italian producer Gianmaria Sanna, otherwise known as Deep Chills, with a charming pop-flavoured slice of tropical-tinged electronica called “Backfire” featuring L.A. vocalist Not Famous. It arrives on the chart at #21. Check out the lyric video featuring both performers above.
Arriving at #24 and continuing his mighty comeback is British producer Gareth Emery with newcomer Nash for “Yesterday”. The song has a classic 80’s feel which reminds me particularly of Mike Oldfield’s songs with Maggie Reilly, such as “Family Man” or “Moonlight Shadow”. So thanks to L.A.’s Linney for capturing that vocal style, intentionally or not, which gives the song the gentle, reflective feels that it needs. Check out the video from Gareth’s recent “Laserface” show in Minneapolis, above.
Following up last year’s snappy and infectious “Don’t Think Twice” (#2) is “Fall-Out” by Netherlands-based Emirati producers Revelries, this time in collaboration with fellow producers Boyboyboy and UK-based German vocalist Will Church. It bows at #25.
The fourth debut is “Look Into My Eyes” by L.A. singer/songwriter Brando, who you know from his memorable vocal on Loud Luxury’s massive hit “Body”. He returns to the chart at #27 with this original which also reworks Charles & Eddie’s 1992 hit “Would I Lie To You” into the hook of the song.
A reminder that the music from my chart and blog are featured regularly on the new online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂 Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades! I’m the new music consultant for the station so you can expect even more in 2020 🙂 You can start by joining our new interactiveFacebook group too!!
View the full BILLCS Top 30right 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! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify:BILLCS Top 30 Songs
Boy, Ethan Snoreck had a few aces up his sleeve when he took a break from touring last year to concentrate on music. Taking a few risks by pulling in alternative rock influences for his most recent single “Stay Forever” (with STRFKR), they worked so well that Whethan brought in Toronto’s Juno Awards-nominated grandson to co-write and provide the vocal for “All In My Head”. And quite honestly, Whethan’s production plays a bit of a second fiddle to the insanely unique and memorable vocal that grandson (aka Jordan Benjamin) provides, sounding at times like a hybrid offspring of The Beastie Boys. While the overall focus ends up on grandson, Whethan keeps the song moving at a frenetic pace with some herky-jerky pit stops along the way. It’s a dizzy mix of guitars, synths and drums that seem to take a number of cues from early 80’s new wave at times. “All In My Head” is a personal best for Whethan, and knowing that he can instantly return to electronic dance that has attracted enough of the likes of Dua Lipa, Tom Morello, Louis The Child, and The Knocks to work with him already at 20 years old is just impressive all on its own.
In the past few years, Dutch producer CR3ON has moved away from producing and remixing others in favour of his own electronic dance flavours. With built-in support from the likes of Tiesto and Don Diablo, as well as labels Spinnin’ and Armada and now Steve Void’s Strange Fruits, CR3ON is out to dazzle the rest of the world. His latest single is “Mr. Lonely”, which brings back singer Gwendolyne from his earlier releases. It’s an infectious emotional dance pop number – no relation to the classic Bobby Vinton hit at all – that will certainly cheer you up if you’re down. The rhythm shifts from a bassy deep house backdrop to brighter and lighter notes that keep the groove pumping.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Gregory Kantor. Formerly recording under the name 5 And A Dime, the American producer is also a Dance Dance Revolution Extreme World Record holder, and has created a special MIDI controller for the game. He was hinting at The Grid as a special project a few years back, but it looks to be off to a great start with “Enter The Grid”. This is a driving, relentless, and riveting instrumental, perfect for a video game or even a movie soundtrack (think “Tron”). It’s also a match for a pounding techno dance floor set of bangers, or for late summer nights cruising an empty highway. It’s clear that Kantor has put an awful lot of work into this, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Check out the introductory video below, and the full song above.
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