Tag Archives: electronica

“Naked” is a risky, exotic cornucopia of dance flavours from Emirati production duo @Revelriesmusic and Romanian singer @Jeokofficial

REVELRIES and JEOKO, “Naked”

Following quickly on the heels of the success of their recent pop/dance single “Infinitum” (currently #12 on my personal choice), Netherlands-based Emirati production duo Revelries take some significant musical risks with the exotic flavours of their latest release, “Naked”.  Using their Arabic roots as the sonic motif, “Naked” is both sexy and charming with an intriguing if brief story unfolding from Romanian but France-based singer Jeoko.  Her jazz and R&B vocal influences marry well with the uncharacteristic backdrop, but Revelries never lose focus of the song’s deep house flavours which will work well in a late night dance club atmosphere.  It pays to take chances and the benefits of “Naked” will shine through in due course.

Lush and dreamy production highlights “My Position” by @Prince_Paris and MindTrix @trixyourmind

PRINCE PARIS & MINDTRIX, “My Position”

What I like best about “My Position” is that it really bowls you over from all directions with its lush, dreamy soundscapes, creating its own “Wall of Sound” vibe.  It’s one of the new releases from Montreal producer Prince Paris, previously known as one half of the worldwide success called Paris & Simo, with Simo now behind the scenes and all eyes on Paris.  Prince Paris is paired with NYC producer Mindtrix and they make more than the most of what would be an average song in other hands.  It’s also represented by a powerful, diverse uncredited vocalist whose tones ride the masterful production.  It’s no wonder that this ended up as a Tipsy Records release – a high calibre record that wastes no time in making you groove right along.

Freestyle dance music star @LisetteMelendez is back in a big way with empowering “Rise”

LISETTE MELENDEZ, “Rise”

One dance music sub-genre that still has many fans around the world is Freestyle, which was prominent particularly in NYC and Miami from the mid-80’s through the mid-90’s.  NYC singer of Puerto Rican heritage Lisette Melendez had a number of charted hits in the early 90’s such as “Goody Goody”, “Together Forever”, and my favourite “A Day In My Life (Without You)” (I’ve still got the 12″ vinyl!), and she’s back with “Rise”.  It’s an engaging and empowering song dedicated to anyone who’s going through a difficult time, but particularly women, hence the “Rocky” or “Karate Kid” inspired video with a young woman as the lead.  “Rise” works because of its sparkling contemporary production, which incorporates many elements of Freestyle which Lisette’s fans enjoy.  The singer sounds just great and club DJ’s should embrace “Rise” and its many remixes.

“Alive” by @JackWins and #ILY brims with exhilarating feels

JACK WINS and ILY, “Alive”

Dutch producer Jack Wins returns with “Alive”, an exhilarating slice of dance/pop that features go-to Swedish vocalist ILY – you know her most recently in these blog pages from Gianni Marino & Boy Problems’ “Can You Hear Me”.  Her recognizable voice helps make “Alive” a winner, with its high end percussive hook that reminds me of recent releases by Australia’s JYYE.  But it’s the positive feels that will pull people out onto the dance floor and “Alive” should keep club goers happy into the winter months.

French producer @TezCadey creates blissful EDM with “Logic” tailor-made for clubs and festivals

TEZ CADEY, “Logic”

There is so much great dance music coming out of France lately, and a lot of it is instrumental, so after a series of his singles with vocals comes Tez Cadey’s “Logic”.  With melodic inspiration so evident from Avicii, Martin Garrix, and Kygo, Tez is an absolute treat to watch in the above video which showcases a good day in the life of a DJ/producer off to play at a festival.  It oozes honesty, passion, and joy as Tez works his magic on stage.  “Logic” is a solid companion to Arty’s “Tim” and fellow Frenchmen Slow Hours’ recent “Endless”, and he’s one of the rare new producers to have cracked the Chinese music market early in his career.  “Logic” has a sneaky, recognizable hook that will immediately generate reaction from EDM lovers once they get to know it.  And there’s good news behind the scenes too that “Logic” is one of the first new releases for the Sony reboot of the Arista label, which released so much fine dance music in its heyday before being shuttered in 2011.  Watch for Tez Cadey’s album Lizard Days on November 2 too.

It’s ear-filling funky pop this time for @SleepyTom with “Move” as sung by Sophia Black @sophartso

SLEEPY TOM and SOPHIA BLACK, “Move”

After a huge dance music world break through with Diplo on “Be Right There” a few years back, and working with the likes of Zed’s Dead and Porter Robinson, another of my fellow Canadians, Sleepy Tom, decided to take a few steps away from the big beats and synths.  One of the results of his short hiatus is his new single “Move”, which neatly underscores his skills as a musician (not just synths but guitar) with some funky bass hooks as well.  Sophia Black’s alluring voice positively shines as she draws club goers onto the dance floor for some fun (and gosh she even shares my daughter’s birthday!).  Not unexpectedly, the production is rich and vibrant, and club DJ’s should waste no time in getting to know another side of Sleepy Tom.

Set to lift your spirits, lend your ears to “Shooting Star” by @AnnaYvettemusic

ANNA YVETTE, “Shooting Star”

NYC-based singer/songwriter Anna Yvette has a winner with the uplifting dance/pop of “Shooting Star”.  It’s full of feel-good, beautiful imagery that aims for those times when you’re going crazy, not yourself, and don’t know what to do – just be your best and aim high.  Inherently everyone is beautiful and talented in their own ways, and Anna Yvette is one like-minded singer to whom you can align yourself.  She’s recorded and written with scores of other dance music artists like Aero Chord, Pegboard Nerds, and Laura Brehm, as well as up-and-comers like JPB and Egzod.  But often it’s her own records like “Shooting Star” that are the most memorable.  You can also hear some of Anna Yvette’s music in a variety of video games, and she’s white-listed “Shooting Star” on You Tube for that purpose (see the  comments in the above link).  There’s a lot that’s subtle and gentle about the song with its synth arrangement, and all of the positives within its 4 minutes contribute to “Shooting Star” breezing by effortlessly.  

“What You Do” is a must for the club and festival circuit from British duo @KuDeTaofficial and Dutch producer @JoeStonemusic with singer Sylvia Mwenze

KU DE TA & JOE STONE and SYLVIA MWENZE, “What You Do”

There are some songs that just belong in clubland, so you can expect to hear “What You Do”, as made in the collaboration of British production duo Ku De Ta (as in coup d’état) and Dutch producer Joe Stone, for the rest of the Fall and into Winter.  “What You Do” has a splendid uptempo house rhythm and a vocal by Sylvia Mwenze that is nothing short of perfect for this kind of song.  And there is nothing better to do with this kind of record but to loosen up, put on those dancing shoes, and groove the night away.  Joe Stone has been known to make some crafty, infectious tracks, such as 2015’s “The Party” which brought back Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do it” to clubs 20 years later.  Matched with Ku De Ta, and to keep us happy, these guys could definitely work on another record or five 🙂

French collective @SlowHours drop their adventurous debut single of many moods, “Endless”

slowhours

SLOW HOURS, “Endless”

After numerous well-received remixes, which led to most of the six members of Slow Hours – Khamsin, Rusty Hook, Kidswaste, Kultur, Astre, and Lain – branching out with many terrific solo efforts, many of which I’ve written about, the band has dropped their debut original, progressive-sounding single “Endless”.  It’s a moody affair for sure, but well worthy of your kind attention for just shy of four minutes.  Now these guys know how to start a record with a great lead up to a complete change of pace before the 50 second mark, which turns into a gritty, trappy main section that returns later in the song.  It’s punctuated by a quieter, cinematic-sounding break, and finishes with almost a minute of melt-in-your mouth piano and symphonic effects that help make “Endless” quite an unexpected musical adventure.  I hope more will be forthcoming soon to show off the many diverse talents within Slow Hours.

Australia’s @Throttle is back with spry original “Wanderlust”

THROTTLE, “Wanderlust”

Though he’s been extremely busy on the festival circuit this year, Australia’s Throttle returns with a spry new original, “Wanderlust”, for his own Dirty Disco label through Spinnin’.  While his beats continue to be heavy and playful, the synths in “Wanderlust” this time stay in the high end often, as a synthesized voice reassures us that “lovin’ you is easy”, but when repeating the hook sings “lovin’ you is ***” – left to our imagination.  “Wanderlust” is all about a love for travel, and producer/DJ’s like Robbie who enjoy performing worldwide certainly get their taste of it, so it’s nice to bring positive thoughts back full circle and put them into song.  “Wanderlust” is an easy choice for clubs that will have hands clapping and lots of smiles lighting up the room.