Two promising new acts in dance music collaborate for something a little different in “All I Want”. Kyiv, Ukraine brings us Teri Miko, who is already getting rave reviews for energetic live shows and opening for the likes of Marshmello and DJ Snake at some festivals. Italian producers Goja have been one of the more talked about new names in dance music with support already from Diplo and Dillon Francis. “All I Want” dabbles nicely in pop territory, with attractive uncredited female vocals providing a worthy introduction. But then the song segues smoothly, albeit sneakily, into engaging trap and drum ‘n bass synth antics which will seal the deal for clubs. Add “All I Want” to your Electric Eclectic playlist using the Spotify link above.
More and more the transparent walls between hip hop and hardcore dance music continue to disintegrate with songs like “Soldier” as prime examples by leaders of the electronic such as MMXVAC’s scrvp. and featuring Minneapolis’ own Rico Act. All of the grimy industrial-fueled trap and dubstep anchors “Soldier” musically while Rico Act’s hard hitting verses keep it moving with a telling hook like “I don’t Milly Rock / Boy I do the head bang”. “Soldier” is right in your face and out to stay stuck in your head too. Add it to your new, bold and powerful trap/dubstep playlist using the Spotify link above.
Seattle producers Solstis are out to convincingly make their mark with “Open Your Eyes”, their latest original song from their upcoming album Nowhere. It’s a busy, crunchy instrumental that fuses trap with old school industrial electronic dance music. You can hear classical influences as well as 80’s inspiration that alternately recalls The Art Of Noise and Ministry, not quite what you would expect in one song. “Open Your Eyes” is indeed an aggressive dance track, not suited for every club. But its complex and unpredictable arrangement will compel you to listen, and at the end of its 3:26 length you will want to hear more. Download “Open Your Eyes” by Solstis for free at the link above.
First off, I’m no expert on K-Pop and really have only had a fleeting interest as millions of fans embrace it around the world. If PSY didn’t generate the interest 5 years ago with “Gangnam Style” because of that song’s novelty, he certainly paved the road for the right acts to come along to widen its appeal. And so, with their appearance on the American Music Awards last week, introduced by their friends The Chainsmokers (who produced a song on their recent album Love Yourself: Her), the young septet BTS broke through with their riveting performance of “DNA”.
Like many other pop music fans, I immediately bought the song. The choreography and energy were all on-point in that performance (it didn’t even need live vocals), and it became the highlight of that show, which you can watch above. Then this past week, a Steve Aoki remix of “Mic Drop” appeared, in two versions, one featuring Desiigner which stays more true to the original hip hop flavour. But just to show that the walls of music genres can be torn apart right in front of you, the Aoki remix (without Desiigner, below) slams hard while keeping most of the original Korean lyrics intact along with some added English verses, if a trifle long at four and a half minutes. And with dancing that good in the video, Aoki’s remix should have no trouble taking dance clubs by storm, allowing club goers to create their own fun choreography again too.
I’m not sure how long seven talented guys can survive in one band with such an intense following, but BTS are here and now and will be one of 2018’s biggest draws.
In its original version, “Alone Tonight” by L.A.-based singer/songwriter Linney – known for her work with Robbie Rivera, covers like last year’s “Never Be Like You”, and her own originals – is a dreamy mid-tempo ballad about being with your special someone on a night at home when perhaps they should have company. In the hands of producer/remixer Meatport however, that evening becomes vibrant and teleported to a rave where that person will have a great time. Meatport’s trap “marination” draws heavily on late 90s/early 00’s techno to give “Alone Tonight” a really giddy bounce while retaining the wonder of Linney’s vocal. It’s always fun to enhance a blog post about Meatport with some tenderizing seasoning 😉 given his own fun and sometimes wacky songs to date (“The Troll”, “Noobs”, and new Hallowe’en fave “Spook”). However I’ll forego additional puns by encouraging you to check out Meatport’s seriously good remix of Linney’s “Alone Tonight” at the link above.
If you like your meat à la crunchy, spicy bass house with strong melody for dessert, then the seasonal instrumental “Spook” by US masked producer Meatport and Austria’s DeniZer is just for you courtesy of Diverge Records! Combine a James Bondian framework with a trippy-trappy coating where all of the tender pieces and juicy drops fall and jump out at you at the right times. Then add a sweet dose of synth melody throughout, and “Spook” could be your meat (ear) candy for October and beyond. Following up this past summer’s goofy but hard-hitting “The Troll” and “Noobs”, Meatport and DeniZer have taken a few more steps ahead by creating something equally as fun for the season but their credibility is not to be underestimated. Become the latest member of the #MeatFam by downloading “Spook” for free at the link below.
LADY BEE featuring TROPKILLAZ and OKTAVIAN, “Murder”
The rhythm’s gonna getcha on “Murder”, the latest by rising Dutch producer Lady Bee. The collaboration with Brazil’s own Tropkillaz arose at last year’s ADE, and they took it to L.A.-based Dutchman Oktavian for his own special vocal vibes, which you’ll recall well from last year’s “Balance” by The Him. So the results are nothing short of terrific – Oktavian takes command over a super tight Lady Bee and Tropkillaz creation, and if the melodic hook sounds a tad familiar, then think Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” slowed down a couple of notches. Brought to you by Trap City and Spinnin’, “Murder” is a compelling dance floor filler that sizzles.
“CYFI” by the Boston duo of Brandon and Josh who call themselves VOVIII (that’s actually 5-0-8) is one hard-hitting dose of trap/electronica that you won’t want to miss. The main chorus of the song, featuring a powerful female R&B vocal, sounds like a sample from a soul hit of yesteryear – and maybe it isn’t – but it trades off with whirling synths, bright percussion sounds, and big bold beats. This makes “CYFI” a must for fans of tougher EDM who like their music to leave them breathless. After receiving support from folks you know like NGHTMRE and Borgeous, VOVIII are off to a wild start through powerhouses like Spinnin’ and MMXVAC which only makes you want to hear more. You can get “CYFI” for free at the link up top.
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 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
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!
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