Tag Archives: tropical

Slick as thieves: Smooth chilled-out house by @LoudLuxury x @Shoffymusic “Villains”

LOUD LUXURY x SHOFFY, “Villains”

Hot off the presses today, promising Toronto duo Loud Luxury (Joe and Andrew) team up with intriguing vocalist Shoffy (who has already got the attention of Spinnin’ Records) for “Villains”.  If there’s such a thing as smooth chilled-out house music, then these guys have it down in spades.  There’s an R&B flair in Shoffy’s voice that recalls the best of the 90’s (the style of Brian McKnight comes to mind) and it’s matched with a genuinely interesting mix of tropical-infused house music.  This kind of dance music goes down really easy and the song conspicuously perks your ears up along the way.  Download “Villains” for free at the link above.

#KPop and #EDM Pop done right: “Into You” by @KOLAJband x @EricNamofficial

KOLAJ x ERIC NAM, “Into You”

“Into You” is one of those WOW records that gets you from the first few verses and the exchange of attractive, soaring female/male vocals.  KOLAJ is an EDM duo who have already been signed to Interscope but have paired up nonetheless with K-Pop star Eric Nam for “Into You” – and the buzz of the day online as a result has been about “K-TROP”.  Indeed the song has a bright, tropical vibe and lush saxophone riffing that heightens the romantic tension offered by the two vocalists.  Despite the focus on dance music, “Into You” is quite the pristine pop record too (not to be confused with the Ariana Grande song of the same name) and could be one of those kind of breakout records.  Kudos to everyone involved on this fine pairing, I’m very excited about it, and you can pick up “Into You” on all platforms.

 

Gone troppo: “Still Young” by @WilTril & @Aayiomusic (featuring @MatthewJohnKurz :D )

WILTRIL & AAYIO, “Still Young” (featuring Matthew Kurz)

I happened upon “Still Young” by producers WilTril and Aayio, recently released by Ultra music.  It’s a terrific summery retrospective kind of song, perhaps you could call it the “7 Years” of tropical EDM.  The buoyant, winning tone of the song is captured by the uncredited vocal of Miami-based singer/songwriter Matthew Kurz.  I’ve written about Matthew many times, but it’s now been about three years, so I’m glad to see a discreet breakout moment happening for him through this fine dance track for which he deserves much attention.  One of my 13 Performers to Watch in ’13, Matthew has many great songs available on You Tube through his mixtape or covers like “Titanium”.  WilTril and Aayio are gonna go big with this one and having Matthew’s honed vocal is such an amazing bonus.  Listen above and pick it up on iTunes.

Summery Sleeper Creeper: “Afraid Of Heights” by @Couzareofficial featuring @itsAprilCheung

https://soundcloud.com/tropikultrecords/couzarexaprilcheung

COUZARE featuring APRIL CHEUNG, “Afraid Of Heights”

It’s all about starting off in style… TropiKult Records launches with a summery song for the upcoming Spring months.  It’s what I call a ‘sleeper creeper’ – it’s gonna take a few listens but it will seal the deal – “Afraid Of Heights” by German producer/DJ Couzare featuring new vocalist April Cheung.  Get past the slow fade in and you will find a lilting tropical vibe that resonates with a warm feel-goodness.  It’s aided by April’s droll kind of vocal, which immediately brings to mind singer Dev – yes she of Far East Movement’s 2010 #1 “Like A G6” and her own “In The Dark”.  “Afraid Of Heights” is one of those songs that’s not only destined to be a surprise for clubs, but will also sound great on amusement park rides (particularly those ones that go high up, of course).  Stream it above and pick it up on all platforms.

@Jamie___xx’s “Loud Places” as remixed by @Cloudchord becomes a tropical deep house anthem

https://soundcloud.com/cloudchord/jamie-xx

JAMIE xx featuring ROMY, “Loud Places” (Cloudchord remix)

It’s almost a year old and did very well in alt.pop and EDM circles last summer, but Jamie xx’s “Loud Places” gets a rollicking reboot courtesy of Austin TX producer/DJ/guitarist Cloudchord (aka Derek Van Scoten).  It’s transformed into a driving disco tropical house track full of additional instrumentation which helps stand it apart from other remixes.  Vocals by Romy so very much suit this reworked setting.  In a dance club, the first two minutes of “Loud Places” will create a perfect lead out of a soft set and into a set of club bangers.  It may go on a little long at 5 minutes plus, but don’t be surprised if Cloudchord’s remix of “Loud Places” sneaks up on you when you’re clubbing or listening online to dance music radio.  

More tropical percussive bliss by @SNBRNmusic as remixed by Steve Void @voidmuzik “Beat The Sunrise”

https://soundcloud.com/voidmusik/snbrn-beat-the-sunrise-feat-andrew-watt-steve-void-remix

SNBRN featuring ANDREW WATT, “Beat The Sunrise” (Steve Void remix)

L.A. producer/DJ SNBRN has a club winner with “Beat The Sunrise”.  And in this Steve Void remix, the 19 year old Dutchman takes this dreamy road song, with a gentle vocal by Andrew Watt, and trades the deep house beats of the original song for high end tropical-sounding percussion.  This gives the song an incredibly happy and carefree vibe, not unlike Embody’s recent (and still unreleased) “Dreamin'” (which I wrote about recently), making it more for partying on the beach all night long.  You can’t go wrong with either version, and you can look for SNBRN on tour with the likes of Shaun Frank.  But major props to this remix which truly stands out in a crowd.  Get it for free using the link above (at over 600,000 listens already!).