Here we are again, another fantastic Friday of releases, even though it's the unlucky 13th. We've been treated to a tremendous selection with big names like
Joker and
Destructo; personal favourites like
Robotaki and
Coucheron; and those that I'd never heard
Karim Sahraoui and
Shmuck The Loyal. As always there's a heap of house, some fun funk, and electronic music of all kinds. This Friday also marks the release of
ABSOLUTE.'s
Harmony EP, but I've already written about that
here. So buckle in for another edition of
Enlightened Listening, enjoy the playlist, and read brief descriptions below.
DJ Seinfeld - Sakura
Despite his name, this is no joke. Absolutely massive atmosphere throughout. An incredible mixture of world influenced electronic, house and techno. Each and every track is a wicked weapon, but my favourites are "
Sakura" and "
Battery" for the strong sweeps and delectable drums respectively.
Chrome Sparks - Chrome Sparks
The albums coming out this year are proof that this format is not dead. The lead track "
Rocket" propels you into
Chrome Sparks' world, and his genius takes over from there. It has a cooly crafted future feel, with a wonderful mixture of laidback lush, bounding bass and strong storytelling.
Karim Sahraoui - Plenitude
Excuse my ignorance for not knowing Karim before, but I'm definitely on-board now. This is the kind of long-form deep house that I absolutely love: simple, subtle and strong. "
Born Again" is sheer brilliance. It swings, slaps and brings a smile to my soul, especially as the piano creeps in in the second half. I would not be surprised if my infatuation with it lasts through the summer or longer.
Deetron - Choose Me (ft. Steve Spacek)
Walloping warm house, with just the right vocal breeze. Another aspirational summer tune.
Fehrplay - Malnati
Anjunabeats never disappoints, and
Fehrplay's latest is fulsome fire. I'm starting to notice a trend in my selections today (and most days), I'm searching for feel good tracks. And this one is rapturous.
Joker - Anamorphic
The trend of feel good may die here, but this is one of the biggest and best tracks I've heard in a long, long time. On par with his undying classic, "
Tron," this one roars to life, proving dubstep is not dead. Rather I think it'll inspire many more to take to its wobbling waves of wonderment. A truly epic creation.
Oliver ft. Sam Sparro - Last Forever (Destructo Remix)
Whereas the
Lifelike version kept closer to the original, with his french house vibe,
Destructo props the tempo up a touch and makes it more friendly for the North American DJ crowd. An oomph-ridden edit.
Robotaki - Science
We've heard all but two of the tracks already, and were already wowed. The intro, "
Trial" welcomes us to the bubbling lab where this all takes place, with the conclusion, "
Satisfied," sending us off in spectacular fashion. And perhaps that's the best way to describe this EP: fashionable, chic and swank.
Kideko - Good Thing
Get me that GIF of the woman on the floor grabbing for the bed (
here). It takes less than 5 seconds for me to assume that position after pressing play. So good it hurts. Holy funky grooves Batman!
Will Clarke - Take A Seat
Did I jump the gun on both the life alert and holy Batman references? Probably should've saved them for the wobs on this one. It shouldn't be called "
Take A Seat" but rather "Fall To The Floor;" that's what this freaked-out track will cause you to do. Make sure you're near a soft surface for this one.
Shmuck The Loyal - Not Alone
A new name to me, but a sound that will always be close to my heart. Electronic music for me will always be about the apocalyptic battle between humans and machines, and this one nails it.
Lemaitre - Machine (Coucheron Remix)
Whereas the above sees the machine beat out humanity,
Coucheron has calmly quelled the uprising and enslaved technology. Funky flourishes and rips, as I'm taken back to seeing
Lemaitre and
Coucheron on the now fateful date of November 8th 2016.
