Friday, June 08, 2018

Enlightened Listening for June 8

Another Friday, another massive day of releases, and another edition of Enlightened Listening. Booka Shade and Chromeo continue to bring brilliant remixes to light, Sparkee drops his Technically Impossible EP, Fraudulent Records share their second release and Skrillex returns with a classic remix. All this and more in the playlist below with descriptions at the bottom. Note free downloads via asterisk.

Booka Shade - Night Surfing (Booka Shade Rework)
The cool flowing grooves of the original become even more smooth and hypnotizing, as though upgrading from VHS to Blu-ray. Sublime swells that are sure to satisfy dance-floors and ears alike.

DAAV & Relique - In My Head*
While bass, deep and g-house are all on the rise, the vast majority of it is safe, unadventurous and all too close to tech house. This collab brings back the wild, animalistic energy that its been missing.

Sparkee - Play That Music
More free form and playful than his PINEO & LOEB collab, this could easily be confused as a Chromeo production, although keen observers will note Sparkee's inimitable bass work. The whole EP is absolutely fantastic, but because of the solos, this is the track that most caught my attention.

Aeroplane - Body (ft. Yves Paquet)
With more and more disco (and disco-adjacent) records being released these days one could become overwhelmed, however this track's effortlessness and light-flowing luminosity set it apart from the rest.

Pendulum - The Island, Pt. 1 (Dawn) [Skrillex Remix]
The first Skrillex release in what seems like forever. In true form it is immaculately designed, and necessarily so as this is a classic track. It might not be as ground breaking as some of his earlier work, but there's no denying the strength of this warm reconstruction. Expect to hear this a lot this summer.

Chromeo ft. DRAM & Jesse Johnson - Must've Been (Yolanda Be Cool Remix)
Yet another delightfully delicious and dance-worthy remix of this DRAM led track. Somehow this is able to lay claim to both the most banging and groovy of the bunch. THE ALBUM IS OUT NEXT WEEK!

Louis The Child ft. Wafia - Better Not (Attlas Remix)
The stage Attlas sets is an incredible one. It shimmers serene, while leaving room for Wafia to sing on top. And again this is where Attlas' genius comes through. His always resplendent productions bring life to each note, allowing the story to be told through the instrumental elements.

Mija - Falling ApART (Again) [Kill Paris Remix]
There's some kind of sneaky beauty not just in Mija's lyrics but the distressed and deep diving chords. The dynamics, especially the solo'd sounds and empty spaces are brilliantly bewitching. Gulp.

DLMT & Vanrip - The Light (ft. Deverano)
Opposing the title of the track this one is heavy, at least in the bass, which goes deep. Wobbly and warped, this delivery is an absolute delight, especially as Deverano's voice gets a genius call and response/echo effect with the vocal chops. Another undeniable summer sensation.