Enlightened Listening for January 25

Friday's never disappoint when it comes to new music, and for this week's Enlightened Listening, I've honed in on a couple albums, and the latest Afterlife EP, alongside a handful of fantastic singles. As always stream below, find individual releases linked with brief descriptions at the bottom and enjoy!

Rudimental - Toast To Our Differences
Massive album from the masters. More features than you can count, including Jess Glynne, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Maverick Sabre, and more. The kind of quality and range you can expect from one of the world's best outfits. Some easy listening poppy bits with its share of heavier, DnB stompers.

BOT - BOT New World
Serious callbacks to his crazy Crookers days with weird, often times trippy deliveries. Colourful, vibrant and transportive techno. If this means we're coming back to this style, I'm game.

Fideles - Endless Sacrifice
I cannot get enough of Afterlife at the moment, and while I would've loved to have got my hands on some of the IDs in Tale Of Us's Voyage mix, this is certainly satisfying. At times overpowering and others spine-tingling, each track has an engulfing energy that, like BOT above, takes you places.

Sheridan Grout & GXD - Dam
Was not expecting this kind of banger, but I am most certainly here for it. Reminds me of one of my favourite mixes of all time, Cosmic Gate's 2011 Essential Mix. Beyond brilliant, absolutely euphoric!

Ducky - Day Zero
Lyrically and sonically punchy. Captures the same kind of energy as early Porter Robinson/San Holo.

QUIX - Stronger (ft. Elanese)
QUIX keeps innovating and moving the bar, keeping not just us listeners on our toes but his peers too. The consummate quality he always brings is astounding, and while we may already know that, it's hard not to get blown away by the drums and brass in the second drop. Wow, just wow.

Rusko - Squeeze (Burnin)
The world is a better place with Rusko pumping out beats, and that's exactly what he did with this one: pump. Fat af, this simple stunner is sure to get rinsed out all summer long, in fact it might just speed summer along, and I don't think anyone's complaining about that...

Haus Of Panda - Kick It
I don't know what I like more: 1) that Haus Of Panda's been dropping fire like this with incredible regularity for over a year now, or 2) that he seemingly raises the bar with each release. Certainly seems as though speed house is here to stay!

Dr. Fresh x BIJOU - Gangsta Party
The masters of menacing g-house combine for a couple chest rattlers. Not for the faint of heart, these are sure to do damage on the dance-floor.

Bot & Craig Williams - Don't Fake It

This Friday, Andrea "Bot" Fratangelo (previously half of Crookers) and Craig Williams team up to deliver a double dose of tech house. Set to be released on Shadow Child's Food Music July 28th, the two track thumper opens with an acid washed can of whoop-ass. "Don't Fake It" shows why both Bot and Craig Williams are not to be trifled with, especially when it comes to producing powerhouse floor fillers. It's big right from the start, yet somehow manages to get more massive as it progresses. The slow, subtle progression and movement makes it almost impossible to avoid its intoxicating allure. It starts with a simple toe tap, a little heart palpitation, fluttering of your feet, then all of a sudden you're in the middle of the dance-floor, dolling out moves like a street meat vendor hands out hot-dogs after the clubs let out.Don't sleep, pre-order "Don't Fake It" and the B-Side "Hot For You" via Beatport, here.

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Sinden's House Line EP

Very few producers can boast the same kind of quality and longevity as Graeme Sinden. He's been a staple of the house scene since collaborating with the likes of Hervé (as The Count and Sinden) and SBTRKT nearly a decade ago. He's once again teamed up with Hervé, among other heavy hitters Bot (previously half of Crookers), Japan's Jaxx Da Fishworks and Alaska's Astronomar. The nine track collab laden EP, out now on Insomniac Records, brings bassy house tracks that, while having killer classic feels, succeeds in pushing the undeniably important genre forward. Download the EP free via ToneDen, here.The lead track brings Sinden and Hervé together again, showing off their incredible interplay. The amount of movement and instrumentation is incredible, once again proving these two work together wonderfully. Next, pay special attention to Sinden's solo track "Baby" with its classic bonking bass sound built around a grungy atmosphere. The next three tracks, all remixes, take a decisively different approach, but still one that fits into this formidable EP.

R3LL's remix relies on a piano lick and pulsating jersey club loops, definitely the most intense and energetic of the bunch. Bot brings back the bouncing bass with "Follow Me." The bed he's crafted for Aly Us' vocals makes it absolutely alluring and almost hypnotizing. It's easy to imagine several shufflers dancing all night to this one.

Next up is LO'99, who I've been a fan of ever since I heard Porter Robinson play Go Freek's remix of "My Mind" in his Monstercat Showcase set two summers ago. He's been on fire as of late (dropping remixes of Angelz and Stormzy), and continues that trend with his 420 Blog It take on "Mega." Obviously the throwback feels are strong, but the deep bass wobbles and alien atmosphere make it a worthy remix of such a classic track.

Following those remixes come three new collaborations. First "Cold Ass Flute" with Astronomar. It's eerie as can be, sending chills down your back, again with an extraterrestrial vibe and an all too evil laugh. Next is Hotfire and "Twiddle," which winds up slowly before the tension becomes too much and it turns into an all out stomper, suggesting that listeners just get stupid. The final collab comes with Marc Spence, whose "Nasty" has been mentioned many a time on this blog. "WTF" is mechanized madness. It's almost as though the two have built an Iron Giant type figure deep in the woods, and its coming to life can be heard through the panicked chirping of birds and earth shaking bass.

Sinden's House Line then wraps up with a new Jaxx Da Fishworks production, "Don't Wait Up." It may be the best track to encapsulate the EP as a whole. It's got a great classic feel and construction to it, while still feeling fresh. The frenzied drop is like a steely stare down, daring you to dance. From Sinden and Hervé's "Body & Soul" to this fire finale, this EP is an excellent example of Sinden's impact on house music. If you've got the time, I highly suggest taking a scroll through his soundcloud page, it's absolutely littered with awesome tracks.

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