Top 100 Tracks Of 2020: 75-51

Continuation of the list started yesterday from 100-76, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. Find Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#75: Aluna - Body Pump (Sammy Virji Remix)

The more I think about this, the more I realize this is likely my favourite use of Aluna vocals. Her incredible versatility and dynamism work wonders on this ridiculously groovy bed. The track rolls on wonderfully throughout, but the real win comes in the final minute and a half as Aluna and Sammy really let loose. The former feeding her inner diva and the latter letting the brass bustle.

#74: Polaris - Distant

Much like "Kessel Run" in last year's list, Polaris stays stellar with rapturous piano and scintillating percussion. A blinding rush through star systems, this is as dreamy and divine as any of the tracks in this list - the first of many DnB tracks to crack the Top 100.

#73: Lifelike & Kris Menace - Discopolis 2.0 (Youngr Funkapolis Bootleg)

The way Youngr brings out the best of the classics he flips is simply stunning. Laying down a sick new drum bed is just the start as the guitars eventually guide the Lifelike & Kris Menace creation to funky new heights. It hits on all cylinders, never compromising the quality of the original while adding an awesome new spin and lush life.

#72: Caribou - Never Come Back (Four Tet Remix)

The quality of the original is forefront in this mix and maybe in a year in which clubs aren't closed, it supersedes the original. However, any chance at properly enjoying this in an all too crowded and sweaty club was foiled. That said, Four Tet has not disappointed with this dynamic and driving delivery. Its energy is utterly infectious and its breakdowns truly breathtaking. It's as if the original were bitten by a werewolf and this remix is its transformation.

Enlightened Listening for July 17

It's the weekend and that means mountains of new music for your ears. Coming into this week there were a few releases I'd had bookmarked, but little did I know just how much amazing content was on the way. Running 20 releases deep, this week's Enlightened Listening features an insanely long list of my favourite artists.

ATTLAS leads things off with a sublime single, which we first heard a demo of in September of 2018. Jim-E Stack follows that with the kind of soul-snatching quality we've come to expect. Building the energy back up, a Dombresky remix of TOKiMONSTA and a Lane 8 collab follow, each with captivating dance vibes. In a stunning turn, I just learned that Alex Metric, Riton and Shungudzo have combined under the KUU moniker and today they delivered their sensational debut single "How Could I Ever?," which follows a fabulous remix of Madonna (here). Turning towards disco we get an awesome run of my favourites in Late Nite Tuff Guy, Purple Disco Machine, Yuksek and Aeroplane remixing PNAU, Gaga & Grande, Dimitri From Paris & Aeroplane and Horse Meat Disco, respectively.

The remixes continue as Amtrac scores four equally alluring offerings from Grum, David Jackson, Francesca Lombardo and Panteros666. Qrion bookends this run of remixes with yet another slice of stunning craftsmanship. As things turn epic, Above & Beyond lead the way with a powerful, emotional trance cut ahead of a trio of EPs from GIGEE, 8Kays and Brassica. The former is exceptional tech house, the middle the kind of mystifying deep house that makes it a perfect fit on Booka Shade's Blaufield, and the latter an awe-inspiring odyssey through synths - a perfect fit for Feel My Bicep. And while we're on perfect fits, how does Soulwax and LA Priest sound? Amazing. That's how.

Tiga remains in top form as he follows his HudMo collab with another familiar face in Audion. This Is A Dream is classic Tiga, lively and life-giving techno. Next up is a nine-track compilation from Boysnoize Records featuring all kinds of awesomeness; a club killing comp that is sure to remind us all of the good old days in a sweaty club. And speaking of club killing stuff, thook drops off a triple-shot of sickness that one friend described as an "assassinating a pharaoh type beat." Finally, we walk off with an explosion at our backs as QUIX and Vincent join forces for TIGER DROOL, a massive new project full of promise. For those hoping Vincent would return to his XVII origins, this is your Superbowl.

Dig into the playlist below and find each individual release linked at the bottom. Have a great weekend!

ATTLAS - The Night Air Was Cool

Jim-E Stack - Note To Self (ft. Empress Of)

TOKiMONSTA ft. VanJess - Come And Go (Dombresky Remix)

Lane 8 & Kasablanca - Run

KUU - How Could I Ever? (ft. Shungudzo)

PNAU ft. Vlossom - Luck (Late Nite Tuff Guy Remix)

Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande - Rain On Me (Purple Disco Machine Remix)

Dimitri From Paris & Aeroplane ft. Leela - Can't Get Enough

Horse Meat Disco ft. Kathy Sledge - Jump Into The Light

Amtrac ft. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Radical (Remixes)

Trivecta ft. Rico & Miella - Everyday (Qrion Remix)

Above & Beyond - Jam

GIGEE - Minotaur

8Kays - Rolling

Brassica - Crystal Sea

LA Priest - What Moves (Soulwax Remix)

Tiga & Audion - This Is A Dream

Various Artists - Wet Floor, Vol. 1

thook - THE MIRROR FILES

TIGER DROOL - Tiger

Bicep - Aura

Belfast boys, Bicep have finally broken their silence, and in a big way at that. For months more than a year now, fans have been living off live versions of a particular unreleased Bicep record, anxiously wringing their hands in hopes of getting a full version of the mysterious magic. One of the first videos appeared nearly a year ago to the day, when they closed their Parklife set with the track in question (watch here). But no longer are us die-hard fans relegated to relive brilliant Bicep sets through video recordings, as the track now has a name and is officially released today. Get "Aura" here.If you weren't familiar with the unreleased demo version of "Aura" that Bicep have been playing out, it shouldn't take long for you to enjoy the stream above and bask in its dreamlike demeanor. In typical fashion, Andy and Matt have laid down a brilliant bed, on which their unparalleled playful progression can bounce along as freely as a child frolics in the summer sun. Their build is always big and bold, but never bulky or immobile. They always carefully tread the line between a knock you off your feet, wall of sound and feather-like tickling of your senses. And that's the true genius of Bicep, perhaps best on display here with "Aura," although I'll always hold a special spot in my heart for their remix of Brassica "Tears I Can Afford."

As if getting our hands on "Aura" weren't enough, there's also a 12" mix available today, and with this release comes the announcement of their debut full length album. The eponymous 12 track LP is set to drop September 1st via Ninja Tune, with "Aura" in place as the concluding capstone (pre-order here). Along with the album announcement, Bicep are headed on tour. See if they're in your city here.

FOLLOW BICEP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Brassica - Tears I Can Afford (Bicep Remix)

Over the course of the last year I've found myself gobbling up just about everything Belfast duo, Bicep have put out. It all started when I came across a series of posts about their Boiler Room set at their hometown AVA Festival. While it features many of their tracks that I've come to love it was their original production, "Just," that really got me hooked - that and the guy in the red track suit who emerges as the star of this show (see him popping a pill ~23 min, smoking a joint ~41:30, and "feel my bicep" ~53 min).

Of course, part of the hype of this show was the number of unreleased and exclusive tracks the Feel My Bicep label founders played out, including their collab with Hammer "Dahlia" and their remix of 808 State's "In Yer Face." Both took an awful long time to get official releases, but when a track is so good that it can survive and maintain hype for that long, it's probably a good strategy to hold it back and make people come to your shows to hear it.

Another such track immediately grabbed me but I had to wait for, was their mix of Brassica's "Tears I Can Afford." The slow burning build and alien elements of it quickly overwhelm your senses and have you reeling in anticipation of what's to come. When shortly after the two minute mark those keys creep in, the track really begins to hit its stride. It becomes an audio epic and Bicep add and subtract elements. Dynamics, acid and propulsive percussion lift the Brassica original to new heights, soaring so close to the sun that it blurs your vision. This mix is so unabashedly beautiful that it is sure to have you welling up in its presence. No need to wait, it can be yours now, via Bandcamp, here. FOLLOW BICEP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER