Enlightened Listening for April 30

It's new music Friday, and it seems like the theme this week was LPs. With more than a handful of albums we've been building towards dropping today, only four made the cut for this week's Enlightened Listening, as they go deeper than their singles. Each of Tor, Rochelle Jordan, Moullinex and Cadence Weapon captured the quality of the long-form release, taking listeners on diverse yet equally compelling journeys. Aside from the albums, the playlist opens with a fist full of funky stuff, including remixes from Pat Lok and the dynamic duo Breakbot & Irfane. Two Toronto talents follow that, as Frustra and The Kount hit us in the feels. After Tor's Oasis Sky comes a trio of remixes of Robotaki, each seemingly better than the next. Finally, bookending the last two LPs are two strong singles in the nasty Night Bass garage groover, Badger's "Give It To Me" and Prospa's rapturous "WANT NEED LOVE." Enjoy!

Dorothys Fortress - Lucha Libre

Purple Disco Machine ft. Moss Kena & The Knocks - Fireworks (Breakbot & Irfane Remix)

Smalltown DJs ft. Bootsy Collins - Good Thang (Pat Lok Remix)

Frustra - Highline

The Kount - Detour

Tor - Oasis Sky

Robotaki - The Grand Mirage (Remixes)

Rochelle Jordan - Play With The Changes

Badger - Give It To Me

Moullinex - Requiem For Empathy

Cadence Weapon - Parallel World

Prospa - WANT NEED LOVE

Enlightened Listening for June 26

While I said I was going to take the week off Bump In The Hump and blogging, I figured today was as good as any to break said 'promise.' However I will keep pretty close to it by simply listing this week's Enlightened Listening below, with no additional commentary. As usual it runs from generally lighter to heavier tracks, from rock/pop/disco to ever more banging house and DnB. Have a great weekend!

HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III

Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?

Breakbot - Be Mine Tonight

The Shapeshifters - Finally Ready (ft. Billy Porter)

DSK - What Would We Do (The Reflex Revision)

Midas Hutch - Freeze

Motez & Qrion - Slow Down

Amtrac - Stratego (Mindchatter Remix)

PRAANA - Samasta / Quiver

Howling - Lover

Hot Since 82 - Eye Of The Storm (ft. Liz Cass)

Djumba Soundsystem & NenaHalena - Sagas Of Iziki / Chapter I

Various Artists - Odd Ones, Vol. 1

The Juan Maclean - Here In The Twilight

T.Raumschmiere / Voigt & Voigt - Speicher 111

Jaded - Bounce (VNSSA Remix)

Dr. Fresch - It Don't Stop

Flume & Toro y Moi - The Difference (High Contrast Remix)

Izo Fitzroy - Red Line (Dr Meaker Remix)

Metrik - Ex Machina

Top 100 Tracks Of 2018: 100-76

Starting today through Monday, I'll be revealing my list of the "Top 100 Tracks Of 2018." The following is my disclaimer, as I feel it important to preface this kind of list with some insight into its creation and the methodology behind it. While I spent a lot of time seriously pouring through this year of music, this is not a really a serious endeavour. No one was polled. Sales and streams are irrelevant. This is merely my fun way of sharing the tracks and artists that made my year better, in hopes they do the same for you. The rankings are not scientific or even fair, rather they are simply a reflection of how strongly I felt these tracks and how much praise I felt they deserved.

Unlike my previous lists (2017 and 2016 respectively), you'll see that I did my best to refrain from repeating artists, attempting to focus on one unique release. That said, the thread of disco/funk continues from last year, as once again it dominated my consumption. But once again you'll notice I touch on a variety of genres, while sticking to the brand of this blog, which is indeed a reflection of my personal preferences and ideals. While last year I noticed a relatively low amount of 'club' music, certainly in comparison to the amount of time I spent in clubs, that trend has seemingly reversed (on both counts). There's a lot of pop music but unlike last year, you won't find anything like London Grammar occupying the 8th spot. Everything is at least electronic adjacent, and like Bump In The Hump, I've in essence split EDM into electronic and dance, allowing for a slightly wider birth.

Finally, I will once again say that this is by no means an exhaustive list; there are without a doubt exceptional tunes that somehow failed to make the cut. However, onward and, in this case, downward, from tracks 100 to 76 we go. Find the Soundcloud playlist here and at the bottom of the page.

Breakbot - Mystery

The latest upload of Busy P's Ed Banger label is titled "Breakot - Mystery," but we can safely assume that's merely a typo, as the description below credits Breakbot. Musically it's clear that this truly is a Breakbot production, it's got his trademark electro funk, bass grooves amidst shimmering synths that pair perfectly with beautiful vocals from an un-credited singer. Indeed this is classic stuff from the French powerhouse, it's a hell of a production. The first two minutes or so are a rapturous dream. The instrumental magic is a rocking, roller-coaster ride in itself. It makes whatever you're doing an absolute delight. But when the vocals come in Breakbot finds himself the author of a slice of sublime storytelling. How he's able to combine the masterful music bed with the simple yet smart lyrics is beyond me. He proves once and for all the utter allure of "Mystery." Get it as part of Ed Rec 100, due out May 12. FOLLOW BREAKBOT: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Five tracks to get you back in the groove

With summer unofficially over, and my baseball team unceremoniously knocked out of the playoffs, I've hit a wall, not wanting to start the next chapter. As always, I find myself turning to music to not just lift me up and help me move on but to re-calibrate my body and soul. Music is incredibly powerful because of its inherent personal appeal; it connects listeners through a shared experience, but in the end, its strength lies in its existential capacity. Today I've compiled five tracks that ooze with groove, both literally (grooves in vinyl) and figuratively (try not to dance to these tracks). These five tracks are full of funky disco vibes and show no shortage of uplifting energy. The first, Flying Mojito Bros remix of Crosby Stills and Nash "Turn Your Back On Love" came to me yesterday, as I was trolling the web for something to write about and immediately appealed to my love of old groove tracks. The content is killer from the guitar to the bass and the lyrics to the vocal harmonies. This is the track that inspired this playlist.

Fittingly, the V4YS remix of Marvin Gaye "Where Are We Going" followed the Flying Mojito Bros, via souncloud's related tracks feature. With that rolling intro, and bright keys the disco is strong throughout and is incredibly infectious. Grab the free download here.

Diving deeper into the disco vibes comes, The Immortals' "Ultimate Warlord." It's fun, funky and incredibly lighthearted. After hearing it for the first time on a long trip home, it woke me up and got me home safely, inspiring me to become "The Ultimate Warlord."

From 1979 to 2016, is Breakbot's remix of Fatima Yamaha's "Love Invaders," which sounds at home in either decade. It's an absolutely awesome slice of carefree disco funk, proving once again the combination of Breakbot and Fatima Yamaha is without parallel. If you like this be sure to check out their cross contamination "2GOOD4ME," which is also a free download.

Rounding out this five-some of uplifting funk, is one of my favourite tracks of all time, my second most played Boy 8-Bit production, and 7th most played track of all time, his remix of Vandroid's "Master and Slave." The combination of Boy 8-Bit's bleepy chiptune quality, playfully poignant percussion and awe inspiring, soundtrack-esque arc makes it the perfect capper for this playlist. I have gone to this track nearly a hundred times on my iTunes alone and will continue to count on it to change my mood and get me back in its inescapable groove. I just hope one of these five tracks speaks to you the same way this track speaks to me, and you can count on it the way I count on Boy 8-Bit.