Enlightened Listening for March 29

Just as with last week's edition of Enlightened Listening, the focus is on the future and we've got a great taste of it not just in the three diverse, yet equally awesome albums from Nömak, Maceo Plex and Plant43, but also in the trio of super-duos: the return of Dog Blood (Boys Noize & Skrillex), Anti Up (Chris Lake & Chris Lorenzo) and the newly founded Europa (Jax Jones & Martin Solveig). Rounding out the playlists are two beautiful takes on Luttrell's "Into Clouds," the killer combination of NGHTMRE & A$AP Ferg, and the versatility of Diplo as he does house. Stream below and enjoy!

Luttrell - Into Clouds (The Remixes: Part 1)

Diplo - Hold You Tight

Jax Jones & Martin Solveig Present Europa - All Day And Night (ft. Madison Beer)

Anti Up - Concentrate

Dog Blood - Turn Off The Lights

NGHTMRE - Redlight (ft. A$AP Ferg)

Nömak - 128 kbit/S_My_Love

Maceo Plex - Mutant Series

Plant43 - Three Dimensions

Enlightened Listening for November 30

We're gonna need a bigger blog. This week's edition of Enlightened Listening is maybe the most ambitious yet, highlighting 16 releases in and around this date. There's a number of releases we've been waiting patiently for (Haywyre, Krafty Kuts and Apashe) and some incredible surprises (Attlas, Robert Robert and Vessels). As always I've organized this wide ranging collection for maximum flow from more chill groove to heavy hitters in the playlist below. I'm going to get back to the short descriptions following that, but be sure to give each release a chance, they're all of the highest quality.

Tom Morello - A Higher Frequency (ft. Serj Tankian and Attlas)
Still not sure this is real life. Attlas has had one of hell of a year, but this leaves all his previous productions in the dust. Tempered, yet as resplendent as ever and that magical ability is only amplified with Tankian's truly awesome vocals. Oh yeah, and Tom Morello, he's no slouch either. One of the tracks of the year.

George Fitzgerald ft. Lil Silva - Roll Back (TOKiMONSTA Remix)
My favourite George Fitzgerald track and TOKiMONSTA has done it justice. Beautiful chill stuff.

KAYTRANADA - IT WAS MEANT 2 B
I could take or leave the other two tracks on this EP, but man this is the kind of cool Kaytranda production that just leaves me mystified. Groovy and warm, just the way I like it.

Haywyre - Panorama: Discover
This is exactly what I expected when Haywyre's return became immanent. Didn't miss a step despite two years off. Right back to fantastic form. Incredible artistry and musical abilities. Welcome back!

Krafty Kuts - Fresh Ingredients
Everything we've heard from this EP has been fire and the new additions maintain that quality. Surprising retro feels with some of the synths that make even the more chill tracks uncontrollably groovy.

Keys N Krates - Live In Toronto
Rarely is a live album better than a studio one, but this is very much so the case with Keys N Krates who first made the mark as a live band and continue to thrive through their play. They are now masters of their craft and it shows in this release. If you haven't seen them live I cannot recommend it enough.

Robert Robert - Okay Alright Okay
Last year Robert Robert blew me away with "Coolest Place In The Universe" and he's done it again with this brilliant bouncy beat. Fun and funky, and just indie enough not to feel too processed.

Ryan Davis - Obsidian (Vessels Remix)
Big epic build up. Maybe it because I've been listening to the Ed Banger Orchestral album too much, but it certainly feels like this is built the same way. An absolutely killer craftwork.

Cowboy Rhythmbox - Terminal Madness
Wickedly weird techno EP from trusted providers in Phantasy Sound. Think Mr. Oizo, Djedjotronic and Erol Alkan all wrapped in one. "Vodonik" is my favourite of the bunch.

The Reason Y - Almathea (Kevin de Vries Remix)
Another awesome, illusory production from Kevin de Vries. Try not to float off into the afterlife.

Murlo - Evaporate
A little jolt of energy as Murlo once again showcases his sensational club craftsmanship. WILD!

Various Artists - 7Wallace Sampler
As if Idris Elba didn't already have enough on his plate, his label can now boast tracks from GAWP, Golf Clap, Avesie & Cadence and more. Five equally strong tracks all in the house sphere, leaving me hard pressed to pick a favourite, although the middle three seem to be a notch above.

Anti Up (Chris Lake & Chris Lorenzo) - Hey Pablo
Could I get away with just posting the "I've fallen down and can't get up" meme? An undeniable dream-team and they did not disappoint. Not only is each track awesome but they fit together perfectly too. Not sure what we did to deserve this treat, but boy am I glad we got it.

Smalltown DJs & Dances With White Girls - Bad Behaviour (ft. SkiiTour)
It's most definitely a party. Slick, smooth bounce. The kind that will get you jumping on the floor and flying with whatever dance you feel.

Various Artists - WE ARE DEADBEATS VOL. 3
Since Deadbeats first started, they've been on the leading edge and they've done it once again. um.., Ducky, Holly, Cozway and Rome In Silver all on one release? Weird, wicked stuff all around.

Apashe - Requiem Remixes
Not only did Apashe craft some of the best bass of the year with the original release, but tapping the likes of CloZee, TenGraphs and Chuurch makes for one hell of a remix EP. Plays like a black and white horror film.

Enlightened Listening for September 21

Holy funky Friday Batman! What another blessed week for releases. There's killer tracks from Apashe, Boys Noize, Chris Lake, along with the resurrections of both The Dove and Nicky Da B. A masterful album from Ryan Hemsworth. A mindblowing midtempo compilation from some of the best in the game plus funk from NAMPA, Midas Hutch and 2ToneDisco. Stream this week's Enlightened Listening in the playlist below, read brief descriptions, grab free downloads where available and enjoy!

NAMPA - Babymood
What's in the water that makes the French so funky? This one has me smiling from ear to ear, as both the vocals and production tickle my heartstrings. Feels like Aeroplane's mix of "The Piper's Song."

Midas Hutch - The Feels
We've already heard (and fallen in love) with a couple of these cuts, but six tracks are truly a treat, nailing the EP's title. Perfect for a sunset stream, sharing some drinks with friends.

Ryan Hemsworth - Elsewhere
This man can do it all, and this album is perfect proof of that fact. Just look at the number of tracks and artists, and the overall quality of each. Indie and pop at the same time. And those switch ups, damn!

MEMBA - Stand Off (ft. Ehiorobo)
These guys have been on the come up for a while so it's awesome to see them on Monstercat. While I continue to grow less and less interested in future bass, there's no arguing the killer quality of MEMBA's sound design, nor their ability to work with and around vocalists.

2ToneDisco - Love Automatica (ft. Chandler Blasé)*
So funky chiptune disco you say? No wonder I'm on board. Even when it's drawn back and Blasé takes the lead I can't help but tap my toes. Then when it all comes together, that's true love.

A-Trak ft. Todd Terry - DJs Gotta Dance More (Cassius Burnin' Mix)
Took me a bit to dig the last mix of this track, but when I heard the 15 second teaser for this one I immediately knew this was going to be for me. Legends on legends on legends. Sure to get more than just the DJs dancing, I can see everyone from the security to the bar staff grooving out to this.

Chris Lake & Green Velvet - Deceiver
Did someone say legends? Because we've got another killer collab here. Clean yet dirty. Simple yet strong. No big surprises here just another potent production to add to each of these veterans' catalogs.

Apashe - Do It (ft. Black Prez)
Is this really the first Apashe original since Requiem? Clearly he's been perfecting this and it shows. Another unreal ominous soundscape with viscous, violent drops and a dope vocal delivery.

Various Artists - Blood Moon*
Of the seven artists on this EP, I've covered or played everyone except No Etiquette, but their track has me digging for more. All these tracks reek of destruction, despair, dread, death and other dark D words.

The Dove - Vault Traxx
Hold up! The Dove is back?! It's hard to match the viral quality of "Girl At A Party With Siren" but these two new tracks are both in the same vein as that original Twin Turbo release. Pure party power.

Wuki - Go Deep (ft. Nicky Da B)
There have been a handful of tracks with this name, but Wuki may have just won the title with this banger. The bass line is wicked sick, sure to have you moving at one hell of a clip, and might just leave the whole club jumping as it slaps stupid strong.

Boys Noize - Killer (ft. Stephen A. Clark)
Last year Seal and Adamski's acid house classic got new life with an incredible orchestral touch from Pete Tong and Jules Buckley, now Boys Noize has brought it back to the executionary electronic sphere. Full of life with Clark's vocals and that perfect piano touch which opposes the exceptionally dark drums and cut-throat chords.  Some classics will never die and this one deserves to live on in eternity.

* asterisks indicate free download

Sweater Disco @ Spring Awakening 2018

Mix master Michael McReynolds, better known as Sweater Disco, first caught my attention with his absolutely wild mashup of A-Trak's "Head Will Roll" and Nomak's "Korean BBQ" (stream/download here). It's edits like this that highlight his (re-recorded) set from Spring Awakening. Describing his sets as "non-wack tunes played non-seriously" this hour long adventure is just that. Ranging from all varieties of house, with touches of trap, techno, throwbacks and freakouts, there's more than enough dance madness to go around. Find the tracklist in the description, and stream via Soundcloud below.I'm always one for a an experimental or left-field opening but boy does the Henry Wu selection seem inspired, especially in contrast to the depths of the tech house follow up, "Synchronise." The grooves and masterful movement just keep coming as the next 15 minutes bounce along brilliantly. The next piece I cannot help but notice and call attention to is of course the incredible Chris Lake/Walker & Royce collab "Dance With Me."

Things get further twisted as we work our way into Don Rimini's daft "Loop Da Loop" and DJ Ze MigL's mental "Push 2 Shove." The wild and weird fun then seems to peak as in the next couple minutes we get a four pack of Sweater Disco's own crafting with a barmy, bass heavy edit of Lil Pump "Movin" followed by two of his trademark mashups, capped by a presumably forthcoming collab with Lvndo.

Now if you think you've heard the best of Sweater Disco's top notch edits, I can just about guarantee your jaw will be on the floor as a dance circle builds around it. For 10+ straight minutes we're treated to five fire flips in a row. Masters At Work vs Sven Lochenhoer, M.I.A. vs Edwin Osterwaal and Kanye vs Ardalan/Justin Martin, all absolutely kill one after another. It is a delirium inducing dance delivery that stays sick right up until the last loop of DJ Icey's "Analog City." An unquestionable music odyssey, one worthy of revisiting as the summer progresses.

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Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: SUBstance - Gunshot

Earlier this month we had Sherbrooke bass boys Wraz and Motus deliver their episode of My Mixtape (here), and today we get another taste of the tremendous talent in that Eastern Township. Like his killer collabs in that mix, "Gunshot" again showcases SUBstance's strong sound design and potent production abilities. The drum work is dope, setting the scene for scary sub-bass swells. While it may be a freebie, as thanks for 1500 Soundcloud followers, there's no denying its fearsome quality. Get locked and loaded for tonight's episode of Bump In The Hump with the download via ToneDen, here.You can be sure to find this track as part of the fire finale tonight, which also includes a new Motus track as well as some hard psy-trance, DnB, trap and grime. And as continues to be the case, our Canadians are diving further into the disco and funk feels with another dose of Spacedisco, Chromeo and some surreal Robotaki. We also look ahead to four shows happening this weekend, featuring Frustra, MC Flipside, Above & Beyond, and Chris Lake. Capping the two hours comes a clip of my interview with Bill Slinnton, whose guest mix airs Saturday night at 11.

Finally, don't forget Bump In The Hump has a new time slot, moving back an hour to 7 PM. Otherwise everything remains the same. Stream live via Radio Humber (here) and listen back via Mixcloud, here.

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Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Chromeo - Juice Bonus Remixes

After sharing remixes from Chris Lake, Felix Snow and Purple Disco Machine last week, Chromeo have just doubled down on their "Juice" remix package. Yesterday they dropped an additional four, free remixes from the likes of Yuksek, Damaged Goods, Televisor and Party Pupils. With four of the best names in disco and funk, you'd be silly to think I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to bring more "Juice" to Bump In The Hump. So I leave you with the playlist below, while you try to figure out which I'll play.This will be the last live episode of Bump In The Hump this year, while next week will play host to my favourite cuts from 2017's enormous list of 50 episodes. There are indeed a few teasers of what you can expect next week, including the aforementioned Funklordz. You can also expect to hear some Carly Rae Jepsen, both tonight and next week. And while this week may bring more disco and funk, we've never had this dubstep jammed into two hours. Radio Humber is about to become banger city, so beware. Listen live from 6-8 PM EST here, or stream after the fact via Mixcloud.

Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Whopping Weekend Warmup

Each week I try to focus on a single track or release to tease the upcoming episode of Bump In The Hump, however this week I've decided to go a slightly different direction. There will be no direct track teasing, instead it's artists, at several different events throughout the city this weekend. We're in for a whopping weekend warmup with 9 different artists represented, playing 7 different shows. You'll find links to each of the shows, in chronological order, with those artists played noted by an asterisk, below.

Thursday Dec. 7
Com Truise* w/ Telefon Tel Aviv and Eytan Tobin* B2B Hudson Alexander* @ CODA

Friday Dec. 8
Escape Together - Chris Schweizer, SHUGZ, Sheridan Grout* & more @ Toronto Event Centre

Factory Fridays featuring Nicky Romero* @ UNIUN

NXT LVL - Dirtyphonics* & Sullivan King w/ ITEK, OUTTATIME & more @ Nest

Saturday Dec. 9
SNBRN* w/ HIGHBRED & THAREN @ Velvet Underground

Just John* & Hudson Alexander* - Double Release Party @ Unit 2

Sunday Dec. 10
Murda Beatz* at It's Not Sunday w/ Scotty Scratch & Drew James @ UNIUN

From house to trance, and bass to trap and rap, your needs will be serviced this weekend. There's tons of cool parties for you to warm up at, so no excuses. Apart from those artists with asterisks, there's a whole lot more new music coming your way tonight, including the Grandtheft joint I covered yesterday and Chris Lake's remix of Chromeo. There's also an exclusive DnB track from AkaHendy and nine new artist debuts. So don't sleep Bump In The Hump set for another strong showing from 6-8 PM EST on Radio Humber. Stream live here, or get listen back on Mixcloud after the fact here.

Nerf Me - Dumb

After seeing Dombresky and Chris Lake last night you'd think I'd have had enough bass house but no, I haven't. The latest release from Imperium Network, and debut production from new artist Nerf Me, "Dumb" would've worked perfectly in either of last night's sets. It's got all the necessary elements of  banging bass house: a wild woofing bass rattle, a nasty break down and a gritty slashing synth. Even the subject matter is an easy fit; the drops last night had the crowd (and admittedly myself) making screw faces aplenty, and boy did we look dumb, but that's kind of the point. Tracks like this hit on such a visceral level affecting body and mind, turning your brain into mush as you throb with the four on the floor bass banging pattern. Make your own screw faces for free by downloading "Dumb" via Tuneboost.FOLLOW NERF ME: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Van She - Idea Of Happiness (Robotaki Remix)

The Weekend Warm-up returns to Bump In The Hump tonight. Each week I'll feature a variety of tracks from shows happening in and around the area the coming weekend. This episode features Robotaki, who brings his double billing tour with Manila Killa to Velvet Underground tomorrow, Oct. 19 (RSVP/Tickets). We've had new Robotaki tracks the past two weeks, so I figured I'd go for the trifecta with his beyond beautiful take on Van She's "Idea Of Happiness." The early release is genre tagged as "excitement" and it is just that. It's jump for joy dance quality and some kind of incredible radiance, as big as the sun, and just as warm. And if it's not the best tease for a weekend, I don't know what is.This weekend also has Chris Lake coming to CODA (RSVP/Tickets), with support from Dombresky, who you'll also hear from in tonight's episode. The two hours of new Canadian electronic music includes the usual fire finale with trap, dubstep, DnB and is capped by a fresh remix of a Deadmau5 classic. There's also techno, house, future bass, RnB and just a touch of everything in between. Listen live here from 6-8 PM EDT on Radio Humber or anytime after the fact via Mixcloud here.

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Dombresky - The Cookout Guest Mix 053

Earlier this week French producer Dombresky graced SiriusXM's Electric Area for a guest mix on The Cookout. Now, I've been a fan of his for a while now, and with tracks like "Be Real," "Hardcore," and his DJ Snake "The Middle" remix, how could you not be? My only beef is that he's not been to Toronto, but that's also changed this week when he was announced as support for Chris Lake's October 21st stop at CODA during his Lose My Mind Tour. While it's nearly impossible to predict what anyone might play on a given night, this mix for The Cookout is at worst a great introduction to the rising talent. So don't sleep, press play below and RSVP/buy tickets for the 21st, here. Check here for the other tour dates. What I like most about Dombresky is on full display here: his versatility in both production and mixing. He dabbles mostly in house, but as we've seen the the last year or more, house has really become multidimensional, with bass, deep, tech and other subgenres blowing up. He drops a little bit of all of that in this set, from the delightful open of Boston Bun's "Missing You" to Eli Brown "Got The Power" and the Oliver Dollar, Daniel Steinberg collab "Perc It Straight," there's so much to dance to. However, I'm particularly taken with the way he's used Eli Brown's "3am," not just because it's such top notch tune, but the way it sets the mood before transitioning the mix into a more brighter after-hours vibe.

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Two videos showing why Cosella is so great

My love for Cosella is well established, I've written a number of posts on this blog about his tracks, and DJ sets, as well as premiering his latest production "No Boundaries" with FromDropTillDawn on Bump In The Hump. Last night I caught another set of his, while he opened for AC Slater, and I was also able to capture a couple moments that perfectly encapsulate why I love him and his sets so much. First of all he's a genuine dude, never passing up the opportunity to chat with me before/after his sets, always answering my questions, as to what he played etc. He's warm and funny, even jumping on stage early to do a pre-set stretching routine. Second, as I've mentioned many times before, his networking skills are nearly unparalleled, giving him truly unique tracklists every time he hits the decks. He's got a keen ear, always selecting the perfect tracks to get the crowd going. Whether it's Riton's "Rinse & Repeat," Noise Frenzy's "Pon De Floor" remix, the latest from Chris Lake "Operator (Ring Ring)" or Metroplane's "Bahp" below, he's always able command the crowd like a master.

This next video, I tweeted about at the time, saying I "captured the dopest three minutes of life," which he then followed with his remix of Destructo and Wax Motif's "Catching Plays." For some reason it sounded better than ever, causing me to wonder whether he made a VIP version. He said it was just the original remix, but in any case, it crushed again, making the killer three minutes into a fire five or so. Watch him mix Black Beatles with SwaggleRock's "Next Hellifornia Shake" below, and be sure to check him out next time he's got a set, you won't regret it.

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A Conversation with WWRD (Uncut, Behind The Scenes Version)

As promised, I've uploaded the full 25 minute conversation with WWRD, from which the 5 minute Bump In The Hump interview was pulled. We spoke about her name, her DJing and production history, her passion for tech and deep house, the varying atmospheres in different genre nights, her connection to Anna Lunoe, her love for the Chris's Lake and Lorenzo, how she got in touch with BADLQQK, her forthcoming track "Blitzen," her 15 minute mix for Bump In The Hump, a summer of festivals, the first shows we ever saw, and the explosion of Canadian DJs and producers. The full episode will run again tonight on Radio Humber from 11-midnight, but of course you can listen to it anytime you like via Mixcloud. Stay tuned to Bump In The Hump for more exclusive previews of forthcoming BADLQQK, ahead of their new RQQKIES EP.

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