Enlightened Listening for August 27

I've had a terrible time keeping track of the days this week, missing my usual Bump In The Hump rollout entirely, but I've managed to pull myself together today for another shot of new music in Enlightened Listening. Leading the way into this week's playlist is pure bliss from Caribou. He's followed by a trend towards epics with grand designs from Helsloot and AVIRA, each of whom author awesome rides. Again epic, but undeniably in a league of its own, "Rainy April" finally gets its release nearly three years after its first play at ABGT300.

Turning towards the piano, TSHA's new single "I Know" completes her extremely cool & captivating OnlyL EP. Again all over the piano, as Paul Woolford always is, "Be A Rebel" gets an extended second take with New Order rejigging Woolford's remix. The second in a run of four remixes in a row, the playlist continues with Marshall Jefferson's masterful remix of the already exquisite "Music Saved My Life."

Headfirst into flames, the gyrofield remix of Hudson Lee's "Reanimate" sets off a run of energizing and oft-fierce DnB. While striking wildly different chords, the next two tracks, Flume's remix of "On A Mountain" and Heymac's "Katina," each tug at the heartstrings. Where "On A Mountain" scorches with sparking synths, "Katina" cools with pristine piano. Finally, the playlist closes with two uncapitalized Canadian talents, flowanastasia and thook. The former is fabulous on "River Flows," the second single from her forthcoming debut LP; the latter sends us off into DAWN, a tremendous seven-track immersion in all kinds of off-kilter, organic goodness, which once again reaffirms thook's status as a sonic artisan.

Stream the entire Enlightened Listening below and find each individual release linked at the bottom.

Caribou - You Can Do It

Helsloot - Whatever Realm

Analog Sol - Trinidad Dreams (AVIRA Remix)

Spencer Brown & Qrion - Rainy April

TSHA - I Know

New Order - Be A Rebel (Paul Woolford Remix New Order Edit)

Dimitri From Paris & Fiorious - Music Saved My Life (Marshall Jefferson Extended Remix)

Hudson Lee - Reanimate (gyrofield Remix)

Danny L Harle & DJ Danny - On A Mountain (Flume Remix)

Heymac - Katina

flowanastasia & Nymfo - River Flows

thook - DAWN

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.

Enlightened Listening for June 22

It's the end of the week and that means tons of new music is dropping. The digging has been done and I've got another edition of Enlightened Listening for you. As always the list runs through seemingly every genre, with new music from big names, new names and everything in between. This week I've done my best organize them in a cohesive flow from more chill future bass vibes, through funk and disco, where then things get a bit messy, moving from Wuki's take on "The Hustle" into Tiga & Kölsch's collab "HAL," then into heavy house and hard hitting bass. Stream below and grab the free D/Ls.

Clairo ft. Danny L Harle - B.O.M.D. (dream boi remix)*

Charli XCX - Lucky (Ö Remix)*

Birocratic - Holy Smokes

Maestro - Harmony (Yuksek Remix)

The Blackbyrds - Mysterious Vibes (LeBaron James Edit)*

Wuki - The Hustle*

Kölsch & Tiga - HAL

DJ Snake & Mercer - Let's Get Ill

KTRL & Cloverdale - Sphere*

Ape Drums - Shellz (Denzel Curry & Frizzo)

LITLBIRD - NEON ERROR*

Tracks marked with an asterisk denotes free download.

Danny L Harle - Blue Angel (ft. Clairo)

Want to make your heart feel good while crying at the same time? Well look no further than today's release from Danny L Harle. Featuring the vocals of Clairo, "Blue Angel" will make you love the snow that's falling around you or have you hopping on a plane to join us in this white power wonderland.

I've written at length about my love for Danny L Harle (see here), and yet again I'm absolutely agape at his piquing production quality which always seems to ambush your emotions. There is no escaping his Pop Music prowess; his chord choices and their designs are delightfully domineering, each produced with tremendous tact and the coolest confidence. But musical mastery aside, his productions always seem to elevate the vocal performance. In this case, Clairo comes in as cool and biting as a winter breeze. She is as once airy and ethereal yet capable and compelling. The layering and interplay from the long notes and vocal chops play perfectly with both the tempered and energetic elements. The whole track is a testament to not just Danny L Harle's abilities, but the magical quality of music itself; it flows fantastically, filling you with a flurry of emotions, acting as a kind of audio Rorschach test.

Enjoy the visual video below, stream via Spotify here, and download from your favourite outlet, here.

FOLLOW DANNY L HARLE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW CLAIRO: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Charli XCX - ILY2 (Euphoria Edit)

Recently we saw Charli XCX perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with producer AG Cook lying motionless on stage (watch "Bounce" and "After The Afterparty"), and while it was cool to see those two on such a massive platform, it was missing a little something for me. Turns out it was missing Danny L Harle. The founding member of PC Music, has just remixed "ILY2" from Charli's Number 1 Angel mixtape. This new version, dubbed the Euphoria Edit, nails just what I love about both Harle productions and PC Music as a whole. It's incredibly bright, utterly alluring and oh so enchanting. While the original holds the keys to the car as it were, Harle's skill takes it from a Sunday drive to a trip around the Talladega Superspeedway. And while I absolutely love the super shiny, reach for the sky vibes, that's not all that euphoria and this edit are. The cherry on top comes in the second half as Harle sends us celestial revelers plummeting down to earth with a domineering get down (approx 1:29), proving euphoria isn't pure idealism but pragmatic power, connecting us to the reality of our earthbound existence.Get Danny L Harle's Euphoria Edit absolutely free, here.

FOLLOW CHARLIE XCX: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW DANNY L HARLE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Pusher ft. Mothica - Clear (Shawn Wasabi Remix)

The second official remix of Pusher's track "Clear" with Mothica, dropped today, one week ahead of the full remix EP's release on Black Butter Records. First Graves upped the intensity with rattling future bass slaps, now Shawn Wasabi has added his trademark kawaii sensibilities. Like the beyond brilliant lyrics, these remixes are great combinations of "so dark but delicate" and "rough around the edges" production from the original that lends so perfectly to both Graves and Shawn Wasabi's styles. I had thought Henrik The Artist's remix of Shawn Wasabi's "Burnt Rice" was the best combination of producers, but Wasabi's remix of Pusher and Mothica might just have upped the game. Pitting artists and tracks against each other is actually the opposite of the ethos of these tracks. These artists share the same taste and often share each others tracks. Most recently I caught Pusher pressing play on Henrik The Artist's "Lose You" during his set at Bestival. In fact my dream lineup would feature those three alongside Mija, Vindata, Mura Masa, Flume, Ryan Hemsworth, Chet Porter, Lido, LH4L, Danny L Harle, Dombresky, SteLouse, and Wave Racer. If only I had to power to bring all these people together; that's the dream. Anyway, get excited for next Friday, as there's sure to be even more exciting remixes of the already incredible "Clear."

SUPPORT PUSHER: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
SUPPORT MOTHICA: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
SUPPORT SHAWN WASABI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

5 Star Tracks Playlist (Updated)

It's been a crazy week for me, in which I've been away from the internet for the vast majority, and have had to postpone the fourth, season premiere of Bump In The Hump (now set to launch June 1st). Despite being absent from the internet, I've never been far from the music. So I thought I'd get back to filling out my recent "5 Star Tracks" playlist on Soundcloud. I've added 15 tracks to the original 5, many of which are free downloads. While not all of the tracks are brand new, they are newly confirmed 5 star tracks in my iTunes playlist and tracks that I felt simply needed to be showcased.  You may notice tracks that I've already posted about (Ashes Of Love, Karma, Pearl Sun, and Let Disco), but you'll also find tracks so new I haven't been able to post about (The Saint, Golden Era, Middle, Better, Hardware Passion, and Hello). There's also tracks I've already played on Bump In The Hump (All Night, 9, and Give It Time), finally there are older tracks that I just happened across that I cannot get enough of (Helen, and Sordid Affair).

Get more of my playlists for literal days of listening at my Soundcloud, here.

Photay - Sadie EP

There really is nothing like waking up to new music in your inbox, especially when that music is so bright, sparkling, uplifting and like nothing you've ever heard. That is the case when I opened up Photay's latest release, Sadie, a four track EP on Astro Nautico. Light hearted and full of joy, Sadie's collection of tracks sail smoothly along with vibes reminiscent of SBTRKT, Danny L Harle and Ryan Hemsworth. Just last night, on my way home from Keys N Krates, I found myself clamoring for more midrange music (not downtempo or bangers), so I immediately went to my go to tracks Henrik The Artist's remix of Mark Redito's "So Many Things To Tell You," Y2K's remix of Noonie Bao's "Pyramids," and Tennyson's "Slipperz." It's the immense creativity and playfulness of these tracks, that you find front and centre in Photay's productions.

Each of the tracks has incredible progression and movement, alongside a wide array of instrumentation. While building the tracks in a way that injects familiarity, each track boasts a creative freshness that is incredibly alluring. There are no weak spots, or even ordinary or middling tracks in Sadie; it would be impossible to choose one as my favourite. The lead track "Zeitgebers" performs its function perfectly, building its playful repertoire piece by piece with the utmost intelligence. "Monday," the track featuring himself as vocalist, shows incredible, subdued beauty, so much so that you'll never be able to view Mondays the same way. "Trophy" may be the most boisterous of the bunch, and excels with triumphant synth work, worthy of a victory parade. The final, double track, "Wipe The Sleep From You Eyes," is both the most restrained yet free flowing musical track, finding room for an incredibly funky and playful sax solo. Sadie will find its way into many of my playlists and should quickly become one of my most played albums. SUPPORT PHOTAY: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER