Enlightened Listening for February 26

We've reached the final Friday of this perfectly balanced February, and that means it's time for Enlightened Listening. This week's playlist is headlined by two tremendous albums from John Tejada and Dense & Pika; the former a lighter, more explorative affair, while the latter thrives through its impenetrable sound design. There's a trio of remixes from KAYTRANADA, KUU and Claptone, who takes on a personal favourite from the 80s in Trans-X's "Living On Video." Other favourites appear as AkaMatisse makes good with his debut EP, Prospa amaze with their Rave Science Vol. 1, and Matroda goes for monumental grooves with his Insomniac offering. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't point out the barmy bass house brilliance of ToMix's GOLD DiGGER drop, God Damn. Stream the playlist, organized for maximum flow, below and find each of the releases linked individually at the bottom.

AkaMatisse - Sonata Episode 001

Jacques Greene - Promise

Busta Rhymes & Vybz Kartel - The Don & The Boss (KAYTRANADA Remix)

Prospa - Rave Science Vol. 1

Diplo & Sonny Fodera - Turn Back Time (KUU Remix)

Trans-X - Living On Video (Claptone Remix)

John Tejada - Year Of The Living Dead

Don Rimini - Ghetto Fabulous

ToMix - God Damn

Dense & Pika - Colour Burn

Matroda - When We Were Young / Gimme Some Keys

Le Youth - Colour

My Mixtape featuring Brock Edwards x RYME

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Tracklist

1. Brock Edwards x RYME - Selection
2. Brock Edwards x Fully Rated - Up At Dawn
3. Alessdy S - Once Again
4. Crowd Control - I House You
5. Brock Edwards - Holdin' Raw
6. Dinamix - My House (Poupon Hard Edit)
7. Brock Edwards - The Distance
8. Brock Edwards x RYME - There Is A Rhythm
9. Brock Edwards x RYME - Nicola's Raw Step
10. ID - ID
11. Brock Edwards x RYME - ID
12. Don Rimini - Horny Gamble
13. Jacques Waty - Somebody Call Up
14. Róisín Murphy - Exploitation (DJ Sneak Dub Remix)
15. Brock Edwards x RYME - ID
16. Brock Edwards x RYME - Give You Feelings

Frankie Knuckles ft. Jamie Principle - Baby Wants To Ride (Don Rimini Refix)

Bunkaball boss, Don Rimini opened up his vault this weekend sharing a refix of the legendary Frankie Knuckles track "Baby Wants To Ride." Compacting the eight and a half minute Chicago house epic into a tight five and a half minute affair, Rimini leaves the sexy soul of the original intact while of course adding his trademark mix of acid tinged techno and ghetto house. While the original 1987 Trax Records release plays out more like a sweep you off your feet story, Rimini's 2019 update is more focused on the dance-floor and keeping you moving, calling it "not a remix, just a refix." Even if it's just a reminder of the brilliance of the dearly departed Frankie Knuckles or an excuse to inject a little nostalgia into your day, this update is indeed laudable. Get it free via Bunkaball's Bandcamp here and follow Rimini below.FOLLOW DON RIMINI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Enlightened Listening for March 8

We've got an extra funky Friday full of releases for this week's edition of Enlightened Listening. There's a couple cool albums of the groovier house variety, opposed by the despair driven darkness of Gesaffelstein's first album in over five years. There's also excellent EPs from Jon Gurd and Joe Goddard, as well as some sick singles from Don Rimini and Juelz, plus a couple sublime remixes from Folamour and Joris Voorn. Stream via Spotify playlist below and find descriptions at the bottom. Enjoy!

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Energy Fantasy (Folamour Remix)
Fantastic opening track. The drum work dazzles beneath bright and beautiful, soaring synths.

Birdee - Then Came The Sun
There are no holes in this album. Full on funky fun with awesome vocal driven and instrumental tracks alike. Big bold beats like "Love" and "Rumours" and more spacious, slow-burning sensations like "Meant To Be" and "Don't Give Up Your Love."

Locked Groove - Sunset Service
A lot like Birdee above, the funk is strong with this one; however, the energy is kicked up a notch, as immediately noted in "Pudding." Verging on classic rave vibes, there's no shortage of dance energy at the core of these tracks. They can be dark and dirty like "Zillion" or bright and ethereal like "Out Of Orbit."

Yotto - Walls (Joris Voorn Remix)
The typical top notch brilliance of Voorn is on full display here. As always, the extended offering allows the ease of "Walls" to breathe its beauty into your soul.

Jon Gurd - After It All
Like Folamour above, the drum work throughout this EP lays a fantastic foundation for the swirling synths to dance around. While it opens skyward in its projection, After It All gets deeper as it progresses.

Joe Goddard - Pull The Plug
My most anticipated release of the year so far. Each track is exceptionally designed, delivering some seriously sick grooves. "Sacred Heart" is both hypnotic and brilliantly bumping. "Max De Fool" builds on this hypnotism, turning further towards techno before Kool Keith cuts the chord with a wild get-down and fulsome flow on the title track. Finally, the fire inducing, furious drum opening of "Broken" will have you on your ass when the beat finally drops. Unreal.

Don Rimini - Homeboy
Bleepy shuffling brilliance. Not an all time stunner, but a surefire party starter.

Gesaffelstein - Hyperion
Expectations are dangerous. Expecting an artist to craft the same kind of tracks they did nearly a decade ago is foolhardy. No, this is not Variations, Conspiracy or even Aleph, but yes, it is still Gesaffelstein. His genius is still there; just like any of us, he's changed/evolved/grown over the years. Admittedly, I was not big on any of the singles, especially after the first few listens, however they've grown on me and now I'm quite the fan of both of the features. Of course I'm here for HAIM, and The Hacker/Electric Youth collab is incredibly intriguing, but the three track finale is perhaps the best bit of this whole endeavor. It's a bit soundtrack-ish, but hey, he's always had those proclivities and if you're not a fan of quality soundtrack stuff like John Williams, Wendy Carlos, Alan Menken and others, you're kind of missing the point...

Juelz - Closure (ft. Ruby Chase)
Finally, Juelz gives us our first taste of his Shanghai Nights EP, due out May 3rd on Fool's Gold. His club capabilities are on full display as he blends trap and future bass better than I've hear in a while.

My Mixtape featuring RYME Vol. 2

DOWNLOAD MY MIXTAPE FEATURING RYME VOL. 2

Tracklist

1. E91 - Shake Those House Freak
2. ASKY - Lemme Put It
3. M.in & Riven - Connect (RYME Remix)
4. Anna Lunoe - Satisfaction (RYME Remix)
5. Clinton Houlker - XTC On Tap
6. KMRT - Flash Flash (Slowbody Remix)
7. RYME - Cockfight (Fearz Remix)
8. Alien Grant - Big N Fat
9. Produser - Ritual
10. Fibertalk & CVPELLV - Charlie (ft. Will Mills)
11. ID - ID (Forthcoming on BADLQQK)
12. RYME - N'Nowww
13. Don Rimini - I Can Fix
14. RYME - Time 2 Bump
15. Don Rimini - Horny Gamble (Batmouche Remix)
16. Krazy Baldhead - Empty Boy (Meech Remix)

Full, Uncut Interview with Meech of RYME

Last Wednesday I had BADLQQK boss and one half of RYME, Meech join me for a chat in the Radio Humber studios. At least our third interview, we've perhaps grown too comfortable as this hour long chat is very loose and conversational. That said, Meech treated those courageous listeners who make it all the way through to some interesting stories, little nuggets, and tea. Broad topics include: the history & rise of BADLQQK, getting support and/or working with Carl Cox, Don Rimini & MSTRKRFT, taking BADLQQK & RYME around the world, how RYME became RYME, what's next for BADLQQK & RYME, and of course their new episode of My Mixtape, which airs this Saturday at 11 PM EDT.FOLLOW RYME: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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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: RYME & Cosella - You Wanna

After a week off, Bump In The Hump is back with its new seventh season, and what better way to celebrate than with new music from friends of the show RYME and Cosella. The BADLQQK family had some celebrating of their own with the three track RYME & Friends EP being their 20th release. Plus they're set to do a mini-tour, playing Datcha in Montreal Oct 12th and Rum Runners in London Oct 14th, both with the legendary Don Rimini. "You Wanna" finally sees RYME and Cosella working together on the same track, having only remixed each other previously, and all I can say is how much I hope they get back in the studio soon as this absolutely bangs. If BADLQQK's motto is "Make Club Music Great Again" it sure seems to be in good hands. Stream the track below and the whole EP here.With this newseason of Bump In The Hump, we've expanded to two hours, meaning double the dancing, including a cheeky mix between this and another track, keyword being dancing. The extended length also means more room for music of all kinds. There's trance, future bass, disco, funk, house, garage, DnB, trap, hybrid, electro and just straight up fire. There's so much to tease but I'll leave it at that, because it's really just about the music and not the hype. You can catch the seventh season premiere live tonight from 6-8 PM EDT on Radio Humber, here, or after the fact via Mixcloud, here.

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My Mixtape featuring Biz Davis

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Tracklist

1. RYME - Libra Tendencies
2. Jeane Darlene - ???
3. MAGNVM! - Oh Dear
4. Cosella - Elevator
5. Don Rimini - Hold Up
6. Fearz - Gucci Shades
7. KMRT - Flash Flash
8. Don Rimini - I Feel Like Jammin
9. Psalms - Come With Me
10. Dinamix - My House
11. Don Rimini - I Can Fix
12. HolloH - Let Me Touch That
13. Craig Williams - Believe It (Cosella Remix)
14. Vryko - They Try
15. ASKY - Lemme Put It
16. Produser - Ritual
17. So Durand - Buttdial
18. Spank Rock - One Hunnid (RYME Remix)
19. WWRD - Blitzen
20. PG Baur - Boujee Trax
21. Fibertalk & CVPELLV - Charlie (ft. Will Mills)
22. Tiga - Bugatti (RYME BQQTLEG)
23. John Pac - Emilio
24. Maddmon - Diagnose That
25. RYME & Cosella - ???

Premiere: ASKY - Lemme Put It [BADLQQK 13]

Frequent followers of this blog will be aware of the love I have for RYME and their label BADLQQK, so it should come as no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to premiere their latest release. Out exclusively on Beatport November 8th, and everywhere else November 22nd, it's with great pleasure I present to you, ASKY and his jacking, ghetto house track "Lemme Put It." As with most BADLQQK records, you'll want to have a sub-woofer handy to maximize your experience, as ASKY has crafted a true club killer, one that you'll feel in your core, or more (in)appropriately, where he wants you to put it. With rolling drums that summon your soul to the dancefloor, the allure of ASKY's sound design and composition is unmistakable. The precise percussion, pops off, propelling your feet to fly across the floor at an impossible rate. Once the bleepy, shrill synths find their way into your ears, ASKY is well on his way to overtaking your senses. Each sound and layer is combined and manipulated with the utmost integrity, giving listeners calm, allowing ASKY to put 'it' wherever he desires. Whether this track was made with malicious or clandestine intent, it no doubt allows ASKY to manipulate listeners like putty in his clearly capable hands.

"Lemme Put It" follows a slew of bold releases from BADLQQK, including Don Rimini's debut album All In, Jack N Jerk's "Funk In Brooklyn" and Dinamix's "My House." They have truly become a worldwide leader in the house scene, dropping diverse and forward thinking releases with regularity. With more than a dozen artists on their roster, the sky is the limit for the barely year old collective. Stay tuned to see what BADLQQK has up their sleeve and where you'll be able to see their globetrotting crew next.

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