Elderbrook & Rudimental - Something About You (Mason Maynard Remix)

Manchester's Mason Maynard keeps turning heads. He's seen support from Pete Tong, Carl Cox, and Seth Troxler, just to name a few. When it comes to fans, he's hit the ears of many through shows at Hï Ibiza and the Warehouse Project; collaborations with Lee Foss and Green Velvet, originals on Sola and Defected; as well as an exceptional offering of remixes. Following closely on the heels of a beautiful Brian McKnight "Anytime" edit, Maynard has put his Midas touch on Elderbrook and Rudimental's magical "Something About You." Immediately injecting upbeat energy into the original with driving percussion, Maynard moves the vocals into a new sphere giving the track a much brighter feel.

As always I find myself more drawn to the full or extended version, and while the short edit pulls no punches, the six minute version allows Maynard's masterful drum delivery to dazzle. It would be brilliant to see performed live, if not just imagined in your head. The way it grows invites action from the listeners, easing you onto the floor as the waves of warmth wash over you. It is a masterclass in crowd movement and playful progression while never coming across as too demanding or over-wrought.

If you were a fan of the original, you should appreciate Mason Maynard's take too. It thrives through the same magic and allure, ultimately urging you into a double take, thinking "did I hear that right?" Yes, yes you did. This trio of talents come together in a fantastic fit, one you'll want to check out below.
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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

RYME and Justin Jay Deliver The Goods

After posting some my hopes and expectations for RYME and Justin Jay's sets yesterday (full post here), they proceeded to meet and surpass anything I could have hoped for. In typical RYME fashion they played so perfectly to the crowd dropping two tributes to Prince, first the original Green Velvet "Bigger Than Prince," and the heartrending mashup of "When Doves Cry" and Metro Area's "Miura." The duo also delivered on my desire to hear some Tiga, with the ridiculously wild Hey Today! remix of "You Gonna Want Me." And yes they did drop some exclusive and unreleased BADLQQK content, to which they made good on my request for Slowbody's remix of KMRT "Flash Flash."  Furthering their streak of bangers, they once again went to Marc Spence's truly filthy track "Nasty." But perhaps the greatest joy I got last night was when Justin Jay played his Late Nite Dub of "Karma," to which I felt ridiculously compelled to personally thank him, giving him my phone with the message "YOU MADE MY NITE." It is that connection between the DJ and the crowd that makes EDM so alluring. And whether it was with fellow Dirtybirds Sacha Robotti's "Shaky," Tim Green's "Kitch-In" or Renato Cohen's "Suddenly Funk," Jay established his groove early starting with his edit of Tag Team's "Whoomp," (which you can find in his "Fantastic Voyage House Party Mix") and kept us reaching for the sky through his set in absolute ecstasy. 

AC Slater, RYME & Cosella, Night Bass At The Hoxton

Last night, The Hoxton played host to a crazy party combining the forces of two bass heavy labels, BADLQQK and Night Bass. Cosella, part of the BADLQQK collective, took over the decks just as I arrived shortly after 11. Being the crafty local talent that he is, he started his set off with a cheeky remix of Drake's "Hotline Bling" with a female singer rather than the six god. But that wasn't the only remix of a local pop star. He also dropped his own edit of Chris Lake's bootleg mix of The Weeknd, "Can't Feel My Face." I'm with RYME on this one, really hope he uploads it, unfortunately Chris Lake hasn't even uploaded his version so it's doubtful, but we can still hope.

@S91McInnis @RYMEonRYME unfortunately probably not gonna come out ! It was my edit of it

— C Ø S E L L A (@cosellamusic) November 29, 2015

@cosellamusic @S91McInnis upload your edit brooo

— R Y M E (@RYMEonRYME) November 29, 2015

Cosella did an incredible job filling up the dance-floor and getting the crowd active. He played just the right mixture of old and new tracks, constantly working them over with filters and other knobs. I specifically remember him playing the Tom Staar remix of Dansson & Marlon Hoffstadt "Shake That," and his release on BADLQQK, "Elevator," which got people so hyped a fight broke out. However, the standout track for me, was a forthcoming one from Eyes Everywhere, that I'll be watching out for.