Enlightened Listening for April 9

Another Friday means another edition of Enlightened Listening. This week's new music playlist opens with CFCF's incredible ride, memoryland, whose lead single, "Life Is Perfecto," has been one of my favourite tracks of the year so far. Immediately following that are a couple of captivating singles from Tor and Overmono, the former being gentle, gorgeous and organic, while the latter launches our playlist into space. Staying in the stars, Booka Shade and Bontan come together for galactic cruiser, St. Kilda Nights. Bringing in some tension, Solomun shows off his deft touch with "The Center Will Not Hold." 

Breaking the levy, we get a couple exhilarating offerings from Nikki Nair and Dropwizz, both of whom delivers a unique, inspired rush. Taking us into our final section of house/disco/pop, I've selected the closing cut from OCULA's Closer To The Edge EP, "Nevermore," a beautiful, groovy and uplifting affair. Working with grooves for the first time in a while, ANGELZ samples some CeeLo for fabulous "Inspheration." While it's not a cover of the same-named song from the Jungle Book as I'd hoped, Hammer's I Wanna Be Like You does indeed deliver a couple instances of dance-ready nostalgia. Finally, closing out the playlist is another pair of singles, in our first taste of Jayda G's forthcoming DJ-Kicks LP, ahead of the fabulous and funky finale from Petticoat.

Stream the new music playlist below and find each of the releases linked individually at the bottom. 

CFCF - memoryland

Tor - Eleuthera

Overmono - Echo Rush

Booka Shade & Bontan - St. Kilda Nights

Solomun - The Center Will Not Hold (Club Edit)

Kamus - Wallace (Nikki Nair Remix)

Dropwizz - Escape

OCULA - Nevermore

ANGELZ - Inspheration

Hammer - I Wanna Be Like You

Jayda G - All I Need

Petticoat - Bones

Enlightened Listening for January 29

While weighing in a hair lighter than last week's hefty harvest, this week's Enlightened Listening is no featherweight. Spanning 20 releases, this 82 track six-hour odyssey is built around a ridiculous number of remixes and a couple killer compilation/mixtapes. Of the latter two, The Magician brings together an all-star lineup for his milestone Magic Tape, #100, while James Grant & Jody Wisternoff curate a killer second CD for Anjunadeep 12. Both deserve full plays, and that's easy with both, as they're each released in seamless, mixed form as well. Now, as far as remixes are concerned, there are plenty to highlight. I love the 'Foals' remix of Everything Everything, especially as, with the Gentle Dom remix two weeks ago, it paves a unique path. BRONSON again score some sick remixes with Hayden James, obli and Patrick Topping delivering a diverse trio. Similarly stacked, the Aluna Renaissance (Remixes) boasts brilliance from the likes of UNIIQU3, TSHA and The Martinez Brothers. Capping the remix conversation, Olof Dreijer, Dimitri From Paris, and ASHE, work wonders with "Monument," "Finally Ready," and "Grey Skies," respectively. Finally, I'd be foolish not to further direct your attention to TroyBoi's warm, resplendent and ingenious EP, V!BEZ, Vol. 4. Have a great weekend and enjoy!

Everything Everything - Big Climb (Jack Foals Grouse Party Remix)

The New Division - Broken (Christopher Sky Remix)

BRONSON - BRONSON Remixes N°2

Colombo - Pleased

Aluna - Renaissance (Remixes)

SOPHIE - UNISIL

Shadow Child - 4U

TroyBoi - V!BEZ, Vol. 4

Röyksopp & Robyn - Monument (Olof Dreijer Remix)

Nile Rodgers - Do What You Wanna Do (The Reflex Clubbed Up Revision 2021)

A-Trak & WEISS - Funk U

Hot Chip ft. Jarvis Cocker - Straight To The Morning (Mighty Mouse Remix)

The Shapeshifters ft. Billy Porter - Finally Ready (The Shapeshifters & Dimitri From Paris Remixes) 

Felipe Gordon & Cody Currie - Atlantic Exchanges, Vol. 1

Various Artists - Magic Tape 100

NTEIBENT - Colours (Theo Kottis Remix)

Hammer - Patella

Crimsen & Feyln ft. Oliver Wickham - Grey Skies (ASHE Remix)

Various Artists - Anjunadeep 12 (CD 2)

TÂCHES - For You (My Love) / I See You In My Dreams

Top 100 Tracks Of 2020: 25-1

The conclusion of the list started Monday from 100-76, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. The middle sections can be found here: from 75-51 & 50-26. Find Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#25: London Grammar - Baby It's You (Kölsch Version) [Extended]

When I first saw that Kölsch had remixed London Grammar, this was what I was expecting. Instead, I saw a tight four-minute affair, that while good enough to make a list like this, felt entirely underwhelming. Glorious and gargantuan, this is the perfect track to take us into our final tier. It showcases both Hannah Reid's vocals and the original instrumental beautifully while extrapolating on their excellence. As with so much of London Grammar's catalogue, it is best when given time and space to breathe. It's stunning in its simple beauty, standing resolute against the abyss. A tempered touch from Kölsch, this is a masterpiece and yet another example of the power of the extended mix.

#24: Edu Imbernon ft. Mordem - Underwater Breathtaking (Innellea Remix)

While not technically an Afterlife release, I first encountered this epic in a mix of theirs. It's got everything I want from a track like this: big dramatic movement, spellbinding synths, killer sound design and a riveting vocal to tie it all together. The massive movement throughout this seven-minute affair is all too enthralling. Innellea immediately grabs you by the hand and pulls you into his underwater inferno, brandishing you with his scalding sorcery and abysmal black art. It is another one of those epics whose infectiousness leaves you powerless to its unearthly energy and uncanny charm. Just tell me you don't get swept away by those synths...

#23: Armand Van Helden & Riva Starr - Step It Up (ft. Sharlene Hector)

While there are still house tracks left in this countdown, this is without question one of the greatest iterations of the foundational genre. It reminds listeners of the two producers' legendary statuses, especially as every element in it tickles the senses. The piano, the strings, the diverse drums, the vocals, the bevy of effects; they all combine in crazy infectious fashion, each sparkling and gold-plated. It really is a diamond-clad delivery that hits on every single note. It's no game-changer, it's just a gloriously good time, especially as we're wowed by the barking vocal chops.

Enlightened Listening for October 2

We've made it to another month, and since it's the first Friday, that means it's Bandcamp day! Once again Bandcamp is waiving its revenue share today, passing 100% of all purchases to the artists. And again that means I'm doing an all Bandcamp edition of Enlightened Listening. Find all 16 releases (listed alphabetically) below and check out the following paragraphs for highlights and play-by-play.

A recommendation from Boy 8-Bit opens the onslaught of new tunes with Adrian Carter's "Suzette." Next up is an uber-cool album from Cinephonic who delivers some stunning jazz in a fabulous cinematic style. The first of two from the Defected family follows as Endor samples Beethoven for a cheeky house affair. Freeza Chin then gets icy with a five-pack of beats inspired by his time in Hawaii. Another equatorial inspiration follows as Hammer makes use of Costa Rican recordings, combining them with his synths to make a mystical medley of disco, house and techno.

Finally, Horse Meat Disco's album is here! Gracing Glitterbox, Love And Dancing is exactly the kind of uplifting and revitalizing music we need right now. Hot Chip keep things moving with a massive (mix) album of their own. Late Night Tales features three new exclusive tracks and a cover version, alongside a mix of their favourite euphoric and melancholic tracks. Keeping disco on the tip, The Vision follow with a remix (and dub/edit) of Jakatta and Seal's sublime "My Vision."

Flipping the playlist on its head, we roll towards a handful of harder rocking releases. First up, John Rolodex delivers a six-pack of sensational DnB joints. Lunice then gets mean with Miko through thrash and bash affair "Calm Down." Ghetto and juke guide the next release as Martyn Bootyspoon re-releases four banging bootlegs with proceeds going to Molly De Wind, who suffered domestic violence at the hands of Vanity Press Records' David Marroquin (story here). Two more brooding bootleg/remix/edit packs follow as Monstergetdown and OAKK deliver jungle/techno/bassline and bass/hip hop/juke, respectively.

The first of the final three releases in this week's playlist comes from Ryan Hemsworth who delivers another edition of his acclaimed edit series. Here he takes on Avril Lavigne, No Doubt, Hillary Duff and many more. And act quick as this is only going to be online for 24 hours (as he said at 12:04 AM EDT). The penultimate release then follows as Kudatah delivers a massive 22 track compilation of ambient, DnB, jungle, techno and vaporwave. Finally, Wraz wraps things up with two ominous and depth-defying dub/DnB hybrids.

Adrian Carter - Suzette

Cinephonic - Les Paradis Artificiels

Endor - Fur

Freeza Chin - Zip Pac

Hammer - Montezuma

Horse Meat Disco - Love And Dancing

Hot Chip - Late Night Tales

Jakatta ft. Seal - My Vision (The Vision Remix)

John Rolodex - The Rainmaker

Lunice - Calm Down (ft. Miko)

Martyn Bootyspoon - BOOTYLEG001

Monstergetdown - Weapons V8

OAKK - Remixes & Edits Vol. 02

Ryan Hemsworth - RYANPACK VOL 3

Various Artists - Kudatah: Vol. 3

Wraz - Wormhole

Enlightened Listening for August 7 (Bandcamp Edition)

While I said I was going to take the week off, this week (today especially) has brought so many amazing new releases. So many so that, because it's also another Bandcamp Day, I've made two editions of Enlightened Listening. Of course this is the Bandcamp version, which includes a trio of album pre-orders (noted by asterisk below), a pair of freebies (noted by ^ below), a trio of edit packs and a one day only release from Hammer. Find each of the 16 releases linked below and enjoy!

CRi - Juvenile*

Hammer - Love Somebody

Hudson Mohawke - B.B.H.E.

Johnathan Thomas & RaptorHandz - Strange Horizon

John Summit - Deep End (Black V Neck Remix)

Jon Hopkins - Light Through The Veins (Devv Edit)^

Kotek & IN1T - Lost In Translation

Machinedrum - A View Of U*

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Ahmed Sirour Remix)^

OCULA - As We Stand / Equanimity

Ryan Hemsworth - Pout*

Shash'U - Battle Anthems 2

Ticklish - Heatwave Reboots 1

Tiga vs Audion - This Is A Dream Remixes

The Patchouli Brothers - Temperance Edits

Unknown Mobile - Leafy Edits Vol. 2

Brassica - Tears I Can Afford (Bicep Remix)

Over the course of the last year I've found myself gobbling up just about everything Belfast duo, Bicep have put out. It all started when I came across a series of posts about their Boiler Room set at their hometown AVA Festival. While it features many of their tracks that I've come to love it was their original production, "Just," that really got me hooked - that and the guy in the red track suit who emerges as the star of this show (see him popping a pill ~23 min, smoking a joint ~41:30, and "feel my bicep" ~53 min).

Of course, part of the hype of this show was the number of unreleased and exclusive tracks the Feel My Bicep label founders played out, including their collab with Hammer "Dahlia" and their remix of 808 State's "In Yer Face." Both took an awful long time to get official releases, but when a track is so good that it can survive and maintain hype for that long, it's probably a good strategy to hold it back and make people come to your shows to hear it.

Another such track immediately grabbed me but I had to wait for, was their mix of Brassica's "Tears I Can Afford." The slow burning build and alien elements of it quickly overwhelm your senses and have you reeling in anticipation of what's to come. When shortly after the two minute mark those keys creep in, the track really begins to hit its stride. It becomes an audio epic and Bicep add and subtract elements. Dynamics, acid and propulsive percussion lift the Brassica original to new heights, soaring so close to the sun that it blurs your vision. This mix is so unabashedly beautiful that it is sure to have you welling up in its presence. No need to wait, it can be yours now, via Bandcamp, here. FOLLOW BICEP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER