Enlightened Listening for April 23

Another week brings another edition of Enlightened Listening. It seems the theme this week is breaks, as the first five releases feature said percussion prominently. More drum mastery follows as Squarepusher and Pusher blast off brilliantly. A bit of reset occurs in the middle as The Chemical Brothers wow with epic single, "The Darkness That You Fear." Riding that reset, a couple exceptional EPs follow as Amtrac & The Juan Maclean combine for Grit and Recondite delivers Bird to Afterlife. Turning to house, Vibrancy shares their sensational second edition of the Exhibits compilation series. Bringing in a bit of soul, Shift K3Y & Tinashe propel the playlist into divine disco vibes from Horse Meat Disco and Prins Thomas. Finally, we close with a gorgeous, groovy joint from Great Good Fine Ok. Stream the weekly new music playlist below, and find each individual release linked at the bottom. 

Bicep - Siena / Meli (I) / Light

Nathan Micay - Industry (Green Light/Fun Night Breaks Mix)

Mr. Sosa - Coco Drums

Aeron Aether - Samsarana

Niteplan - Waiting For You / Hold On

Squarepusher - Theme From Ernest Borgnine

Pusher - I Can't Believe It (ft. Danae Greenfield)

The Chemical Brothers - The Darkness That You Fear

Amtrac & The Juan Maclean - Grit

Recondite - Bird

Various Artists - Vibrancy Presents: Exhibits Vol. 2

Shift K3Y & Tinashe - Love Line

Horse Meat Disco - Love If You Need It (ft. Fi McCluskey)

Midnight Magic - Beam Me Up (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)

Great Good Fine Ok - Real

Top 100 Tracks Of 2020: 50-26

Continuation of the list started Monday from 100-76, which includes my disclaimer/preamble. The second quarter of the list can be found here: from 75-51. Find Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#50: Apashe - Dead (ft. Yizzy)/Rain (ft. Kroy)
In a bit of a cop-out, I've combined two Apashe tracks to save me from picking just one. I feel justified in this act because Apashe did the same himself as part of his live performance of Renaissance (see here). Fitting together perfectly, "Dead" and "Rain" showcase the kind of killer orchestral and cinematic quality that makes Renaissance such a stunning success. Teeming with drama, these are both momentous tracks that make masterful use of their unique vocal features. And while awesome on their own, as is each track in Renaissance, they are better together.

#49: Tensnake ft. Fiora - Automatic (Extended Mix)

I swear, if The Pointers Sisters were to release "Automatic" today, it'd assuredly be part of all year-end lists. The quality with which Tensnake is working is obvious, but he and Fiora have done a brilliant job with this faithful, funky house cover. While it doesn't have quite the same life as the original, this succeeds through its moody, rolling groove and reliable dancefloor delivery.

#48: Mathame - For Every Forever

One of my favourite Afterlife tracks. Tender, touching techno that warms the cockles of your heart. In fact, it clearly has a heart and soul, something rare in techno. While the eyes and ears are drawn to the bright sparkling top notes, the importance of the subtle strength of the strings and the deep foundation of the drums cannot be understated. Majestic and monumental.

#47: John Rolodex - Interdimensional Espionage

There aren't many more cool creations in this list. DnB is both inherently cool and undeniably in vogue, but the use of a standing bass and an organ is just so stylish. Befitting of its name, the shadowy underworld imagery is rife. It sounds as though it were the theme for a show called Galactic Gumshoe. But beyond the impeccable aura, Rolodex reminds us of his legendary status with a clinic on DnB delivery.

#46: Alfa Romero - Claim Your Love

I still go back and forth on which is my favourite cut from the epic Unity compilation, but most times I end up here. A story I want to be told over and over again, there's just something so beautiful and inviting about Alfa Romero's rollout. It cradles you in its strident synths, swaddling you with its warmth and resplendence. Even though it waivers throughout its sensuous serenade, it strikes me as confident and calm, setting sail for the unknown. Just like Mathame above, and so many other Afterlife tracks, this succeeds in showcasing the soul in a techno record.

#45: 45 Roller - Rain

A bit of a cheeky inclusion here as 45 Roller takes the 45th spot. It just goes to show how arbitrary a list like this is. That said, these are all good tracks, equally worthy of our praise and attention. As I said when I first wrote about this in August, Shy FX keeps the soul of the original sample which gives the whole track an incredible, organic feel. Much like the actual rain and the vinyl crackle, each element in Shy FX's bag of tricks is used to fantastic effect, keeping the track tight and full of feeling.

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 September 18

Another Friday and another HudMo album? Yup! This week's Enlightened Listening features a whole bunch of Canadian content you'll certainly hear on Bump In The Hump (one of which you already heard) alongside some of the biggest, and my favourite, international artists. I'm still trying to squeeze every second of even remotely summer-like weather, so I'm again keeping the write-up short. Dig into the diverse playlist below, find each individual release linked at the bottom and have a great weekend!

Horse Meat Disco - Message To The People (ft. Amy Douglas & Dames Brown)

Eli Escobar - Blue Magic

Bullion - Yawn

Sofasound - You Been On My Mind (ft. falcxne)

Damian Lazarus - Flourish

London Grammar - Baby It's You (Kölsch Version)

Jody Wisternoff - Nightwhisper (Remixed)

Sonja + MOUR - Root

Will Easton - Apex

TDJ - TDJ001

Broken Future & STUND - Technium

Cloverdale - Keep Dancing

Kryojen - Infinite

Hudson Mohawke - Airborne Lard

Holly - Just Enough (ft. Baauer)

Blanke - Change & Decay: The Fall

Enlightened Listening for July 17

It's the weekend and that means mountains of new music for your ears. Coming into this week there were a few releases I'd had bookmarked, but little did I know just how much amazing content was on the way. Running 20 releases deep, this week's Enlightened Listening features an insanely long list of my favourite artists.

ATTLAS leads things off with a sublime single, which we first heard a demo of in September of 2018. Jim-E Stack follows that with the kind of soul-snatching quality we've come to expect. Building the energy back up, a Dombresky remix of TOKiMONSTA and a Lane 8 collab follow, each with captivating dance vibes. In a stunning turn, I just learned that Alex Metric, Riton and Shungudzo have combined under the KUU moniker and today they delivered their sensational debut single "How Could I Ever?," which follows a fabulous remix of Madonna (here). Turning towards disco we get an awesome run of my favourites in Late Nite Tuff Guy, Purple Disco Machine, Yuksek and Aeroplane remixing PNAU, Gaga & Grande, Dimitri From Paris & Aeroplane and Horse Meat Disco, respectively.

The remixes continue as Amtrac scores four equally alluring offerings from Grum, David Jackson, Francesca Lombardo and Panteros666. Qrion bookends this run of remixes with yet another slice of stunning craftsmanship. As things turn epic, Above & Beyond lead the way with a powerful, emotional trance cut ahead of a trio of EPs from GIGEE, 8Kays and Brassica. The former is exceptional tech house, the middle the kind of mystifying deep house that makes it a perfect fit on Booka Shade's Blaufield, and the latter an awe-inspiring odyssey through synths - a perfect fit for Feel My Bicep. And while we're on perfect fits, how does Soulwax and LA Priest sound? Amazing. That's how.

Tiga remains in top form as he follows his HudMo collab with another familiar face in Audion. This Is A Dream is classic Tiga, lively and life-giving techno. Next up is a nine-track compilation from Boysnoize Records featuring all kinds of awesomeness; a club killing comp that is sure to remind us all of the good old days in a sweaty club. And speaking of club killing stuff, thook drops off a triple-shot of sickness that one friend described as an "assassinating a pharaoh type beat." Finally, we walk off with an explosion at our backs as QUIX and Vincent join forces for TIGER DROOL, a massive new project full of promise. For those hoping Vincent would return to his XVII origins, this is your Superbowl.

Dig into the playlist below and find each individual release linked at the bottom. Have a great weekend!

ATTLAS - The Night Air Was Cool

Jim-E Stack - Note To Self (ft. Empress Of)

TOKiMONSTA ft. VanJess - Come And Go (Dombresky Remix)

Lane 8 & Kasablanca - Run

KUU - How Could I Ever? (ft. Shungudzo)

PNAU ft. Vlossom - Luck (Late Nite Tuff Guy Remix)

Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande - Rain On Me (Purple Disco Machine Remix)

Dimitri From Paris & Aeroplane ft. Leela - Can't Get Enough

Horse Meat Disco ft. Kathy Sledge - Jump Into The Light

Amtrac ft. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Radical (Remixes)

Trivecta ft. Rico & Miella - Everyday (Qrion Remix)

Above & Beyond - Jam

GIGEE - Minotaur

8Kays - Rolling

Brassica - Crystal Sea

LA Priest - What Moves (Soulwax Remix)

Tiga & Audion - This Is A Dream

Various Artists - Wet Floor, Vol. 1

thook - THE MIRROR FILES

TIGER DROOL - Tiger

Horse Meat Disco's 10 Hour Marathon Set @ Oval Space

I don't recall exactly when I first came across Horse Meat Disco, but after just one play of their 2017 Essential Mix (here) I was hooked. Last year I was able to catch Luke Howard and Severino at CODA for what was likely my favourite set of the year, ultimately introducing me to a handful of my favourite tracks of the year. So when I saw that they were going to release a 10 hour marathon set as recorded at Oval Space London on October 5th, I was absolutely ecstatic. It's hard to imagine how many tracks they must've played over such a crazy span or how many I'd just have to get my hands on for repeat rinsing. Dig into the epic set below, and stay tuned for more from the fantastic foursome as they say they've got lots planned for 2020. Here's hoping for a followup to the fabulous "Falling Deep In Love."
FOLLOW HORSE MEAT DISCO: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Greg Wilson Live @ Brixton Disco Festival (04.27.19)

Last month the one and only Greg Wilson opened Electric at the Brixton Disco Festival and today he's gifted us with a free download of said set. As he says in the upload's description, the two and a half hour set starts with "a downtempo groove, gradually building towards a frantic conclusion." This evolution allows it to be used in a multitude of ways: as background beats as you embark on a long drive, as an extra jolt of jocundity with your morning coffee, as inspiration to get through an extended workout or quite simply as a party starting mix for your own festivities.

As always the wise and wondiferous Wilson has injected his mix with all kinds of awesome edits and infectious toe-tapping energy. Whether it be Donna Summer's "Love To Love You" sucking you into outer-space, the brilliant Blackbyrds' "Walking In Rhythm" giving a little glitter to your giddyup, or the fabulous funk of Gwen McCrae's "Keep The Fire Burning" propelling the groove, there's no shortage of ear-catching offerings. However my favourite bit about Wilson's mixes is always the sublime selection which inevitably introduces me to new favourites, of which there are two standouts in this mix. The frantic funk of Tony Rallo's "Holdin' On" arrives shortly after the hour 32 mark leaves my head spinning, while the closing track, Harry Thumann's "Underwater," I also heard Horse Meat Disco play last month at CODA and still has my jaw on the floor. Enjoy the mix below, and download it absolutely free here.FOLLOW GREG WILSON: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Babert & Pink Flamingo Rhythm Revue - Good Lyfe (Severino Remix)

Friday night I finally got the chance to see Horse Meat Disco in person (at least half of the quartet as it were). Love and freedom ruled CODA as Severino Panzetta and Luke Howard hit the decks for an extended set full of fabulous edits and originals alike. all oozing with funk, biting brass, sensational strings and piquant piano. True to the talk around Horse Meat Disco and their long running party at The Eagle, the atmosphere was incredible and the dance floor was packed the whole night.

While I'm still relatively green when it comes to the greater disco catalog (certainly in comparison to Severino and/or Luke), there were numerous tracks that I knew right off the bat and was able to enjoy in utter ecstasy (see Dimitri From Paris's edit of "Salsoul Rainbow" or Joey Negro's dub of "Found A Cure"). On the other side of things, Horse Meat Disco don't have many of their own productions, however Severino did just release a solo remix effort, taking on Babert & Pink Flamingo Rhythm Revue.

Out now on Midnight Riot Records, this "Good Lyfe" remix is a brilliant blend of the bottomless bounce and groove of deep house with the distinct flair of disco. The chords craft a cool, luxurious italo-disco dance floor primed for your feet to follow the playful percussion all as the vocals spin around your head. It is a hearty and powerful production, that while featuring extended dance sequences never seems to drag, but rather further welcome you to the floor for more fun. Get Severino's "Good Lyfe" here.
FOLLOW SEVERINO: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW BABERT: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW PFRR: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Salsoul Orchestra - Getaway (Dr. Funkenstein Instrumental Dub)

Fridays are always crazy busy, and today was no exception; I had a ton of things to attend to and found myself unable to properly dive into my usual discovery avenues until nearly 5 PM. That said this track jumped out at me immediately, as I'd just been relistening to Horse Meat Disco's Essential Mix recently, in which they included "Salsoul Rainbow." Along with 1976's "Nice 'n' Naasty," "Getaway" topped out at #3 on the US Dance Charts as their highest successes, and it's no wonder why with such a funky swing, through strings, horns and drums. Dr. Funkenstein of DJ Pied Piper and Funkingham fame, has since remixed it ushering in an extended disco delight. Nearly twice as long as any other version and just as grand and groovy as ever, this is sure to satisfy even the staunchest of Salsoul purists. Enjoy!