Enlightened Listening for May 14

After perhaps the final Bandcamp Friday, we're back to Spotify with this week's Enlightened Listening. While the vast majority of the names in this week's list appear here often, there is but one rarity in Skrillex, who actually released two tracks this week, of which "Butterflies" with Starrah and Four Tet is my preferred release. And I guess since we're down near the bottom of the playlist, why not finish those final four releases right now. Ahead of "Butterflies" are a couple of dope, deep and groovy remixes from Majestic and Tiga. The final release in the list comes from Overmono, who tease their forthcoming venture with fabric, the titular "If U Ever." The fabric mix is set to drop July 16th.

Staying with mixes, we move to the first group of four releases as Jayda G's 21 track DJ-Kicks compilation was unveiled today. Joining it in the upper third is Gaspard Augé's excellent second single, Myd's jovial remix of Hot Chip, and two new takes on MD X-Spress from trusted talents Eats Everything and The Vision. Finally, the middle third of the playlist features three of my favourite long-running, organic/progressive/house artists in ASHE, ATTLAS and Qrion. Somehow each of these three tracks manages to be more serene and inspiriting than the next. Standing on its own in this middle foursome and standing out in its own EP, "True Romance" from My Friend is the latest exemplification of Anjunadeep's recent run of brilliance (see "Clouds" and "I See You In My Dreams").

Dig into the weekly new music playlist below and each individual release linked at the bottom. Enjoy!

Gaspard Augé - Hey!

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

MD X-Spress - God Made Me Phunky (Remixes)

Various Artists - DJ-Kicks: Jayda G

ASHE & Oliver Wickham - Like Home

Joachim Pastor ft. EKE - Be Someone (ATTLAS Remix)

Milk Talk - Sunshower (Qrion Remix)

My Friend - True Romance

Todd Edwards - The Chant (Majestic Remix)

Sons Of Raphael - Revolution (Tiga's LoveChaos Remix)

Skrillex, Starrah & Four Tet - Butterflies

Overmono - If U Ever

Enlightened Listening for December 18

In what will likely be the year's last edition of Enlightened Listening, we get one hell of a sendoff. Once again keeping things short and sweet, I simply recommend digging into each of these 16 releases. However, there are a handful of records that require just a little more love.

Atop a divine Danny L Harle take on The Corrs classic, Caroline Polachek indeed leaves me "Breathless." Turning the clock back even further, Derrick Carter, Dimitri From Paris, Seth Troxler, and Cerrone all put their touch on Fine Young Cannibals. Later, Lamorn delivers an absolutely genius remix of "Bridged By A Lightwave." LuckyMe and PC Music feature as the final two standouts with A. G. Cook remixes appearing on both; the former, a deluxe edition of Baauer's PLANET'S MAD, and the latter, an epic reimagining of Planet 1999's "Party."

Stream the playlist, sorted for maximum flow, below, and find each individual release linked at the end.

Michael Cassette - Temporarity (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Mat Zo - Petrushka (Extended Mix)

Yuksek - Beirut Ma Bet Mout

Alex Metric & Ten Ven - Qubit

Myd & Mac DeMarco - Moving Men (Gaspard Augé & Victor Le Manse Remix)

Django Django - Glowing In The Dark (Hot Chip Remix)

Caroline Polachek - Breathless

Harrison - Around You

Fine Young Cannibals - Fine Young Cannibals Remix EP

Hudson Mohawke - What U Need

New Order - Be A Rebel [Remixes Pt.1]

deadmau5 & Kiesza - Bridged By A Lightwave (Lamorn Remix)

Baauer - PLANET'S MAD (GLOBE'S CRAZY)

Planet 1999 - Party (A. G. Cook & Baseck Remix)

Pegboard Nerds ft. Elizaveta - Hero (Infected Mushroom Remix)

Nitti Gritti & Dr. Fresch - Cold Day In Hell

Enlightened Listening for October 23

It's the weekend and once again we've got a ton of new music in this week's Enlightened Listening. While there are a few albums that you ought to check out (Gorillaz, Tchami, UZ), I've opted to keep this playlist more focused on singles, save for the incredible Caribou remix package. Said four-pack includes Shanti Celeste, Kareem Ali, India Jordan and my favourite, Logic1000's tremendous take on "Sunny's Time." But back to the singles. The opening foursome features the latest from This Never Happened, fabulous new Joris Voorn, phenomenal new Luttrell and of course, the first new Eric Prydz in four years, "NOPUS." Changing gears in the funky middle there's a groovy joint from Thando1988, Theo Kottis' enchanting take on Disclosure, and the uncanny alchemy of Hot Chip and Jarvis Cocker. Finally, we roar towards the rave with the final four singles. It starts with an injection of energy from Prospa and continues with two equally mindblowing tracks: a remix from Mura Masa and a collab from Mr. Bill and ill.Gates. Wrapping everything up is Spor's incredible remix of Kumarion "Want It." Enjoy!

Bandēs - Sightglass

Joris Voorn - Nea Skioni

Luttrell - Twin Souls

Eric Prydz - NOPUS

Thando1988 - Questions (ft. NiiON)

Disclosure ft. Fatoumata Diawara - Douha (Mali Mali) [Theo Kottis Remix]

Caribou - Suddenly Remixes

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

Prospa - Feel It 92

PVA - Talks (Mura Masa Remix)

Mr. Bill & ill.Gates - Cabbatsu

Kumarion - Want It (Spor Remix)

Hot Chip - Positive (Marcel Vogel & Adam Port Remix)

In a bit of a sneaky surprise, Hot Chip have tacked on a tremendous new remix of their track "Positive," from 2019 album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy. Appearing as Pete Tong's Essential New Tune Friday night, the Marcel Vogel & Adam Port remix had me questioning what year we were in.

Indeed a new release despite Beatport, Spotify and Soundcloud all crediting the track to last year's remix LP, this epic take on "Positive" is quintessential Hot Chip. The technological twist Vogel & Port put on this track reminds me of perhaps my favourite ever Hot Chip release, the sensational saga that was their 2015 take on New Order's "Tutti Frutti." These two tracks share the same propulsive, funky assembly line feel, making masterful use of mechanical sounds and electrifying effects atop the ever-growing atmosphere. Of course, the electro groove and driving drums are the heartbeat of this powerful remix of "Positive," but the soul and magic of Vogel & Port's production comes from the killer vocal chops. And as always, this is the critical element for me: finding life and organic energy in an otherwise inanimate and entirely electronic production. Here in "Positive," the vivacity of the original remains and indeed blossoms into this beautiful, bouncy and brisk affair. Get it now via Beatport or stream below.FOLLOW HOT CHIP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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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 25

Another Friday and another epic edition of Enlightened Listening. This week's playlist runs over 70 tracks and six hours and includes three massive albums (from Lane 8, Marie Davidson and Kölsch), three awesome EPs (from warner case, Sam Interface and Pastiche), more remixes than you can shake a stick at (including Eric Kupper's take on "The Whistle Song," Hot Chip's take on "Enola Gay" and Special Request's take on Baauer "HOME"), and finally some simply fabulous originals (including The Brothers Macklovitch, Bonobo x TEED and Karma Kid). Dig in below and enjoy!

The Brothers Macklovitch - I Can Call You

Eli Escobar - Give Love

Frankie Knuckles - The Whistle Song (Eric Kupper Sound Factory Re-Rub)

Quentin Harris & Jason Walker - Stronger (Mattei & Omich Remix & Vocal Dub)

warner case - dance music for dancing, vol. 2 (the remixes)

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Enola Gay (Hot Chip Remix)

Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Heartbreak

Sam Interface - Pink Dolphins

Karma Kid - Freedom (Never Let You Go)

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights Remixed

Baauer ft. Bipolar Sunshine - HOME (Special Request Remix)

Marie Davidson & L'Œil - Renegade Breakdown

Kölsch - Now Here No Where

Pastiche - Together We Are

Speaker Honey - Space Arp

Bensley - Vex

Daði Freyr - Think About Things (Hot Chip Remix)

A mere 10 days into 2020 Icelandic artist Daði Freyr released "Think About Things," an original composition written about his infant daughter, that later in January was confirmed to be Iceland's entry into the annual Eurovision Song Contest. While the competition was eventually cancelled, the track has nevertheless captured the attention of Europe and beyond. "Think About Things" first came to my attention, the way it did for seemingly millions of others, through a video posted to the Twitter account badboygargar. The video (below), which at time of writing boasts 7.7 million views, is captioned: "Day 17: morale is weird" and showcases a flurry of edits of five people dancing to a minute and half clip of the funky track. It has since spawned remakes and appears in Daði Freyr's official fan video.

Day 17: morale is weird pic.twitter.com/TW4Xdv0qJH

— Garrett Williams (@badboygargar) March 30, 2020

Joining the fray around one of the most fascinating tracks of 2020, London outfit Hot Chip have jumped on remix duties like only they can. A fantastic fit with the warm indie electronic grooves of "Think About Things," Hot Chip's alternative dance direction centers the track around a rollicking riff, especially electrifying in its killer clavinet. Whereas the original thrives through its ultra clean sound, making room for each element to play its part in the spotlight, this Hot Chip mix waddles along with an incredible weight and gravity, having gorged itself on the genius of the original. It doesn't have quite the same punch or get-down as the original, especially as it wipes out relief of the the final drop/chorus of the original, which is made so powerful by the brilliant fill and flourish (found at about 2:35). However, the Hot Chip remix cannot be stopped, it simply rolls on, keeping the dance-floor churning. And that's just it. This is no radio-play piece, but rather a club-friendly mix bursting with the same electronic allure as their timeless remix of "Tutti Frutti." Stream the full "Think About Things" remix below and get it here.

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Top 100 Tracks Of 2019: 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. Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#50: Haywyre - Let Me Hear That
The most funky track on this list and I'll say there's a few more really good ones on the way. Haywyre had a hell of a year and there could've been a couple other cuts in this place, but I think I fell for this one most hard because of its immediacy and its beyond beautiful back half. Oh and seeing Haywyre play it live is a trip (watch it here). It really doesn't get much cooler than this one.

#49: Murlo - Fauna
The middle Murlo child in this list. Like "End Of The Road" earlier, I'm a bit at a loss with this one. It's got a lot of the same energy and cinematic quality to its drum delivery. However this one seems to tickle me more. I don't think you can listen to it without smiling, it's just so effusive in its energy. The way Murlo plays around in its movement is truly magical, like a jungle's plant life all joining together in a dance.

#48: Tennyson - Melonpan
A truly gorgeous, cinematic cut that screams Tennyson. It's unique and magical in its delivery, like an epic cartoon opening sequence. Its opening half is enough to captivate, but its second half will have you in tears, especially the utterly euphoric and triumphant finale. Every time I hear this I'm reminded of the time I saw them live and the fact that I need to do so again.

#47: Sigma - Dilemma
This one really shows how out of touch I am when it comes to turn of the millennium hip hop and R&B, as I just found out this is Kelly Rowland. I was absolutely familiar with the sample but didn't know whose it was. But hey, good music is good music and this is certainly that. Building upon one of the best selling singles of all time, Sigma have really done a great job with this one. I just checked the various remixes of this and none can hold a candle to it. Its energy is intoxicating and it's just so much fun.

#46: The Chemical Brothers - Got To Keep On
It's truly amazing that The Chemical Brothers can continue to make such incredible records. No Geography is great and while I thought about including other cuts this, like "Go Crazy" earlier, is just the perfect exemplar of the album. It's got wicked, raw sounds and pristine beautiful ones too. It's anthemic and full of energy, but nothing beats the sweet release shortly after the 3:40 mark. It's just so satisfying.

#45: Boston Bun - Don't Wanna Dance
Another one of those ones I came across in a Magic Tape, and again it's got some serious sorcery to it. The groove is genius and boy has Boston Bun done a brilliant job building it out. The piano backing lays it all down, but it's nothing without the vociferous vocals or fantastically fat drop with its perfectly placed puntuations. Clean and super strong, I see a lot of staying power in it. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't give props to Mighty Mouse's masterful remix.

Enlightened Listening for December 13

The year is wrapping up and compilations and remix packages continue to abound. And while so many best of lists keep cropping up, good music keeps dropping and here it is in this week's Enlightened Listening. Things start with mau5trap's 9th edition of We Are Friends followed by two top notch techno EPs from two more top labels in Phantasy and Afterlife. We're then treated to eight new Hot Chip remixes which join the four previously released gems. Justin Jay then joins the fray with a quirky and killer EP worthy of Dirtybird before DJ Zinc and Chris Lorenzo get back together for a couple new joints. Things then turn to remixes as legends Four Tet and SOPHIE take on Skrillex and SONIKKU respectively. Finally the mysterious DnB entity Dawn Wall unleashes propulsive four-pack, Birdmask.


Various Artists - We Are Friends, Vol. 9

James Welsh - Sitting/Rubber Dog

KAS:ST - Hold Me To The Light

Hot Chip - A Bath Full Of Ecstasy (Remixes)

Justin Jay - Don't Trip Like This

DJ Zinc & Chris Lorenzo - Deeper

Skrillex & Boys Noize ft. Ty Dolla $ign - Midnight Hour (Four Tet Remix)

SONIKKU ft. LIZ - Sweat (SOPHIE Remix)

Dawn Wall - Birdmask

Enlightened Listening for July 26

It's that time of the week, however the moment passed me on a busy day and I was unable to get this edition of Enlightened Listening posted on its proper day. Adding further insult to injury, I've got a massively bruised thumb so typing has been difficult. That said, the music goes on and you can find an epic playlist of new tunes below. Highlights include: Above & Beyond with Seven Lions; an 8-track album from Hot Since 82; remixes of Elephant Heart's "Lenguas" from Justin Jay and Kotek; the final two parts of Kotek's Sonoglyph Pt. 1 EP; a four-pack of fantastic singles from Bakermat, Friendly Fires, The Knocks & DJ Shadow; and DnB from Sub Focus and Bensley via his Muskoka LP. Enjoy!

Throwback Thursday: Hot Chip - Don't Deny Your Heart (Joe Goddard re-edit)

With Hot Chip's album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy having been released just over one month ago, I felt it was time to turn back the clock and focus on perhaps my favourite remix of Hot Chip, a re-edit from member Joe Goddard. Taken from 2012 album In Our Heads, "Don't Deny Your Heart" was the third single and features some of my favourite elements of all of Hot Chip's incredible catalog. As always Alexis Taylor's voice stands as the pristine pillar at the centre of sublime synths, genius grooves and masterful mix of communal vocals. That said, upon hearing Joe Goddard's 2013 retake it was clear that the pieces laid down in the original weren't quite given the glory they deserve.

More upfront with the funk and energy, as well as the vocal samples and little licks, Joe Goddard's re-edit really lets loose. It feels almost fearless it in its delivery, landing body blows right from the repackaged start. However the genius of Goddard comes in his thoughtful re-positioning of the shimmering strings sweeps and splashy cymbal work, setting us up for the eventual return to the brilliant opening synth bed. And this is where I must stop and address the hilarious mondegreen (misheard lyric) at the beginning. Noted by Stuart Maconie on BBC Radio 4 here, it was said tweet that brought me back to "Don't Deny Your Heart" and now has me saying "Willie Thorne" with each listen.

But back to the music, or dance-floor as opposed to the karaoke bar as it were. This edit does indeed propel listeners more towards their feet with the music forward re-fix. The more upfront percussion (steelpans especially) and extended groove sections really play into the track's title and subsequent lyrics ("don't forget to breathe"), give me and my heart exactly what we desire. My listening habits generally lead me to more music forward productions and this certainly delivers that, while still remaining true to the original's integrity. A god-send, Joe Goddard never fails when he lends his abilities to a track, even more so when he does it twice over. Stream and follow each Joe and Hot Chip below.FOLLOW HOT CHIP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Enlightened Listening for June 21

For the longest day of the year we've got one of the longest editions of Enlightened Listening, clocking in at over 7 hours with an astounding 81 tracks. It opens with four exceptional albums including two we've been building up to here in Hot Chip's eccentric electronic odyssey A Bath Full Of Ecstasy and Mark Ronson's masterful pop presentation Late Night Feelings. Both share singles that I've been rinsing out like crazy and are instant inclusions in the album of the year conversation. Those two are joined by the final and gut wrenching end of Cassius, Dreems, and Shinichiro Yokota's delightful collection of dance joints I Know You Like It. Those four account for 48 tracks and without question some of the best pieces of music (vocally, lyrically, sonically, melodically, etc) you'll hear all year.

There is no let down following those massive albums however, as The Niceguys follow with a fourpack of uplifting funk from Westwood Recordings. Staying grooving but building towards bigger numbers, Rudimental and The Martinez Brothers combine for a magical piece in Faith Mussa-aided energy in "Sitigawana." Another exceptional collab follows in the fantastical feels of Lane 8 and Yotto's "I / Y."

Even more epic we go as Pryda offers up the kind of extended, intoxicating genius we've grown to expect from one of the world's most trusted names. The lead track "Illumination" is truly inspired, however the other five tracks are no mere tag-alongs as each holds the same Pryda power. 

After what seems like forever we finally have 1) new music from Afterlife and 2) the Ae:ther ID I'd been waiting on since Afterlife Voyage 013. The 20 track compilation once again proves Afterlife is perhaps the pinnacle of top notch techno. Adding another legend to this already epic list, The Chemical Brothers share a sensational dub version of "Eve Of Destruction." Staying dark and bass driven, Poppy comes in next with a desolate and dire number in "Choke." Finally we close the playlist with a trio of takes on Duke Dumont's "Red Light Green Light," which will have you dancing all the way through the weekend. Stream all the new tracks below and find individual released linked after the playlist. Enjoy!


Hot Chip - A Bath Full Of Ecstasy

Cassius - Dreems

Shinichiro Yokota - I Know You Like It

Mark Ronson - Late Night Feelings

The Niceguys - Sunset Avenue

Rudimental & The Martinez Brothers - Sitigawana (ft. Faith Mussa)

Lane 8 & Yotto - I / Y

Pryda - PRYDA 15 VOL I

Various Artists - Realm Of Consciousness Pt. IV

The Chemical Brothers - Eve Of Dubstruction

Poppy - Choke

Duke Dumont ft. Shaun Ross - Red Light Green Light (For Club Play Only, Pt 6 / Remixes)

RIP Philippe Zdar

You likely know by now, as news broke late last night, one of electronic dance music's most influential people has passed. Philippe Cerboneschi, more widely known as Philippe Zdar, fell from a building in Paris, dying at age 52. However, his presence will remain with us forever. A true pioneer, he was perhaps best known for his part in the duo Cassius, but his masterful mixing skills and undeniable ear sent his musical fingerprints in seemingly infinite directions. His production credits range from Franz Ferdinand and Kanye West to Chromeo and Phoenix. And while his time on this plane of existence is complete, we can expect more new music from him as two albums lay in wait for tomorrow as he contributed to Hot Chip's A Bathful Of Ecstasy and indeed Cassius' first album in three years, Dreems.

While waiting for those final bits to be released, I did a little Throwback Thursday by retracing some of my favourite Zdar in the playlist below. I'll leave you with that, encourage you to read an insightful piece from Laura Snapes on The Guardian here, and, if you feel compelled, do some digging of your own - the reach of Philippe Zdar is, as I said, seemingly infinite. RIP Philippe, thanks for everything...

Enlightened Listening for June 2

Once again I'm late with this week's Enlightened Listening but it turned out for the best as it now includes Jai Paul. THAT'S RIGHT, JAI PAUL IS BACK! He leads the playlist with a double b-side of brilliance. Following that is the fantastically funky and highly anticipated LP from The Kount that had me floored with "Yesterday's Gain." Next up is Myd with another funk number, this time remixing Charlotte Gainsbourg. After that comes three consecutive killer vocal performances from Kaleena Zanders, Melba Moore and Kariya. As if that trio weren't enough to leave you heaving in ecstasy, how about another taste of Hot Chip's A Bath Full Of Ecstasy in the engrossing excellence of "Melody Of Love."

Moving towards techno comes a trio of remixes of RÜFÜS DU SOL's "Underwater," which is followed by EMERCIVE's latest and double shot of Booka Shade. Changing gears, Drainpuppet comes through with an epic 17 track album in Bliss. Turning dark and heavy, Falcons follows that up with a wicked remix of his classic "Aquafina." A couple of bangers follow in The Bloody Beetroots and Dr. Fresch's "Fkn Face," which is what you'll be making when you hear Trentino's remix of "Hustler." As if this list of legends weren't enough, Dog Blood come through with an exceptional EP in Turn Off The Lights, which is followed by an equally wild and twisted release in Wilted Woman's debut on Phantasy Sound.

Enjoy all the new music via playlist below and find individual releases linked at the bottom!

Jai Paul - Do You Lover Her Now / He

The Kount - Virtually Yours,

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Bombs Away (Myd Remix)

AC Slater - Final Fantasy (ft. Kaleena Zanders)

Melba Moore - My Heart Belongs To You (Ferreck Dawn Remix)

Weiss - Let Me Love You

Hot Chip - Melody Of Love

RÜFÜS DU SOL - SOLACE REMIXES VOL. 6

Kiro - Anubis

Booka Shade - The Unseen / Banderas

Drainpuppet - Bliss

Falcons ft. GoldLink & Chaz French -  Aquafina (2K19 Remix)

The Bloody Beetroots & Dr. Fresch - Fkn Face

Destructo & DARKO ft. Ice-T - Hustler (Trentino Revision)

Dog Blood - Turn Off The Lights

Wilted Woman - Lon Lon Night Vision

Enlightened Listening for May 12

A couple days late, but these tracks absolutely had to be shared. This week's Enlightened Listening gets underway with The Shapeshifters and Chic vocalist Kimberly Davis and the brilliant, biting brass of Glitterbox joint "Life Is A Dancefloor." Up next Paul Woolford unleashes an exceptional piano-led take on Hot Chip's heater "Hungry Child." The unstoppable force of Kölsch then ups the intensity with his remix of "Stella." Leading us further towards techno with a touch of midtempo, mau5trap once again wows with their recent releases through Sian's Ultraviolet EP 1.0. Marking the midway point in the playlist, Dimitri Veimar dazzles with 3 new originals alongside Dean Grenier's remix of the EP's title track "Planet." Changing gears, Pham returns with a diverse and delectable mixtape in Nostalgia. And indeed it is nostalgia you get upon seeing the title of Madeaux's massive "Black Magic Woman," a production worthy of one Carlos Santana. Next up Ninajirachi gives "303" some much needed movement, progression and captivating sound design, taking it from blah to banger. Finally, Night Bass bring us seven bangers worthy of their high standard; standouts include: "Desert Moon," "Killers" and "Fresh Prince." Enjoy everything below and find releases linked individually after the playlist.

The Shapeshifters - Life Is A Dancefloor (ft. Kimberly Davis)

Hot Chip - Hungry Child (Paul Woolford Sunrise Mix)

Jam & Spoon - Stella (Kölsch Remix)

Sian - Ultraviolet EP 1.0

Dimitri Veimar - Planet EP

Pham - Nostalgia

Madeaux - Black Magic Woman

Anna Lunoe - 303 (Ninajirachi Remix)

Various Artists - This Is Night Bass: Vol. 8

Hot Chip - Hungry Child

Legendary London outfit Hot Chip have returned with big news. After making waves in recent weeks with a number of shows including an hour long set for BBC's 6 Music Festival (here), they've just announced their first album since 2015's Why Make Sense?. Due out June 21st on Domino Record Co, A Bath Full Of Ecstasy will be the band's seventh studio album. Along with the accompanying tour announcement (see here), Hot Chip have come through with not just a brilliant music video featuring Martin Starr and Milana Vayntrub, but also a couple cuts of sensational lead single "Hungry Child."

It's easy to call this a triumphant return, not just because it's awesome to have Hot Chip back, once again blessing our ears with new music, but because there's quite simply an underlying ecstasy or exultance built into "Hungry Child." The character and quality of their always immaculate craftwork is on full display in both versions. The six minute original is downright divine, slowly yet surely satisfying every bone in your body over the course of the cool, crisp climb. The shorter edit features a rearrangement of the elements into a tighter, more fun focused delivery. Despite the time constraints of this version, Hot Chip's brilliance comes through as they give each element its moment, breathing beautiful into each other. There's no doubt in my mind that "Hungry Child" will be pulling listeners back in for countless repeats as the year goes on and we work towards the release of A Bath Full Of Ecstasy. And best believe I'll be in attendance as they take to The Phoenix Concert Theatre Sept. 12th.FOLLOW HOT CHIP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Drainpuppet - dark water

One of the great pleasures of hosting Bump In The Hump is discovering new artists. It happens every week, nearly every day. Often times these are mere stumble upon moments, and because of the all-new focus I don't necessarily play these discoveries right away. I'll log the name in my continually growing database, follow their socials, and hope I reestablish the connection when I see their name again. That was the case yesterday when Hamilton's Drainpuppet dropped the lead track "dark water" from her forthcoming third album aether light, which closes out the elements trilogy of Firewater and AIR_EARTH. Due out August 28th on one of my favourite labels, DESKPOP, if this lead track is any indication the album will be expansive, inventive, delicate yet powerful and beautiful. Intelligent dance music indeed, catch it in the mix on Bump In The Hump tonight and pre-order/stream here.After the long weekend you might expect a lack of shows this weekend, however that is not the case as I've got tracks looking ahead to sets from Kontravoid, Dombresky, Shiba San, Sydney Blu, Hot Chip, Dustin Nantais and more. Attlas, Memphis, Pusher, Slooze, and STUND stay hot in the summer with yet more new music. Finally, fresh off Veld there's new releases from both Lukav and Rezz. Don't miss all that and more live from 7-9 PM EDT via Radio Humber or cataloged via Mixcloud here.

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Throwback Thursday: Hot Chip - Boy From School (Erol Alkan Rework)

It's been a while since I've done a Throwback Thursday post but lately I've found myself digging deeper and deeper through my library, in part fostered by Erol Alkan posting his "Reworks Volume 1" playlist on Spotify. I've noted before that he's without question one of the biggest influences in my musical taste, and that playlist is chalk full of some of my favourite of his works, particularly his take on Hot Chip's "Boy From School." Whether with Boys Noize, his own originals or his unparalleled remix rework/re-edit collection, the man always crafts the most infectious and inspired records.

While I could have just as easily gushed about his "Forever Dolphin Love," "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind," or "Zero" reworks, I'm still on a Joe Goddard bent and as he's a member of Hot Chip I figured why not continue to run in that direction. What makes Erol's "Boy From School" rework so special is precisely what makes all of his work so genius. He works with the original track's appeal: if it calls for intense banging breaks and beats he does it, if it's a more melodic, expressive tune he takes that into regard. Here with "Boy From School" he keys in on the twinkling sheen of the original, and brings that to the fore, giving the bells more room to breath in the extended now bloghaus bent. And maybe this is really the crux, maybe I'm just a bloghaus boy, but it's that kind of raw mixture of post punk with alluring electronic ideology that makes all of these reworks so magical. They're epic in form and sound design, and just so much fun. That's really what dance music is about; losing yourself in a flurry of fun on the dancefloor. Do yourself a favour and check out as much Erol as you can, you won't be disappointed. He's the perfect mixture of Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Kraftwerk.FOLLOW EROL ALKAN: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Joe Goddard: On Repeat

Being Thanksgiving in Canada, I'm spending most of my weekend doing family things, but I still wanted to write a post and figured I could tie it into the holiday by showcasing one of the artists I'm most thankful for: Joe Goddard. I've written about him several times here, so you should be well aware of my love for him. But in short, it's his funky disco house vibes and incredible craftsmanship that always invoke the most heartwarming of reactions to his tunes. Whether his originals (see his incredible album Electric Lines) or his extensive remixing library, or further his work with Hot Chip or The 2 Bears (neither of which I've included in this post), I'm always in absolutely awe of his majesty. So as a celebration of his sound, I've made a Spotify playlist and supplemented it a couple unmissable productions that were unavailable. Find them all below and use them to dance off that Thanksgiving feast.

 

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Nils Bech - Glimpse Of Hope (Joe Goddard Remix)

As we move into December and the overwhelming dark and cold it brings, there is no better time for a little extra sunshine and positivity, and that's exactly what Joe Goddard's remix of Nils Bech's "Glimpse Of Hope" inspires. The versatile producer is not only a member of Hot Chip, and one half of The 2 Bears, he's also a bonafide solo artist, with tracks such as "Gabriel" and "Lose Your Love" under his belt. This mix of Norwegian, Nils Bech, combines both the styles of Hot Chip and The 2 Bears, with synth driven, house beats and the warmth of frolicking island rhythms. This pairing of sounds and styles work so beautifully together, in spite of the seemingly disparate instrumentation. There's no way the digital synths should sound so organic, especially when paired with the tangible and lively chimes. Goddard's deft ability to produce around vocals, truly are the cherry on top of this delicious tropical delicacy. He's able to weave each indelible layer together with such fervent gusto; truly a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It does not suffer from excess nor have any weak spots. "Glimpse Of Hope" offers a view of musical perfection, leaving listeners forever illuminated, imbuing their heart with a new, higher sense of purpose. Bask its glorious aura and stream it below. FOLLOW JOE GODDARD: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW NILS BECH: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER