Coldplay - Midnight (A fictional. re-imagination)

Something strange happened to me today as I dug through the internet, searching for something to catch my ear. After a general lack of success I took to Soundcloud's Discover feature The Upload, a tailored playlist of 20 "Newly posted tracks." While I turn there every once in a while, it often doesn't lead to much more than a handful of mixes and uninspired originals. And while that is largely true today, sitting in the 13th position was a remix of Coldplay's 2014 track "Midnight."

As it turns out this remix from Indian duo fictional. is the one and only production on their page. What's more, after searching Ayush & Sachin (the two names attached to the project) I experienced a strong feeling of déjà vu as the resulting search led me to Bengaluru-based metal band Orbitual. For some reason I feel like not only have I done this search before, but that I had also heard this re-imagination before too, which is indeed possible considering the timeline. And perhaps that's why I was drawn to it.

fictional.'s take on the Jon Hopkins co-produced "Midnight" has a faint, yet undeniable feeling of familiarity in it, however I cannot confidently say that it's because I was already familiar with the original. Of course it could just be Chris Martin's voice that rings the proverbial bell, but I can't shake the feeling there's something about the instrumental that I've heard before. Bigger and deeper than the original, fictional.'s re-imagining soars beautifully, countering the icy ambiance with a warm summer's night feel. Of course the flittering lead line still stands strong as the obvious midnight feel, and to say Ayush and Sachin have leaned into it would be an understatement. That said, it is the key to the mystifying nature of "Midnight." Stream below and look out for more of the mysterious duo, fictional.
UPDATE: Both Ayush and Sachin reached out last night, 1) confirming they have nothing to do with Orbitual, and 2) sharing their solo projects. Ayush is Zyther and Sachin is ZOANE.

FOLLOW FICTIONAL.: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

2019 Grammy Predictions

In breaking news, I've learned the Grammys are tonight. I kid, but basically that's what this whole post is going to be: a little levity to close out the weekend. I'm gonna do my usual shtick of making predictions for categories I know/care about, and again it'll be my 'who should win' and 'who will win' double pick scenario, because even with two picks per category I'm still out to lunch most times. Oh and one more thing before the predictions, will the dance/electronic categories be in with all the obscure categories? Or will they continue to disregard their impact and treat them as a sideshow not fit for their floundering broadcast? I'd lean towards the latter, but let's just get to the good stuff, shall we?

*** Update: Results noted with ✓ or x ***

BEST DANCE RECORDING

Above & Beyond - Northern Soul (ft. Richard Bedford)
Disclosure - Ultimatum (ft. Fatoumata Diawara)
Fisher - Losing It
Silk City - Electricity (ft. Dua Lipa)
Virtual Self - Ghost Voices

Who Will Win: Silk City ✓
Who Should Win: Silk City ✓
Reasoning: I feel like the Academy is equally likely to go with any of Disclosure, Silk City and Fisher as they are seemingly the most widely-popular productions in the list. My bet is that they will make the 'right' choice with Silk City as they love both Diplo and Mark Ronson, and it is indeed the most accessible and perhaps most successful production of the bunch. That said, I would not be surprised if "Losing It" got the nod, as love it or hate it, it was without a doubt the club track of the year.

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM

Jon Hopkins - Singularity
Justice - Woman Worldwide
Sofi Tukker - Treehouse
SOPHIE - Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
TOKiMONSTA - Lune Rouge

Who Will Win: Justice ✓
Who Should Win: TOKiMONSTA
Reasoning: This was a tough one. Obviously any of these could take the trophy, but I feel like they'll be too scared to go with SOPHIE, who might be the obvious choice in many eyes. The other nom that set itself apart from the group in terms of hype was Singularity, and I think it's got a solid chance. However, due to last year's seemingly unfair Kraftwerk catalog/best of winning, I see them doing the same with Woman Worldwide this year. That said, I've got Lune Rouge as the most enjoyable album through and through.

BEST REMIXED RECORDING

LSD - Audio (CID Remix)
Charlie Puth - How Long (EDX's Dubai Skyline Remix)
Gabriel & Dresden ft. Sub Teal - Only Road (Cosmic Gate Remix)
Kygo ft. Justin Jesso - Stargazing (Kaskade Remix)
HAIM - Walking Away (Mura Masa Remix)

Who Will Win: EDX
Who Should Win: Mura Masa ✓
Reasoning: This marks the 5th time Kaskade has been nominated in this category since 2008, and his 4th time in 5 years. Surely this is his year right? But sadly for him, I think not. I put CID and EDX in a near dead heat, with the advantage going to EDX in the kind of dance delivery that seems to get recognized most at The Grammys. My choice is obvious though, as I love both HAIM and Mura Masa, and see "Walking Away" as by far the most adventurous and progressive production in the list.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

Boi-1da
Larry Klein
Linda Perry
Kanye West
Pharrell Williams

Who Will Win: Kanye West
Who Should Win: Pharrell Williams ✓
Reasoning: I see the Academy going for drama with this pick, and while he's likely deserving after an incredible year, there's no doubt Kanye will have people talking. That said, I believe Pharrell's output is more wide-ranging and because of his contributions to Timberlake and Grande's albums, he ought to become just the 4th person to win this category 3+ times.

***OTHER, MORE UNINFORMED PICKS***

Best Music Video: Childish Gambino - This Is America ✓
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: Black Panther ✓
Best Spoken Word Album: Jimmy Carter ✓
Best Americana Album: Brandi Carlile ✓
Best American Roots Song: The Joke ✓
Best American Roots Performance: The Joke ✓
Best Rap Album: Mac Miller x
Best Rap Song: Sicko Mode x
Best Rap/Sung Performance: This Is America ✓
Best Rap Performance: Sicko Mode x
Best Alternative Music Album: Björk x
Song Of The Year: The Joke x
Album Of The Year: Janelle Monae x
Record Of The Year: All The Stars x

Enlightened Listening for November 16

I often start these Enlightened Listening posts the same way, talking about Friday this, Friday that. What makes this post different is that November 16th has been marked on my calendar for many reasons. It marks the highly anticipated releases of Humans, Jacques Greene and Tiga & The Martinez Brothers. It also sees the return of both Haywyre and HERO after long absences. Joining those incredible offerings is Alex Metric's marvelous remix of "Electricity," a track he helped produce, Daktyl's dazzling take on What So Not and San Holo, and ANNA's epic twist on Jon Hopkins "Singularity." Rounding out this collection is the masterful Jean-Michel Jarre with Equinoxe Infinity. Enjoy!

Humans - Going Late

Silk City ft. Dua Lipa - Electricity (Alex Metric Remix)

Haywyre - Tell Me

What So Not & San Holo ft. Daniel Johns - If You Only Knew (Daktyl Remix)

HERO - Dirty Work

Jacques Greene - Fever Focus

Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinoxe Infinity

Tiga & The Martinez Brothers - Blessed EP, Pt. 1

Jon Hopkins - Singularity (ANNA Remix)