Kölsch Open-To-Close at REX, 2019

Yesterday, Kölsch shared his epic open-to-close set from the legendary REX nightclub in Paris. Spanning nearly seven hours, the 2019 mix allows the Danish DJ to showcase his musical multitudes through stacks upon stacks of tracks, released or otherwise.

Literally welcoming listeners with Château Flight's "Welcome" as the third track in, Kölsch keeps things quite cool for the first half-hour before Frank & Tony's "Bring The Sun" begins to warm things up. Shortly after crossing the hour mark, we're greeted by the familiar sound of Austra's Katie Stelmanis as part of the Patrice Bäumel remix of Claptone's "La Esperanza." Continuing to climb this mountain of music, the essence of Kölsch really starts to take shape in this second hour as we're treated to a masterful mix of all kinds of progressive house/melodic techno. In that section alone, there are massive, moving cuts from Carl Craig in "Futurelovetheme" and Bawrut in "Pronto Arpeggio."

Not long into the third hour, Kölsch begins to lay out his recently released album Now Here No Where, starting with its title track. While I'm hesitant to say this hour is the hardest hitting, as the fifth features Alex Gopher's "Aurora" and The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," it is perhaps the most taught and driving techno section with all kinds of acid and tension. With a couple brighter and more uplifting all-time classics in Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and Kölsch's own "Cassiopeia" coming in the fourth hour, the up and down nature of this audio odyssey becomes unmistakable. And while that fact ought to have been clear from the jump, it's important to remember that this was a live DJ set, so presumably, Kölsch was playing to the audience and not merely curating in a vacuum. That said, I think it's clear that the club was absolutely bumping by the four and a half-hour mark as the Dane dives into an incredible run of tracks ranging from his all-time classics "Opa" and Grey/KIR to Circuit Breaker's "Systematic" and the KiNK remix of "Acid Track."

Closing with the laidback likes of "Rose Rouge," his own jazzy offering "Remind You" and the grand finale, Galaxy 2 Galaxy's "Amazon," Kölsch's nearly seven-hour journey through sound is a wonderous ride that reminds us of both his captivating catalogue and of the majesty of an open-to-close set. Stream it below, find a partially complete tracklisting here, and follow Kölsch's socials at the bottom.

Kölsch · IPSO All Night Long set at REX

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Top 100 Tracks Of 2019: 100-76

Starting today through Friday (with a break on New Years Day), I'll be revealing my list of the "Top 100 Tracks Of 2019." The following is my disclaimer, as I feel it important to preface this kind of list with some insight into its creation and the methodology behind it. While I spent a lot of time seriously pouring through this year of music, this is not a really a serious endeavour. No one was polled. Sales and streams are irrelevant. This is merely my fun way of sharing the tracks and artists that made my year better, in hopes they do the same for you. The rankings are not scientific or even fair, rather they are simply a reflection of how strongly I felt these tracks and how much praise I felt they deserved.

You'll notice the thread of disco/funk continues from last year, as once again it dominated my consumption. But once again you'll notice I touch on a variety of genres, while sticking to the brand of this blog, which is indeed a reflection of my personal preferences and ideals. There's a lot of pop music, but the list is largely electronic and dance dominant.

Finally, I will once again say that this is by no means an exhaustive list; there are without a doubt exceptional tunes that somehow failed to make the cut. However, onward and, in this case, downward, from tracks 100 to 76 we go. Find the Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#100: Robotaki - Quasar
As so often seems to be the case I'm called most strongly to the b-side of a release. Here "Quasar" captures my attention with a truly dizzying display of musical craftsmanship. Robotaki rifles off a resplendent mix of electronic and organic instruments that reminds me of both the extraordinary quality of early future bass and the indie rock energy of Erol Alkan, specifically his "Forever Dolphin Love" remix.

#99: High Contrast - Going Up
The first in a long line of DnB tracks in this year's countdown. The consistent quality of High Contrast is on full display here with this crisp, crackling cut. It's both exceedingly beautiful and seemingly simplistic, while somehow still feeling fresh and exciting after a plenitude of plays.

#98: DROELOE - Only Be Me (Duskus Remix)
Immediately heavy on the heart, this one is actually brilliantly buoyant. The swinging nature of the drop is sure to leave you swooning while the whole thing oozes poppy positivity. While a few years ago I would've said bitbird is one of my favourite labels, I can no longer say that. However this mix seems to have found the perfect balance between their sappy saccharine ethos and sharp, catchy synths.

#97: Nelly - Air Force Ones (Klutch Remix)
While I don't often get into tracks primarily for a single sound, this remix and its rattling bass is so banging that I cannot help myself. The drops are stupid dope and the rest of the track is built with enough ear catching punctuations that it deserves recognition in a list like this. It would be a banger with the first drop alone, but a progressive second drop and its sensational use of Nelly make it a can't miss.

#96: Sub Focus - Solar System
With a name like "Solar System" you'd expect some serious magnitude and Sub Focus did not disappoint. This one hurdles along at light-speed and if you go along with it, you're apt to burn up like a supernova. A lot of electronic music has an outer-space, futuristic feel and this is most definitely one of this year's best, most banging examples.

Enlightened Listening for July 5

A quick turnaround from the last Enlightened Listening and a quick turn into the weekend leads to this brief look at a still fantastic and varied group of tracks. ASHE opens things up with a thoughtful EP that leans further into his acoustic techno. Next up a trance turn as Edu Imbernon delivers a dope Anjunadeep cut. Gorgon City stay hot with a tribute to Chicago house in "Elizabeth Street." After that is Annie Mac's hottest record, a genius growing groove from Theo Kottis. Building even bigger still, KiNK captures our attention with a brilliant recasting of Krystal Klear's exceptional "Euphoric Dreams." MK then delivers the first remix after the release of Mark Ronson's Late Night Feelings and as usual hits it out of the park. One of the most teased and highly sought after tracks of the year follows as David Penn sends us into ecstasy with his heart-melting remix. Gears change as the playlist begins to close with Flux Pavilion showing a new side that has me hearing classic Nero. Finally I get even more nostalgic with Infected Mushroom, one of my earliest loves, and their Monstercat killer "Kababies." Stream everything via Spotify below and get individual links at the bottom. Enjoy your weekend!

ASHE - Letters To Myself

Edu Imbernon - S.Y.L.

Gorgon City - Elizabeth Street

Theo Kottis - Turning Around

Krystal Klear - Euphoric Dreams (KiNK Remix)

Mark Ronson ft. Camila Cabello - Find U Again (MK Remix)

Pete Heller's Big Love - Big Love (David Penn Remix)

Flux Pavilion - Somebody Else (ft. GLNNA)

Infected Mushroom - Kababies

Enlightened Listening for June 9

This week's Enlightened Listening features a foursome of dance ready EPs, two dope disco singles and a trio of turnt up bass house numbers. We start with the wandering spirit of Sébastien Léger in his Skadi EP which features two equally epic magic and meandering singles along with a remix from Tim Green that fits the mood perfectly. Next up KiNK works with wife Rachel Row for the sensational "To Love You," which truly illustrates Piano Power, whereas the following two tracks are slightly more power than piano, but remain equally alluring. After that come four takes on the incredible "In My Arms," mostly of the more downtempo, chill variety save for Qubiko's club friendly force.

Turning to singles now, Dimitri From Paris and Cotonete reunite to remix the Dimitri produced Izo FitzRoy track "I Want Magic." Electric and magical, it features the fun and playfulness that this pairing always offers. Staying with heavenly horns and divine disco, Daphni has put his touch on Paradise's 1981 track "Sizzling Hot" which leads an EP due out July 19th. Moving laterally, we get a trio of remixes of The Magician's "Ready To Love," including a glitzy disco take from Mercer.

Finally we get to the fire finale of this playlist with Noizu and Eli Brown kicking things off with thumping groove number in "Inside My Head." Shift K3Y follows that up with another fantastically fiery flow which merges Night Bass and UKF in "Nightline." Closing out this collection is another unreal collaboration featuring DJ Zinc and Chris Lorenzo. The two combine for a jaw-dropping joint whose power is sure to send any dance-floor into fits. Enjoy all the exceptional new music now below.

Sébastien Léger - Skadi

KiNK - Piano Power

Ferreck Dawn & Robosonic ft. Nikki Ambers - In My Arms (Remixes)

Izo FitzRoy - I Want Magic (Dimitri From Paris vs. Cotonete 12" Version)

Daphni - Sizzling (ft. Paradise)

The Magician - Ready To Love (The Remixes)

Noizu & Eli Brown - Inside My Head

Shift K3Y - Nightline

DJ Zinc x Chris Lorenzo - Conditioning