Enlightened Listening for February 28

I'm not certain but this is likely the largest edition of Enlightened Listening ever. Stretching across nearly 80 tracks and over six hours, it features five albums and has its fair share of groovers and bangers.

The first two albums, Daktyl's UNREALITY and Caribou's Suddenly, have had me waiting with bated breath and show off both artists' incredible and thoughtful craftsmanship. The same can be said for the third album in the playlist, Tycho's Simulcast, although I can't say I was aware of its immanence. As to be expected with Tycho, it is utterly gorgeous and warm, preparing us for the long summer days that lie ahead. Turning more electronic and jacking up the funky groove meter, Wajatta's (the combination of Reggie Watts & John Tejada) sophomore album is sensational and sure to inspire more than a smile or two. Equally uplifting and groovy, Yuksek's feature-laden NOSSO RITMO will be undeniable at beach parties everywhere.

Speaking of outdoor events, I hope Sébastien Léger is one of the artists TBA at the All Day I Dream event in Toronto July 18th (here). His third EP for them is another amazing one, as mystical and moving as ever. Picking up with a more driving beat, Colyn comes through Rose Avenue Records with two powerful cinematic numbers. Even more driving, HUNTER reconnects with Roshin for fat joint "Floating." The enigmatic genius of Prins Thomas follows that up with a gritty growler in "Graut" which also receives a wicked and warped remix from Fango. Bridging the gap from the techno to the DnB that's still to come are two unreal originals from HomeSick in "Ampgain" and "Closer."

Immediately capturing my attention, J Majik lives up to his name with a godly remix of Joris Voorn's "Messiah." Flames erupt as Brookes Brothers and Kove follow that with the irresistible Kathy Brown led "Burn." Things really get lit with the return of 13 who is followed by a record I cannot say enough about, SBK.'s "One Man." I know we're still just in the second month of the year but I'm positive it will be in my best of the year list. Another man who is sure to find himself in year end lists is Apashe who delivers another ridiculous single ahead of Renaissance. Turning towards house, BROHUG brings us to the final true banger of this playlist, unhinged heater "Party Out."

Making the transition from house to disco both in the playlist itself and in a single track, CastNowski's "Deep Down" is fabulously funky fun. Next up in that same vein is Mercer who drops a dope bass-line on Bob Sinclar's "I Feel For You." Moving more organic, Duck Sauce's "Get To Steppin" leads us right into our finale, The Shapeshifters' follow up to "Life Is A Dancefloor," the sublime "Second Chance."


Daktyl - UNREALITY

Caribou - Suddenly

Tycho - Simulcast

Wajatta - Don't Let You Get Down

Yuksek - NOSSO RITMO

Sébastien Léger - Secrets

Colyn - Concepts Of Love

HUNTER - Floating (ft. Roshin)

Prins Thomas - Graut

HomeSick - Closer

Joris Voorn ft. HÆLOS - Messiah (J Majik Remix)

Brookes Brothers & Kove - Burn (ft. Kathy Brown)

13 - Atomic

SBK. - One Man

Apashe - Work (ft. Young Buck)

BROHUG - Party Out

CastNowski - Deep Down

Bob Sinclar - I Feel For You (Mercer Remix)

Duck Sauce - Get To Steppin

The Shapeshifters - Second Chance (ft. Kimberly Davis)

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.

Drum and Bass Playlist (April 4/16)

As I said in the previous post (Maduk - Got Me Thinking) I've been really into drum and bass lately. So I thought I'd put together a playlist of some of the drum and bass tracks I've been listening to lately: This one isn't on soundcloud but without a doubt deserves to be on this list:

Diplo & Sleepy Tom - "Be Right There" Remixes

Fridays in the electronic music world is basically heaven on earth. There's nothing better than scrolling through your email and facebook, twitter, soundcloud feeds to find and pick up so many brand new releases. This week seems to have been especially jam packed with new releases from a 6 track remix package of Diplo and Sleepy Tom's "Be Right There," to a new collab between Botnek and I See MONSTAS "Deeper Love," a 6 track original EP from Cosmo's Midnight "Moments," and 15 track remix album from The Kooks, "Hello, What's Your Name?" featuring Jack Beats, Kove, Kideko and more. The likes of Big Fish, Boombox Cartel, Flava D, Naderi, Gent & Jawns join MK for this massive release.