Enlightened Listening for July 19

Once again I'm overwhelmed by the amount of music this Friday (and the rest of the week) brought. So, just as with last week's Enlightened Listening I've got to keep it short and simply draw focus to a few of the 16 releases showcased in the playlist below. Early on there's a couple cool orchestral and orchestral-adjacent cuts, each incredibly well produced. Later on we get Baltra's brilliant and massive album Ted which I believe would play perfectly as you cruise the streets at night. Directly following that we get funky with Sparkee and Tuxedo, the former being absolutely fantastic through all four parts. "The Kids" has already become an anthem of mine this summer, and I totally foresee "Want Your Love" doing the same. After those two funk fiestas come three jaw droppers. "Heaven" is instantly one of my favourite tracks of the year, and why not, its got everything. The same goes for "No Price" which can boast Chromeo and Dr Packer on a single track. Rounding out that trio, Madeaux comes through with perhaps my favourite production of his in "I Want You." Once again he absolutely slays the sub-bass, sending shivers down my spine. After that is an unadulterated foursome of fire progressing from the power of Dillon Nathaniel through to X&G's electrifying design. All that and more below.

Enlightened Listening for September 21

Holy funky Friday Batman! What another blessed week for releases. There's killer tracks from Apashe, Boys Noize, Chris Lake, along with the resurrections of both The Dove and Nicky Da B. A masterful album from Ryan Hemsworth. A mindblowing midtempo compilation from some of the best in the game plus funk from NAMPA, Midas Hutch and 2ToneDisco. Stream this week's Enlightened Listening in the playlist below, read brief descriptions, grab free downloads where available and enjoy!

NAMPA - Babymood
What's in the water that makes the French so funky? This one has me smiling from ear to ear, as both the vocals and production tickle my heartstrings. Feels like Aeroplane's mix of "The Piper's Song."

Midas Hutch - The Feels
We've already heard (and fallen in love) with a couple of these cuts, but six tracks are truly a treat, nailing the EP's title. Perfect for a sunset stream, sharing some drinks with friends.

Ryan Hemsworth - Elsewhere
This man can do it all, and this album is perfect proof of that fact. Just look at the number of tracks and artists, and the overall quality of each. Indie and pop at the same time. And those switch ups, damn!

MEMBA - Stand Off (ft. Ehiorobo)
These guys have been on the come up for a while so it's awesome to see them on Monstercat. While I continue to grow less and less interested in future bass, there's no arguing the killer quality of MEMBA's sound design, nor their ability to work with and around vocalists.

2ToneDisco - Love Automatica (ft. Chandler Blasé)*
So funky chiptune disco you say? No wonder I'm on board. Even when it's drawn back and Blasé takes the lead I can't help but tap my toes. Then when it all comes together, that's true love.

A-Trak ft. Todd Terry - DJs Gotta Dance More (Cassius Burnin' Mix)
Took me a bit to dig the last mix of this track, but when I heard the 15 second teaser for this one I immediately knew this was going to be for me. Legends on legends on legends. Sure to get more than just the DJs dancing, I can see everyone from the security to the bar staff grooving out to this.

Chris Lake & Green Velvet - Deceiver
Did someone say legends? Because we've got another killer collab here. Clean yet dirty. Simple yet strong. No big surprises here just another potent production to add to each of these veterans' catalogs.

Apashe - Do It (ft. Black Prez)
Is this really the first Apashe original since Requiem? Clearly he's been perfecting this and it shows. Another unreal ominous soundscape with viscous, violent drops and a dope vocal delivery.

Various Artists - Blood Moon*
Of the seven artists on this EP, I've covered or played everyone except No Etiquette, but their track has me digging for more. All these tracks reek of destruction, despair, dread, death and other dark D words.

The Dove - Vault Traxx
Hold up! The Dove is back?! It's hard to match the viral quality of "Girl At A Party With Siren" but these two new tracks are both in the same vein as that original Twin Turbo release. Pure party power.

Wuki - Go Deep (ft. Nicky Da B)
There have been a handful of tracks with this name, but Wuki may have just won the title with this banger. The bass line is wicked sick, sure to have you moving at one hell of a clip, and might just leave the whole club jumping as it slaps stupid strong.

Boys Noize - Killer (ft. Stephen A. Clark)
Last year Seal and Adamski's acid house classic got new life with an incredible orchestral touch from Pete Tong and Jules Buckley, now Boys Noize has brought it back to the executionary electronic sphere. Full of life with Clark's vocals and that perfect piano touch which opposes the exceptionally dark drums and cut-throat chords.  Some classics will never die and this one deserves to live on in eternity.

* asterisks indicate free download

Enlightened Listening for August 10

Oh Fridays how I love you. Not only the promise of the weekend, but the new music you bring. No one can touch you. This week's edition of Enlightened Listening sees so many of my favourite artists dropping tracks. There's a couple incredible originals, awesome edits, mad mashups, and re-remixes. Look out for free downloads where available, stream away and read short descriptions below. ENJOY!

Savoir Adore - When The Summer Ends (Element Remix)*
I've been loving the range and diversity of Element's output and this only further exemplifies that. No it's not a trap banger, but yes it does indeed go off. A baile beauty.

MEMBA - Flash
Slaps and grooves with wacky wild design and the usual out of the world atmosphere. MEMBA are no flash in the pan talent, they just keep churning out quality at every corner.

Drake - Sandra's Rose (Crimsen Ghetto Remix)*
Not an "In My Feelings" mix? Yes, such a thing exists. Dope drum work and movement makes this an epic, dirty, dance all night kind of club cut. Kudos Crimsen!

618 - What You Do (Boe Boe Remix) [Sweater Disco Re-Remix]*
Another grooved out club cut, reliant on top notch percussion play. Sweater Disco doing what he does best, tweaking things to his liking, in this remix of a remix.

El Coco - Mondo Disco (Greg Wilson & Henry Greenwood Rework)
Drove home from the cottage last weekend to Greg Wilson's massive 3 hour Melting Pot set (here) and I never enjoyed leaving a cottage more. Not much to say here except enjoy this genius groove.

Piano&Specs - Flowtation Satellite*
Crafty combiners Piano&Specs caught my attention nearly a year ago with their "Sweet Dark Silence." Again they offer up an inspired rave classic made even more magical with provocative piano.

Tiga & Zyntherius - Sunglasses At Night (Dimitri Veimar Remix)
Turbo Recordings are on quite a roll and fairly so, they've got 20 years under their belts. From the package that includes Dense & Pika and Techno Seleba, I'm partial to Dimitri Veimar's mix. It keeps enough of the catchiness of the original, and Corey Hart namesake, while electrifying it to perfection.

Trentino & Usica - Cryme*
While I'll always think of Trentino as a DJ first, I've really come to love his productions. His remix of "La Player" hits my heart every time I hear it. Teaming up with Usica, who we've heard with friend of Bump In The Hump BLANSH, this track takes me back to the wild, and wicked bangers that Botnek used to drop with regularity. Drums and design on point, this one rocks hard and drops even harder.

Daft Punk - Robot Rock (KŸB Flip)*
The quality of Daft Punk's original will never cease to amaze me. Raw and ridiculously enjoyable, while the game has changed in the 13 years since its release, it's heartening to hear KŸB bring that same unvarnished intensity and gut-punch power to this killer recasting. Bass faces incoming!

*asterisks indicate track available for free download

Missy Elliott - Freak (MEMBA Bootleg)

Nearly two months to the day I first came across NYC duo MEMBA, through their original production "Middle Man." Today they've dropped a bootleg mix of Missy Elliott's oft edited classic "Get Ur Freak On." While I only count a handful of elements supporting the salacious vocals of Misdemeanor, it's actually perfect. It leaves room for her snappy flow to really hit, only further encouraging a rap-along from the crowd. Each one of these elements works wonderfully as a guide to groove to; I can easily envision entire dance-floors bobbing, wobbling and shaking to this. Perhaps the most ingenious element of MEMBA's production comes in their use of Missy's percussive flow leading into the eponymous line "Get Ur Freak On." Grab the booty shaking bootleg free from ToneDen, here.FOLLOW MEMBA: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

MEMBA - Middle Man (ft. Asher Don)

New York duo MEMBA has been making waves over the last while with wildly unique blends of trap, hip hop, future bass, R&B, and world dance beats. And while their place in genres may be up for debate, their production ability is not. Even if you were to click around aimlessly through their Soundcloud catalog, you'd almost instantly realize that these two are changing the game with stunningly crisp and otherworldly sounds. It was this craftsmanship that caught my attention with literally the first note of their latest production, "Middle Man" featuring Asher Don. The swooping/scooping synth is scary satisfying and alluring, especially as its countered by the teasing top line. This mixture makes me imagine a cross between SBTRKT and Wendy Carlos. Its ebbing and flowing waves splash around my head like swells of psychedelic hallucinations causing me to react like the music video. It's impossible not to get sucked up this sublime mixture of sounds and lurid lyrics. Add Asher Don's attack and you've got a track that is sure to capture the consciousness of all that come into its contact. As if this magical mixture were not enough to have your heart palpitating it is available for free via ToneDen, here.FOLLOW MEMBA: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW ASHER DON: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER