Enlightened Listening for June 26

I know I'm more than a day late, and while I'm planning to take a few days off from blogging, I've just got to share this week's incredible new releases. Headlining this week's Enlightened Listening is a trio of albums, including Gaspard Augé's genius and epic debut, Escapades, Chromeo's killer live compilation, Date Night, and Unglued's gorgeous galactic liquid jam, Interplanetary Radio. Further standout releases come smack dab in the middle as Canadian outfits Vibrancy and Westwood Recordings bring together a ton of talents in the third edition of the Exhibits compilation series and the I Get Down With Aliens remix package, respectively. Finally, there are three more singular tracks I just have to showcase; they are Fluida's splendiferous "Refuge," voljum's insanely awesome "anemoi," and Robert Smith's remix of his song with CHVRCHES "How Not To Drown." Find those and more via the playlist below and find each individual release linked at the bottom. Have a great weekend. Enjoy!

Gaspard Augé - Escapdes

Fluida - Welcome Home

Chromeo - Date Night: Chromeo Live!

Flight Facilities ft. Channel Tres - Lights Up (Myd Remix)

Badjokes & Tambour Battant - Oui

Various Artists - Vibrancy Presents: Exhibits, Vol. 3

RUMPUS & Kid Enigma - I Get Down With Aliens (Remixes)

Posij - Superlative

Markka - Colours (Stranjah Remix)

Unglued - Interplanetary Radio

voljum - dayscapes

CHVRCHES ft. Robert Smith - How Not To Drown (Robert Smith Remix)

Enlightened Listening for June 4

After a week off, we return to our new music playlist in a big way. This week's edition of Enlightened Listening features fifteen releases, largely in the funky sphere, but gets further driving and dark the deeper it goes. If there is one theme, it is the guitar (bass and otherwise). The oft underused instrument plays a varied role in several of this week's standout tracks, including particularly enjoyable iterations from ARTY, Myd and Lamorn. The latter mau5trap release, along with singles from Gaspard Augé and Rampa, and minds&machines' "Resurrected" make up my favourite four tracks of the week. The final third of the playlist, which holds all of the longer releases, features the second sensational EP from Hyunji-A in as many weeks, the deadly good debut EP from Afterlife & Tale Of Us founder Anyma, and another epic delivery from Drumstone, who continue to amaze at every turn. Finally, there's a massive compilation in Interzone that features killer new content from Cardopusher, Gesaffelstein, Djedjotronic and more! Stream everything now below and find each release linked individually at the bottom. 

CHVRCHES - How Not To Drown (ft. Robert Smith)

ARTY - One Night Away

Elohim - Strut (Myd Remix)

Lamorn - Physical Layer

Jessie Ware - Hot N Heavy

David Penn - Lift Your Hands Up (ft. Ramona Renea)

Gaspard Augé - Vox

Xinobi - Birds & Smoke

Rampa - The Church

Booka Shade - Essential Chrome

Hyunji-A - Chapter One

minds&machines - Resurrected

Anyma - Sentient

Drumstone - Freedom Call

Various Artists - Interzone

The Cure - Lullaby (Rayko Special Poison Re-Edit)

My love for The Cure has been pretty well documented on this blog, so it should come as little surprise that when I came across this albeit rough re-edit from Rayko, I just had to share it. A dark and dirty take on the already twisted and irksome 1989 single from Disintegration ("The best album ever"), Spaniard Rayko has re-spun "Lullaby" with a miasmatic mixture of baleful bass and septic sound effects.

Running more than twice as long as the original Gothic genius, the extended intro of this mix allows for Rayko's reconstruction to take hold in your head, still primarily led by the guitar grooves. However this is the first time fans of The Cure will likely be critical of the mix, as the new rattling bass and punchy percussion push the unmistakable lead of "Lullaby" deeper into the mixture of sounds. That said its familiarity never entirely evaporates but rather, near the 2:30 mark, the mix (led by web-spinning synth effects) becomes cleaner and clearer, running closer to the original.

Unfortunately, this does not last long as once Robert Smith's eerie vocals come in, the mix is once again muddied. I will say however, that this could be an artistic choice that is meant to mesh with the murkiness of the drug themes and metonymy of addiction and depression in "Lullaby." It's likely Rayko has pushed his "Poison Re-Edit" this way and certainly, from that perspective, it is successful. I cannot be upset with this edit. At worst it is a welcome reminder and cool creative take on one of my favourite Cure tracks; at best, an ingenious effort that builds upon The Cure's killer, cannibalistic "Spiderman."
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