Enlightened Listening for August 17

We may be past the halfway mark of August and even further through summer but the heat just keeps coming. This week's edition of Enlightened Listening includes a killer lineup of releases with some legends (Method Man & Roy Of The Ravers), personal favourites (Attlas & Kotek) and rising stars (Dawg & Deathpact). As always the playlist flows from light to heavy, bright to dark and includes brief descriptions below. Click through to find downloads, support the artists and of course, enjoy!

SG Lewis - Hurting (ft. AlunaGeorge)
At times brooding, while others shimmering and bright. Truly a match made in heaven.

Devault - Steele
I'm a sucker for steel pans, but this track isn't just shiny, ear grabbing sound design, its got groove.

The Knocks - Goodbyes (ft. Method Man)
We've heard The Knocks with Cam'ron, Carly Rae Jepsen, and X Ambassadors, so it shouldn't be a surprise seeing Method Man in the mix, nor should it be surprising to hear him kill it. The real surprise? How good he is en español. Holy hell this is cool.

Kidnap - Ursa Minor (Attlas Remix)
Another out of this world production from Attlas. Par for the course aka PERFECTION.

Delerium ft. JES - Stay (Matt Lange Vocal Remix)
Speaking of par for the course, another epic, progressive masterpiece from Matt Lange. Pure puppet mastery; the dance floor does as he demands. What a mix!

Uppermost - Starslide
Those synths and that guitar. Absolutely gorgeous, uplifting stuff.

Roy Of The Ravers - Transmission 303
It's almost impossible to match "Emotinium" but this comes close. Furious, fantastic work on the 303s as this acid number winds along with its wicked groove.

Dawg - Get Back*
Viral remix master shows he's more than capable of crafting killer originals. Raw, rough and full of power. The drums slap, the piano pops and vocal chops kill. I feel like this might be the birth of a star.

The Funk Hunters ft. LIINKS - Say Something (Kotek Remix)
I've been waiting on this mix since the remix competition many months ago. Kotek is on one hell of a tear, and this mix is proof of his sensational status. Funky, fat and fun, this one leaves me in awe.

Flava D - Pick Pocket
Deep grooves that not only serve as a surefire party starter, but get your feet flying across the floor.

Deathpact - First Interference
Whoever Deathpact is, they're on some kind of a roll. Many people see "Life & Death" as the standout on Certain Kind Of Magic and that same kind of killer sound design is on display here. Incredible power, no needless repetition and godly glitches make for blistering bass that I can really groove to.

Varien x SWARM - Never Ending*
This collab had me hyped from the get go and yes it delivers. If SWARM and Deathpact are the future of the bass scene it's in good hands.

*asterisks indicate track available for free download

5 Tracks I Can't Stop Playing

I often consume music by playing the same few tracks over and over and over again. A select few tracks wake me up in the morning, clean me off in the shower, play me through making lunch, fine tune me before going out, or get me home safely. They are my most trusted tracks, and I feel like I don't share them enough, so here's five that I'm using right now. I've used Joe Goddard's album art above because these tracks are an aural home for me, their quality is comfortable beyond compare.

All of Joe Goddard's Electric Lines album is extraordinary, but "Home" is the best of the bunch. Just pure old school enjoyment. It's freeing and fun, filling my heart with love every time I hear it. It's got a cool music video to go with it too, watch here.

Better Call Saul had Todd Terje's "Alfonso Muskedunder" in this week's episode, and boy did it blow me away. The allure of this one is obvious. A 7/8 time signature with a mix of Frank Zappa and Pat Metheny, what's not to like? As above, the video (here) makes it even more enjoyable.

Came across "Emotinium" in a Boy 8-Bit mix for Annie Nightingale, and have been playing it nonstop ever since. That acid-tinged 303 line is perhaps the most mesmerizing lick I've ever come across. I like to think that Roy Of The Ravers is another one of Boy 8-Bit's many aliases (Roy Apron, R.D. Maurice, etc.) It's almost cracked my top 100 most played list already. Crazy considering its length.

Wrote about Leonce's "Flute Strike" (here) then found "Snakes" from the same Insurgency LP. First listen had me handing out 5 stars, but I really fell in love when it came on during a bike ride. I had to hear that playful lead line again, it's so catchy I couldn't help myself.

"Nightfall" came to me randomly from the Friends II release one night as I was headed to the club. Its beauty caught me right away and there was going to be nothing to stop me from hearing it again. There's some kind of magic that just grips me every time it comes on. Incredibly brilliant and beautiful.