Enlightened Listening for July 26

It's that time of the week, however the moment passed me on a busy day and I was unable to get this edition of Enlightened Listening posted on its proper day. Adding further insult to injury, I've got a massively bruised thumb so typing has been difficult. That said, the music goes on and you can find an epic playlist of new tunes below. Highlights include: Above & Beyond with Seven Lions; an 8-track album from Hot Since 82; remixes of Elephant Heart's "Lenguas" from Justin Jay and Kotek; the final two parts of Kotek's Sonoglyph Pt. 1 EP; a four-pack of fantastic singles from Bakermat, Friendly Fires, The Knocks & DJ Shadow; and DnB from Sub Focus and Bensley via his Muskoka LP. Enjoy!

Enlightenment Listening for May 3

May blooms bring a beautiful mixture of disco, house, trance and techno. This week's Enlightened Listening includes many of my favourites. Louis La Roche, Yuksek, Dombresky, warner case and Röyksopp get us started with some warm tunes and intoxicating dance numbers. Next up is the second such compilation from TOKiMONSTA's label Young Art Records with the likes of RYAN Playground, Soul Clap, L-Vis 1990, Robotaki and more. After that comes Nathan Micay's incredible Blue Spring album. Finally we close with two top notch techno EPs from mau5trap and Afterlife. Enjoy below.

Louis La Roche & Mylo - Lovers (Mylo Edit)

Yuksek - Cadenza (ft. Polo & Pan)

Dombresky - Simple Hit

warner case & Vin Damato - right with the groove

Röyksopp - Church (Lost Tapes)

Various Artists - Young Art Sound II

Nathan Micay - Blue Spring

i_o - Death By Techno

ROD - Brighten Up Bunny

Throwback Thursday: Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again EP

Yesterday Swedish singer, songwriter and producer, Robyn broke a long silence unleashing "Missing U" on Annie Mac's show on BBC Radio One. With additional production from Metronomy's Joseph Mount and Teddybears' Klas Ahlund, it is as triumphant a return as one can conceive. It shines spectacular, overflowing with warmth and, as with any Robyn led track, leaves you shaken to the core.
With that in mind, I figured it great excuse to throwback to my favourite work from her, perhaps the greatest collaborative EP ever, Do It Again with Norwegian duo Rökysopp. The 5 track 2014 release is beyond brilliant, both from a pure musical standpoint and of course a vocal/lyrical point of view. The massive, and indeed magical opening number "Monument" is an uber cool creation. Oozing with atmosphere and luxuriant with love it straddles the line between electronic epic and performance art. The drum work, billowing belly of bass, and sax solo make it unlike any production I've ever heard, but my favourite bit has to be Röyksopp's treatment of Robyn's vocals.

Drifting away from this dreamy musical masterpiece, the second track "Sayit" is a club killer. Raucous and raunchy it is the black sheep of the EP, yet sets up my favourite track, the undeniable earworm that is "Do It Again." Also club tilted, it is a sensational stomper that again showcases stunning production and Robyn's resplendent vocals. The rave atmosphere so easily sweeps you off your feet, that you're powerless to its playful potency. At the time of its release I was working a landscaping job and I would often follow its titular task and play it on repeat for incredible lengths.

The fourth track "Every Little Thing" is again a stunning success. Like its predecessors it's overflowing with instrumentation, much of it mere backing but undeniable in its impact. Once again going back for a more expansive, live performance feel, rather than a club cut, it leads into another epic bookend "Inside The Idle Hour Club." Expansive and atmospheric it is a loving, let us down easy kind of finale, full of warmth and poise. Do yourself a favour and give Do It Again a play if you haven't already.FOLLOW ROBYN: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW RÖYKSOPP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

5 Star Tracks Playlist (Updated)

It's been a crazy week for me, in which I've been away from the internet for the vast majority, and have had to postpone the fourth, season premiere of Bump In The Hump (now set to launch June 1st). Despite being absent from the internet, I've never been far from the music. So I thought I'd get back to filling out my recent "5 Star Tracks" playlist on Soundcloud. I've added 15 tracks to the original 5, many of which are free downloads. While not all of the tracks are brand new, they are newly confirmed 5 star tracks in my iTunes playlist and tracks that I felt simply needed to be showcased.  You may notice tracks that I've already posted about (Ashes Of Love, Karma, Pearl Sun, and Let Disco), but you'll also find tracks so new I haven't been able to post about (The Saint, Golden Era, Middle, Better, Hardware Passion, and Hello). There's also tracks I've already played on Bump In The Hump (All Night, 9, and Give It Time), finally there are older tracks that I just happened across that I cannot get enough of (Helen, and Sordid Affair).

Get more of my playlists for literal days of listening at my Soundcloud, here.