Enlightened Listening for May 22

In this 11th lockdown edition of Enlightened Listening I've compiled nine new releases, each banging in their own right. There's EPs from GANZ and Juelz, a killer new Skepta collab with Jme, a couple hard hitting house cuts from Dr. Fresch and BIJOU, the legendary likes of Bassnectar and Feed Me, as well as a trio of rising talents in JOOL, Skrybe & Slooze. It's a simple yet strong lineup with no description necessary. Rage away below and if you're outside flail wildly so people don't come too close.

GANZ - Lost Boys

Jme & Skepta - Nang

Juelz - High Octane

Apashe ft. Instasamka - Uebok (Gotta Run) [Bassnectar Remix]

JOOL & Skrybe - Aquila

Dr. Fresch - It Don't Stop (ft. Andre Nickatina)

BIJOU & Kaleena Zanders - One Life

Feed Me - New Shoes

Slooze - Evolution

A-Trak - Hollerboard Redux Set

There's no debating A-Trak's spot on the Mount Rushmore of DJs. You could literally spend days, if not weeks, enjoying his wide range of sets and mixes. Back in October of 2015 he dropped his "Bloghaus Revival Mix," with the followup coming about about six months later, here. While he didn't directly reference the Erol Alkan forum, it no doubt played part in the track selection as a hub for electronic music aficionados from around 2007-2009. Last night he released a recording of a September 28th set in Philadelphia entitled "Hollerboard Redux Set."

As he mentions in the description, this Hollerboard Redux party arose from the message board of the same name, based around Diplo and Low Budget's Hollertronix parties. Before Soundcloud and EDM, it was message boards and forums like Erol Alkan's and Hollerboard where DJs and fans alike shared mashups and "lesser-known regional styles," bringing incredible creativity and experimentation to DJ sets. The result below, a mix of tracks from the Hollerboard Era and new songs with the same spirit, is one of the widest ranging sets you'll ever hear. Where else are you going to get Billy Joel pitted against A$AP Rocky & Skepta in the same hour as Justin Timberlake, Parliament, Bloc Party and Kraftwerk.
The back and forth in the mix is incredible. One minute you're popping off to Cajmere "Percolator" the next your gliding across the floor to A-Trak's ABBA aided "Voulez-Vous" or pumping up the jam before releasing the beast on Hall & Oates. That said, A-Trak's made all of those transitions fit together better than PB&J. Like Kid Sister's "Pro Nails," which he helped write, this mix is dressed to the nines, "toes done up with her finger nails matchin'." Just one look at the massive tracklist, almost as wide as it is tall, and you'll realize what kind of treat you're in for. It's some serious "Laffy Taffy" as A-Trak's journey is sure to leave your head spinning.

Finally, as writing this A-Trak tweeted out a list of his DJ sets from Hollerboard to Bloghaus to Rap and Cut It Out (here). If you've missed any of these, make sure to save or download for your holiday parties!

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Enlightened Listening for September 14

Another Friday, another top notch day for releases. This week's Enlightened Listening includes EPs and album we already enjoyed singles from (Bob Moses, Dizzee Rascal, Aphex Twin, and Djedjotronic), remixes of tracks we love (Djemba Djemba, Gerd Janson, Babert, Sultan + Shepard, and Friction) and some of our favourites artists in (Harrison, BIJOU, Masayoshi Iimori and Sub Focus with Dimension). Once again I've attempted to curate the 46 tracks and 3+ hours of content into a flowing movement while obviously albums break that up. Individuals releases below along with short descriptions.

Bob Moses - Battle Lines
Fantastic follow up album. Not a collection of singles but a brilliant story led by Tom Howie's lyrics. Worthy multiple listens, done easily through the wonderfully woven, chill connective tissue.

Harrison - Your Girl (ft. Ralph)
Beautiful, chill funk with just enough snap to keep you coming back for more. Harrison's album is really starting to take shape.

Kiesza - Phantom Of The Dancefloor (Djemba Djemba Remix)
The Stuart Price (Jacques Lu Cont) produced single enjoys an update from previous Kiesza collaborator Djemba Djemba. Sparkling, spritely, futuristic fun this one warms my heart.

SG Lewis ft. AlunaGeorge - Hurting (Gerd Janson Remix)
Would not have guessed that "Hurting" would be this good as 118 club tweeker but here we are thanks to Gerd Janson who continues to stay hot. ICYMI check out his "Neutron Dance" mix from last month.

Purple Disco Machine - Dished (Male Stripper) [Babert Italo Disco Remix]
My favourite of the new remix package. Stay closest and is in my eyes the most well suited to the original. A wonderfully, warm bouncy ride that you never want to end.

Aevion - Wild Safari
The most feels from whatever is making that oh so safari sound, and I don't mean the elephant-esque horns, the bird cries, or the tribal chanting. Wreaks of wide open spaces and wild energy.

Fatboy Slim - Gangster Trippin (Sultan + Shepard Remix)
The duo keeps updating the past and keeps doing it well. The energy and allure of the original stays strong while this new version pops off with an extra ounce of oomph.

BIJOU - Super Phat
One of bass/G-house's finest artists on arguably bass/G-house's best label. Four equally intimidating and mean banging bass tracks with just the right amount of swing to leave the crowd in the lurches.

K+Lab - I Can't Wait (ft. Phonik Ops & Jakeda)
Westwood comes through again with stanky sax and gritty glitch hop grooves. Fire funk.

Dizzee Rascal - Don't Gas Me
Big productions in the title track and "Money Right," which is immediately one of my favourite tracks of the year, two legends atop a sick beat. Skepta has one hell of a production ear.

Masayoshi Iimori - Flow
Masayoshi is like a mad scientist, when his monstrous creations come to life they can bring worldwide destruction and this one does some serious damage.

Aphex Twin - Collapse
There is no one quite like Aphex Twin and we're reminded of that fact again. Where working with seemingly ethereal synths or their darker dirtier counterparts he always crafts something of uncommon value. Tweak out to these five tracks and feel your brain collapse in on itself.

Sub Focus & Dimension - Desire (Only on Youtube in Canada)
Every time these two legends meet up magic is made. Screams of the good old days especially when you have to watch on UKF's youtube.

Tom Grennan - Found What I've Been Looking For (Friction 'Back To 92' Mix)
Another nostalgia laced DnB track. Friction has absolutely nailed the raw energetic ethos of those days.

Djedjotronic - R.U.R
I've never encountered a techno album quite like this one. Djedjotronic is an absolute wizard, authoring some of the most enticing and electrifying releases of the year. There are no holes, only puzzles pieces of a greater whole that is all kinds of awesome.

Nuvaman & Gallah - Molotov

I've been following Grime relatively closely on this blog, or at least its growth in popularity and reach. This rise comes as no surprise when there's quality tracks like Nuvaman & Gallah's "Molotov" being produced with more regularity than ever before. In fact I'd expect more as Google Trends now indicates that we hit peak Grime saturation just last month (see here). It certainly seems that Skepta, Stormzy, Wiley and others have broken down the barriers, so much so that not just vocal Grime tracks are popular, but instrumentals are becoming more standard too. I cannot say how happy this makes me to be able to hear new, quality Grime like this so often.

It's no wonder Nuvaman and Gallah are both from the UK, as the Grime instincts seem to run deep, pulsing through their veins. And as with all good Grime tracks, there's some ominous, creeping fear harvested throughout. These two nail that horror element perfectly.  The percussion is so on point crackling like leaves underfoot, building on the atmosphere already established with squawking crows. But then there's the strings that, ever present in Grime, overwhelm with unease. And it's that disquiet that makes your throbbing heart beat match with the wobbling bass. If that doesn't get you going, you may already be dead. Grab "Molotov" now from Pitch Rider Records' Inside The Ride Vol. 1, here.FOLLOW GALLAH: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Flipout - Grimy As F*ck Mix

2016 may very well be the year Grime, in large part thanks to Skepta breaking through the mainstream with his Mercury Prize winning album, Konnichiwa. According to Google Trends, Grime music hit its peak in February 2006, but has seen two spikes in February and September of this year. The increase in appetite for Grime is likely tied to the continued growth of bass driven electronic music, and key collaborations with the likes of Drake and Earl Sweatshirt. 2016 has also seen the re-emergence of Grime forefathers Dizzee Rascal and Kano. It's also brought us unbelievable images of Stormzy performing in the rain for thousands of fans at the legendary Roskilde Festival in Denmark (watch live videos of Shut Up and Know Me From here). And of course there's the widespread commercial success of Skepta's "Shutdown." I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard it in DJ sets, mixtapes and yes, even on the radio.

With all that in mind, one of Canada's best DJs and MCs, Vancouver based Flipout has now thrown two separate Grime focused parties. The first of which he recorded and has posted to his mixcloud (below). It's got a number of tracks from the aforementioned Grime acts as well as a slew of lesser known mixes. It's an intense and utterly enjoyable, near two hours of grime on grime on grime. Flipout is one of the best tastemakers and musical curators Canada has to offer, so I highly suggest checking out more of his mixcloud, and giving him a follow on his socials below.

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