Enlightened Listening for July 9

After skipping last week, Enlightened Listening is back with more than four hours of new music that you need to hear. Closing the book on last week, I'll note that Daktyl's "Hyperion" is from then, but I prefer it to the new single from his forthcoming mixtape. It, like so much of this week's playlist, features an incredible energy, a wicked vibe, and dope drums.

The other theme appears to be long-form releases (LPs or mixtapes) with Hybrid, Wizard, DJ Ride, and Attacca Quartet, each crafting a unique, cool, and compelling journey. Rounding out that first half, I've gotta give a tip of the hat to Ninajirachi's NLV/Sable Valley release, which is an absolute gas.

Still, the dope drums persist into the second half of the playlist as things get a touch more spacey with an awesome yehno remix package, another unreal Skream ifeel EP, and an Amtrac solo effort on OPENERS. Turning more dancey, and ever more groovy, the playlist continues with intoxicating originals from KUU and Peggy Gou, and a trio of top-notch remixes from Tensnake, Gerd Janson, and ABSOLUTE. Finally, the cherry on top, Chilly Gonzales with one that's sure to make you grin, "Music Is Back." Dig in now below and find each individual release linked at the bottom. Have a great weekend!

Hybrid - Black Halo

Daktyl - Hyperion

Wizard - Viper

tails - tic tac toe (ft. laye & Kelland)

Ninajirachi - Dracodraco

DJ Ride - ENRO

Attacca Quartet - Real Life

Polaris - Love Letter

yehno - Tomorrow We'll Be Here Remixes

Skream - Instakord

Amtrac - Outer Station Support

KUU - Voices

Anti Up - Sensational (Tensnake Remix)

Peggy Gou - I Go

Flight Facilities - The Ghost (Remixes)

Chilly Gonzales - Music Is Back

Enlightened Listening for June 18

It's the weekend and that means it's time for another edition of Enlightened Listening. Headlining this week's new music playlist, and accounting for more than half of its tracks, is the simply massive Defected Presents House Masters compilation made up of a ton of Todd Edwards' legendary catalogue. He's not not the only time-tested and trusted talent here however, as Chromeo, Booka Shade and Blawan each deliver incredible new records. Young guns like TSHA, Simon Doty, Broken Future and STUND don't disappoint either. That said, I feel like I'd be doing a disservice if I didn't give Skream and DJ Deeon's releases specific shine, as they are both brilliant and mind-blowing, each and every track, particularly in regards to the percussion. Top quality stuff from top to bottom, stream the playlist, curated for optimal flow, below and find each individual release linked at the bottom. Have a great weekend!

TSHA - OnlyL (ft. NIMMO)

Myd - Loverini (ft. L'Impératrice)

Chromeo - Count Me Out / Jealous (I Ain't With It) [Live In New York City]

SG Lewis ft. Lucky Daye - Feed The Fire (Kapote Remix)

Various Artists - Defected Presents House Masters: Todd Edwards

HolloH - Arp De Triomphe

Simon Doty - Solaris

Booka Shade - Heart Of Stone

Mr. Sosa - Paradox

Skream - Trees

Overmono - BMW Track / So U Kno

DJ Deeon - Destiny

Blawan - Soft Waahls

Oppidan - Motorola

Broken Future & STUND - Benz Friends

Enlightened Listening for February 5

With the first Friday of the month comes Bandcamp day and another edition of Enlightened Listening hosted on said platform. Sorted alphabetically and ranging from dubstep & grime to disco & DnB, this week's crop is highlighted by Skream's massive third and final installment in his Unreleased Classics series. It features two of Skream's most sought after weapons and WIPs, "Lemon" and "Requestline VIP." Staying with sonic assassins, there are further hard hitters from Abstrakt Sonance, Lunice and TRENCH FOOT. However, I have to give Laces "The Ridge" and the Nothingnice & Hayz collab "Hawkeye" their own shine as their shiver-inducing quality has led them to be stuck in my head. Taking a lighter, more lush turn, Emissive, Jesse Futerman and Aeroplane, paint with an incredible array of colours, each soulful and soothing in their own sublime style. Find each individual release linked below along with a Bandcamp stream where applicable...

Abstrakt Sonance - Deja Vu (ft. Trigga)

Emissive - City Of Rooms

Jesse Futerman ft. Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Luckey

Kraak & Smaak ft. Izo FitzRoy - Twilight (Aeroplane Remix)

Laces - The Ridge

Lunice - Run Around

Nothingnice & Hayz - Hawkeye

Skream - Unreleased Classics Vol. 3

TRENCH FOOT - FORESTVIEW

Top 100 Tracks Of 2020: 100-76

Starting today through New Year's Eve (Thursday), I'll be revealing my list of the "Top 100 Tracks Of 2020." The following is my disclaimer, as I feel it important to preface this kind of list with some insight into its creation and the methodology behind it. While I spent a lot of time seriously pouring through this year of music, this is not really a serious endeavour. No one was polled. Sales and streams are irrelevant. This is merely my fun way of sharing the tracks and artists that made my year better, in hopes they do the same for you. The rankings are not scientific or even fair, rather they are simply a reflection of how strongly I felt these tracks and how much praise I felt they deserved. 

You'll notice the thread of disco/funk continues to run through these year-end lists, while DnB and breaks appear more than ever before. Another trend continues as we see a further diminishing amount of club-type tracks included, primarily as circumstances changed consumption and led to the vast majority of my musical enjoyment coming on my many escapist bike rides. That said, the power of some of these tracks is unavoidable as they will assuredly kill when clubs come back.

Finally, I will once again say that this is by no means an exhaustive list; there are without a doubt exceptional tunes that somehow failed to make the cut. However, onward and, in this case, downward, from tracks 100 to 76 we go. Find the Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#100: Weiss & Harry Romero - Where Do We Go?

An early summer earworm. Makes masterful use of the sample from Alan Parsons Project "Games People Play." Not overly inventive or banging, but rather slick, smooth and altogether enjoyable. The first of many house tracks in this list that captured my heart this year, even if only for a moment.

#99: HAIM - I Know Alone

While it's been half a decade since I spent day after day with HAIM and Days Are Gone, the sisters and their work with Ariel Rechtshaid and Rostam Batmanglij remain close to my heart. A toss-up as both this and "Now I'm In It" are perfect for 2020, I landed on this garage joint thanks to its catchy, crisp and crackling production and overall atmosphere.

#98: MERCER - Lemonade

Fabulous French filter disco house. Almost too slick. Undeniably good and groovy. The kind of track that has you tapping your toes uncontrollably and later leaves you humming its magnificent melody.

#97: Nikki Nair - 3XL

An acid-induced fever dream. Propelled by Nair's potent percussion and scintillating synths. Like so many of the tracks in this year's list, "3XL" is all about the journey. There's no skipping ahead to a dope drop or sick section, rather one has to ride out this rolling wave of resplendence.

#96: SBK. - One Man

Perhaps the most ominous and irksome track in this list. Spine-tingling strings, all kinds of ingenious percussive hits and of course the equally screwface and shiver-inducing sub-bass. Truly diabolic dubstep.

#95: Soda State - Midnight

Among the year's most fun and funky productions. I know nothing about Soda State, nor had I ever heard them before this, however their inclusion in Magic Tape 98 made for an incredible introduction. An awesome mix of pop sensibilities alongside retro dance resplendence.

#94: SOSA - The Sax

A track so infectious that I can turn a blind eye to its misleading moniker. The trumpet (not sax) top-line is awesome, as are its babbling vocal bits, but it is the way those two elements play with the rollicking percussion that makes this track one of the year's best house offerings. Like many on this list, I expect this would have ranked much higher were clubbing possible in 2020.

Enlightened Listening for November 20

We've made it through another week, and with that comes another edition of Enlightened Listening. Keeping things quick this week, I'll simply say that we've got a glut of great new releases from several of my favourites, including an 18-track album from Dance System that features India Jordan, Hudson Mohawke, UNIIQU3 and ABSOLUTE., and that's just the first four tracks! The playlist opens with awesome EPs from Rhett and Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas and continues with an incredible run of remixes around two collaborations from PAX & Gorgon City and Lee Foss, Detlef & Anabel Englund. Arranged for maximum flow, stream the playlist below and find each individual release at the bottom.

Rhett - All Ocean

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - III

Shuya Okino ft. Navasha Daya - Still In Love (Remixes)

Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby - Levitating (KUU Remix)

SeeMeNot - Chez Renee (Joe Goddard Remix)

PAX & Gorgon City - Alive

Route 94 ft. L Divine - Sad Songs (Skream Remix)

Romy - Lifetime (Planningtorock 'Let It Happen' Remix)

Lee Foss, Detlef & Anabel Englund - Thunder & Lightning

For Those I Love - I Have A Love (Overmono Remix)

Dance System - Where's The Party At?

High Contrast ft. Kae Tempest & Anita Blay - Time Is Hardcore (Remixes)

Enlightened Listening for October 9

Time continues to somehow both fly and drag along, and here we are at yet another Friday. Despite being a mere nine releases, this edition of Enlightened Listening stretches over 4.5 hours and features 50+ tracks. On the album side of things, there's an insanely stacked lineup of Foals remixes, Machinedrum's highly anticipated followup to Human Energy, Mat Zo's triumphant return to Anjunabeats, and the killer collaboration of Sub Focus and Wilkinson. On the shorter side, ASHE delivers a divine EP to mau5trap, just as Amtrac, Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, Planningtorock and Skream supply sensational remixes of their own. Dig into it all below and have a great weekend!

ASHE - Clairvoyance

Foals - Collected Reworks Vol. 3

Machinedrum - A View Of U

Amtrac - Madness To Mayhem (Amtrac's Steady Mix)

Jaga Jazzist - Apex (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas Remix)

Zhala - Holes (Planningtorock Remix)

Paul Woolford & Diplo ft. Kareen Lomax - Looking For Me (Skream Remix)

Mat Zo - Illusion Of Depth

Sub Focus & Wilkinson - Portals

Enlightened Listening for August 21

Yet another week has come and gone and what a legend-laced edition of Enlightened Listening it left for us. Kölsch, Four Tet, Cerrone, Frankie Knuckles, Boys Noize, Skream, Keys N Krates, Netsky and DJ Zinc all released new tracks. Yes, you read that right; basically everything in this week's wrap up is from a legend. And even those whose names don't quite carry the same weight have delivered laudable productions. While I obviously recommend each release included in the playlist below, I'd be remiss if I didn't specifically shout out the awesome ATTLAS remix package, which gives four equally inspired takes on "Half Light." Dig into this week's Enlightened Listening below and have a great weekend!

Anderholm - Delirious

Kölsch - While Waiting For Something To Care About / Now Here No Where

Tame Impala - Is It True (Four Tet Remix)

ATTLAS ft. Alisa Xayalith - Half Light (Remixes)

Duke Dumont ft. RY X - Let Me Go (Cerrone Remix)

Frankie Knuckles - Carefree (I Am A Star)

Frustra - Southbank

Willaris K. ft. WaveIQ - Chapel (Boys Noize Remix)

Franc Moody - Flesh And Blood (Skream Lockdown Autonomic Remix)

Keys N Krates - Double Dutch

Netsky - Mixed Emotions (ft. Montell2099)

DJ Zinc - Out Of Control (ft. Kudu Blue)

Enlightened Listening for June 5

Bandcamp continues to flex on its counterparts by once again waiving its revenue share today. So with that in mind I'm once again turning my weekly new release series Enlightened Listening to Bandcamp.

As with previous editions, I've simply listed the releases below as there is no playlist system for a single embed (a la Spotify). Of the 20 releases cataloged below, a large number are pay what you want and even more are donating the collected proceeds to charity. In the list you'll find plenty of DnB and jungle type tracks, a bunch of edit packs, a couple compilations and even a mix.

Of course I'm recommending each and every of these releases, but I'm particularly fond of the edit packs from dope, Nike Bike & The Patchouli Brothers, the Skream & Tom Demac EP, Ryan Hemsworth's 100% unreleased mix, and the Swing Ting Remixes & Rarities compilation.

Finally, I'll close by recommending you check out the music being shared on Twitter today as this is but a mere drop in the ocean of excellent offerings out there. Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Ase Manual - janet

Channel 2 - Rocksteady 007

Channel 2 - Rocksteady 008

Dioptrics - Dactylian*

dope - Beats & Bootlegs*

Jaymie Silk - Club Mermaid

Levrige - Glazed*

LUXXURY - Set Me Free*

MA1 - Collection 1

Nick Bike - June 2020 Edits*

The Patchouli Brothers - Spare Change Edits Vol. 2*

Ryan Hemsworth - Defend + Defund*

SBK. - Burn*

Schematic - Creep / Yeah, What?

Skream & Tom Demac - EMF

Smoove & Turrell - Stratos Bleu

Stereo Mars - Running Back

Various Artists - No Justice No Peace*

Various Artists - Remixes & Rarities*

UNIIQU3 - DIGITAL DIVA

Asterisk indicates that proceeds from these sales will be directed to Black Lives Matter, the George Floyd Memorial fund, the NAACP and other charitable organizations. Check individual releases for their respective destinations.

Enlightened Listening for March 27

We're returning to as close to a normal edition of Enlightened Listening as we can during this COVID-19 pandemic. This week's playlist opens with a trio of exceptional albums, dives deep into dance before turning to techno and hard hitting house. There's a bunch of big names and a whole host of truly top notch releases. Stream below and find brief descriptions after the Spotify embed. Stay safe & enjoy!

Nicolas Jaar - Cenizas
Delicate and moving pieces, largely made up of organic instrumentation. A divine dive, perfect for piquing your palate ahead of a bunch of other brilliant releases.

Robotaki - The Grand Mirage
Each early taste has been sublime and Robotaki has instilled that unique quality throughout.

Louis La Roche - Saturday Night Griever
A feature heavy album, that doesn't feel like the slightest bit disjointed as though it were a bunch of singles slapped together. That said, it often does slap. Really enjoyable and dance friendly.

falcxne - Studio 54
Even more slaps here. Fantastic funky stuff. Worthy of its iconic title.

Duck Sauce - Captain Duck
My favourite Duck Sauce single and sample yet. Unfortunately the extended mix is not on Spotify. Enjoy it in its full glory here.

DJ Fresh - Drive (Skream Remix)
Skream stays hot with this jacking mix. Yet another notch in his belt; is there anything he can't do?

warner case & Subrinse - impeccable
The off-kilter delivery of warner case is back in brilliant form. An instantly catchy, feel good club cut.

CastNowski - I Can Show You
CastNowski's capacity to craft quality house cuts in all its sub-genres is incredible, but I like him best in this more jacking, funky, disco-adjacent style. Groovy baby!

Tensnake ft. Fiora - Automatic (Remixes)
Holy stacked remix package, Batman! Gerd Janson, Kraak & Smaak and a Tensnake VIP?! I'm weak!

ABSOLUTE. - My Love
This man cannot miss. The original is awesome, but like with "String Theory" I'm drawn to the breakbeat VIP. If you're not on the ABSOLUTE. bandwagon yet, you're missing out big time.

Bicep - Atlas
Must I say anything more than new Bicep? I guess that's the point of this post, but really, they speak for themselves. An instant joy. The kind of track we need in these dark days. A ray of hope and light.

Kölsch - Time / Sleeper Must Awaken
See what I mean about a bunch of big names? The usual stunning, epic quality of Kölsch.

Sian - Electricity
Everything this man's put out on mau5trap has been excellent and the same can be said here. Killer crackling cuts that ought to inspire a bout of shadow boxing or a wicked round of an FPS melee.

BROHUG - Mixtape 1
The sick single "Detox" was in this playlist two weeks ago and the rest of the EP lives up to that lofty standard. Ridiculously banging bass house that thrives through exceptional sound design.

Dr. Fresch & FREAK ON - THICCC
Darker and dirtier than the above, believe it or not. I have not looked at the waveform but I can assure you it lives up to its title. This is some fat ish.

Enlightened Listening for March 13

In part because there's so much great music out today while while also wanting to share as much as possible, to keep people entertained in this time of need, this week's edition of Enlightened Listening is by far the biggest ever. Featuring 54 releases, it's nearly 200 tracks long, running well over 15 hours. Of course it would be impossible to address each of the releases, so I won't even try. Instead, I'll just note that there is a general flow to the playlist below, moving from lighter to heavier records, so depending on what you want or are looking for I recommend clicking around to find a section you like. However, I will recommend that you give each release a go, as the basis of these Enlightened Listening playlists are to open your ears to something new. Anyway, that's all for now. Enjoy and stay safe and healthy!

Enlightened Listening for January 31

This first month of 2020 closes on a high note with a jam-packed edition of Enlightened Listening. Spanning over 75 tracks and 6 hours, there's bunches of bangers, albums aplenty and more remixes than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately I'm pressed for time so I'll have to keep the descriptions quick, but here we go!

A couple cohesive and thoughtful albums open as ATTLAS and Spencer Brown show off their incredible aptitude for immersive and beautiful productions. Deep house turns techy as the next four releases (two singles and two EPs) reach epic, expansive poise and power. In a week in which Dawn Chorus got a JUNO nomination, Jacques Greene ups the ante with 12 incredible remixes from the likes of Lunice, Big Miz, CFCF and others. Things turn euphoric as the following four tracks (a pair of each singles and remixes) soar and shine, highlighted by the return of Duck Sauce. With the energy now at its peak courtesy the acid of Elliot Adamson, Machinedrum and Holly's EP pairs perfectly with ingenious and propulsive albums from Squarepusher and Text Chunk & Hood Joplin. Finally as a cherry on top of this musical melange, we get 10 new tracks from Night Bass which are sure to have dance-floors shaking well into the year. Enjoy everything via playlist below and find individual releases linked at the bottom.

ATTLAS - Lavender God

Spencer Brown - Stream Of Consciousness

LUNR - Cold Whispers

Guy J - Day Of Light / Mind Of

Kane - Kane

Prospa - The One

Jacques Greene - Dawn Chorus (Deluxe)

Will Clarke - U Take Me Higher

Georgia - Never Let You Go (Skream Remix)

Duck Sauce - Smiley Face

Franky Wah ft. Jessie Ware - Time After Time (Elliot Adamson Remix)

Machinedrum & Holly - Berry Patch

Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello

Text Chunk & Hood Joplin - Bank Account

Various Artists - This Is Night Bass Vol. 9

Enlightened Listening for November 29

This week's Enlightened Listening features several of my favourite artists and labels. Pete Tong leads things off with his incredible new Chilled Classics album. Qrion follows as things turn more electronic with an Anjunadeep EP sure to please the senses. Terr then returns to Phantasy Sound with two ingenious versions of "Energy Sync." Turning full techno, the power of Innellea is once again on full display with wicked The World Returns EP. Breaking to remixes, TSHA and Denham Audio take on Prospa's killer single "Control The Party" before The Avalanches and Mousse T. bring love and beauty to The Chemical Brothers and Starley respectively. Finally we're graced with the return of Metroplane and a track that has both Annie Mac and Pete Tong salivating, Skream's "Ectogazm." Enjoy!


Pete Tong & HER-O - Chilled Classics

Qrion - Sine Wave Party

Terr - Energy Sync

Innellea - The World Returns

Prospa - Control The Party (Remixes)

The Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control (The Avalanches Surrender To Love Mix)

Starley - Lovers + Strangers (Mousse T. Remix)

Metroplane - Be Where I Am (ft. Daniel Wilson)

Skream - Ectogazm

Enlightened Listening for November 8

Keeping the write-up short and sweet for this week's Enlightened Listening. That said the playlist is just short of 40 tracks and three hours. It's bookended by epic albums from SebastiAn and Grum, and you'll find a couple EPs from the house sphere on either side of them, where Shaun Frank hits the bass, while Le Youth puts forth some progressive beauty. A couple of my favourites offer exceptional remixes, where Sinjin Hawke and Zora Jones take on Murlo's magic and ABSOLUTE. stuns with Big Wild. There's two more power duos, in 2¢'s brilliant banger "REBEL" and the latest taste of TNGHT II. While Mura Masa and slowthai are not an established duo I'm sure hoping we get more of their mix, as "Deal Wiv It" is awesome. Finally, a trio of solo singles from Skream, Eli Escobar and Jessie Ware. Enjoy!

SebastiAn - Thirst

Shaun Frank - Activ8

TNGHT - First Body

Murlo - End Of The Road (Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones' Flashback)

2¢ - REBEL

Mura Masa - Deal Wiv It (ft. slowthai)

Skream - Pussy Pop

Eli Escobar - (All Night) Rhythm

Jessie Ware - Mirage (Don't Stop)

Big Wild ft. Rationale - 6's To 9's (ABSOLUTE. Remix)

Le Youth - Aquiver

Grum - Deep State

Skream - Summer Time Vibes 2019

The cutting edge of cool Oliver Jones, better known as Skream, just offered up more than an hour of summer tilted tunes. In fact this mix, which he's labelled "Summer Time Vibes 2019," was originally made for a friend in honour of the "glorious weather" but Jones since decided to share it publicly.

While Skream says a tracklist is forthcoming, there are several standouts as to this groovy, 80s disco/house and the like mix. Early on we're welcomed by Yoko Ono's "Walking On Thin Ice" whose bass-line gives me a distinct Steve Miller Band "Abracadabra" vibe. That's followed shortly by a very cool and funky version of The Doobie Brothers "Long Train Running." Later on we're graced with some lively disco in the form of José Martí's ebullient "Viveros." As we get deeper into the mix so do the grooves. Cinthie's cool cruiser "Everything I Say" is followed by K-Hand's killer "Without You." Finally Skream walks off on a win with Lovebirds brilliantly beautiful "Want You In My Soul."

Unfortunately the mix is currently only available for streaming so enjoy it now below.FOLLOW SKREAM: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Top 100 Tracks Of 2018: 50-26

Continuation of the list started Friday: from 100-76, which includes my disclaimer/preamble. The second quarter of the list can be found here: from 75-51. Soundcloud playlist here and at the bottom.

#50: ATLiens - Interstellar (ft. Sara Skinner)
One of the heaviest and most beautiful productions of the year. As many twists and turns as the Christopher Nolan film of the same name. Deft design leads the two unique drops with plenty of room for the organic instruments to play in the other sections. And while the drops will leave your jaw on the floor, their power would be nothing without the bristling bass guitar and hollow drums, especially noticeable in the final 30 seconds.

#49: David Guetta & Sia - Flames (Aazar Remix)
Easily one of the most upbeat and dance-friendly tracks of the year, it also brought about some of my biggest smiles of the year. Picture your favourite 80s film, now throw this in its soundtrack. Perfect fit, right? It could replace "Take On Me" or maybe better yet, Flashdance. Aazar let it all hangout with this one. The drums slap, the groove kicks ass and the solo at the end takes no prisoners. Fabulous fire!

#48: Iglooghost - New Vectors
Some geniuses can be a little much for some ears and sometimes that brilliance can simply miss our simple minds. That is not the case here with the seemingly alien intelligence of Iglooghost and "New Vectors," which has the ability to speak to us a whole new plane of existence. The wild, rapid fire, never ending list of ingredients combine and coalesce in one of the most inspired tracks of the year. It dazzles and uplifts especially through the angelic vocal samples and resplendent bells. True brilliance.

#47: MIST - Wish Me Well (ft. Jessie Ware)
Right in the midst of my latest love affair with Jessie Ware, as I awaited the chance to see her live (definitely in my top 5 shows of the year) this dropped and there was nothing that could pull me away from its crazy catchy, super smooth bounce. I can't get enough of the contrasting timbres of the two voices or the way they play atop this heater of a beat. Easily one of my favourite pop tracks of the year.

#46: Marcus Worgull - Love Song
Again my true colours are on full display as I just cannot find my way out of the 80s. The Cure's original, and its accompanying album, one of my favourites, Disintegration came out nearly a month after my birth so maybe that's why it holds such a special place in my heart. Or maybe it's because Robert Smith saved us from Mecha-Streisand... But seriously, this new version is simply sensational. The brilliant bass-line remains intact and is alluring as ever, while the expanded electronic soundscape sweeps you off your feet, like you're home/whole/young/fun/free/clean again.

#45: Sébastien Léger - Lost Miracle
(As featured on EFYE) An epic expansive, exquisite production that thrives off subtlety. A warm wanderlust, it feels more organic than it does electronic, and that is the brilliance of Seb Léger, an uncanny ability to breathe beautiful life into his synths. Do yourself a favour and check out his Youtube/Instagram for videos of him doing this live. And don't bother with the 4 minute version, the 10 is more than twice as a good, and really gives you time to grow with the genius grooves he lays down.

#44: Mixhell & Joe Goddard - Strong & Wrong (ft. Mutado Pintado)
Sound the alarm, it's the end of the world! Just like the #5 track I cannot help but hear Mutado Pintado's voice as a part of the 'Shut Up And Dance' episode of Black Mirror. And of course the Mixhell, Joe Goddard backing plays perfectly to that dire, helpless feeling. Brilliant brooding apocalyptic production from Mixhell with the right amount of bounce and funk from Goddard to make it easily consumable. Gotta give a nod to the Craig Williams remix which really digs into the funkiness. Awesome.

Throwback Thursday: Marlena Shaw - Touch Me In The Morning

Nothing like a little disco diversion especially after all the egregious Halloween heat. But why take the time to showcase this 1979 song from Marlena Shaw? One, it's quite simply stunning and two, it's become clear that Skream has been rinsing it out during his latest tour. He played it last month at CODA, and a video appeared on my Twitter today, incorrectly credited as an edit, before Skream corrected it as the original mix. I can honestly say I have not been in a club environment like that night.

I struggled to describe the kind of set Skream played, one because its contents spanned nearly half a century, and two because maybe more than anyone I've seen, he played tracks and artists with whom I was entirely unfamiliar. That said it was not just a treat to take in sonically, but visually as well. His work on the decks was clearly competent and focused, but it was more about his crowd interaction, and I'm not talking about being on the mic or jumping on the decks throwing cake or anything like that. He was obviously leading through his selections, but with such a wide swath of genres and sounds you might think it difficult for people to keep up, stay engaged and entertained. No matter, he succeeded in that sense incredibly, especially as he worked into the final throws of the night with tracks like this.

"Touch Me In The Morning" was the most memorable of the extended disco dance section, when more than anything he was leading the party through his own obvious enjoyment of the tunes he was selecting. Sure the crowd had thinned since the peak hours, but the strength of Marlena Shaw was unavoidable. Pure power in the piano and her vocals leave your heart palpitating, swooning and swinging in ecstasy, blood pulsing through your veins to the rhythm of the bass, as the intensity rises towards the title line. The first few minutes are fantastic and cannot be discounted in the beautiful build, but when she reaches fever pitch after the 3 minute mark and the triumphant trumpet enters you're helpless but to melt into the club, becoming one with the world, taking you "to a place where no one's ever been." It's safe to say not only was everyone in CODA touched early in that morning by Skream's sublime Shaw selection, but I for one left the club to that cold morning light a satisfied soul.

Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Extended Weekend Warmup

Despite it falling at the same time every year, Thanksgiving weekend always seems to sneak up on us. What we couldn't have expected is the crazy amount of quality shows happening around this long weekend. On tonight's episode of Bump In The Hump I take you on a tour through 12 events happening in Toronto, London and Hamilton, with artists showcased on the episode highlighted by asterisks. Check them out below, get details and find tickets (if necessary) through the Facebook event pages.

WEDNESDAY, October 3rd

ZHU* (Live) - Dune Tour 2018 @ REBEL w/ TOKiMONSTA

NIGHT SHIFT: 151 w/ Nathan Jonson, Rynecologist* & Mìlu @ Edenhall

THURSDAY, October 4th

No Neon: Hunter Siegel*, DLMT, Ryan Shepherd & Rayz @ Club 77

FRIDAY, October 5th

RYME* & Friends @ Soho House

Skream* @ CODA w/ Basic Soul Unit, Leo Franco & Steve Marto

GTA* @ UNIUN w/ Manzone & Strong

Sean Roman* & Amália Leandro @ Parlour

REZZ* @ REBEL w/ Drezo, Kotek* & 13

Ozmosis presents Henry Saiz* & Tim Engelhardt @ Fly 2.0

BADLQQK x MADE IN CHINA: Marco Marz* and Weston & Teston @ 5th Avenue

SATURDAY, October 6th

Bob Moses*: Battle Line Tour @ Danforth Music Hall w/ Mansionair

TUESDAY, October 9th

Robotaki*: The Experiment Live @ Velvet Underground w/ Zanski

While the weekend is most certainly the heartbeat of this week's episode, there's still more than our fair share of new music, including a unreleased but forthcoming track from IDGVF, three tracks from Westwood Recordings' 100th release and the latest from both Pusher and GIRV. Finally we close the night with a clip of my interview with GIRV (who calls Pusher his dream collab), ahead of his episode of My Mixtape this Saturday. Tune in for all this and more live from 7-9 PM EDT via Radio Humber or find it after the fact, cataloged on Mixcloud here.

Enlightened Listening for April 27

Another Friday another epic list of releases. This week I've decided to focus almost exclusively  on singles (remixes included) from my favourite names. However I've returned to Soundcloud this week to accommodate the newly launched mix series from Falcons. Catch up on this week's Enlightened Listening with the playlist below, and descriptions with asterisk indicating free download at the bottom.

Hunter Siegel - Fading (ft. Melanie?)
Just in time for his latest No Neon date, Hunter returns with his first original in forever. It's clear however that he's not lost a step with walloping wubs and killer chops. If you'll pardon the pun, the future looks dark and stormy for the dark plur himself.

Brya - Neon Lovin'
Disco funk theme engage. This is one of the two artists I wasn't familiar with prior to today, but it didn't take long for me to realize this was a hot groove and the kind of future (insert genre) I enjoy.

NOTD ft. Bea Miller - I Wanna Know (Pusher Remix)
Like Hunter it's been forever since we've had new Pusher, and like Brya it's immensely pleasing to have neon nobility back in the game. Be sure to check out his new video series "Music Minutes."

Silicon Scally - Rift
Drawn in by the Central Processing Unit label, I'm happy to have come across Scally and this EP, from which "Rift" is my favourite. It is a brilliant blend of old school electro and techno, that shows off the underlying life of overtly electronic productions. Genius.

Pete Shelley - Witness The Change (SanFranDisko Remix)*
Despite spending less than eight months in the 80s it will forever feel like home for me. The more I get exposed to it, especially through trusted sources like SanFranDisko, the more I love it. Fancy a groovy cruising track? Well look no further.

Bensley - Do It Again (ft. Armanni Reign)
When drum and bass is done right there isn't much better, especially when it has strong vocals. You can trust Bensley to bring that killer quality, as this one goes off with undeniable energy and ease.

MDK - X Buster*
The wubstep warrior and chiptune champion is back with this piece of playful power and fun funk.

Alexander Robotnick - Problèmes d'Amour (Petko Turner's 808 BD Edit)*
The Petko polish shines strong on this one. While sonically it's entirely unrelated to Silicon Scally, they both sound like machines coming to life and breaking out on the dancefloor.

Sam Smith - Pray (MK Remix)
After the success of his remix of "Money On My Mind" it should be no surprise that this follow up is just as good. Truthfully everything MK touches turns to gold, but there's just something about the way he chops Sam Smith's voice; add that to the choir and you've got some sublime, heavenly house.

Poolside - Feel Alright (Yuksek Remix)
The disco grooves just don't stop. Yuksek blesses the piano, guitar and drums, making a musical bed that you cannot sleep on but must simply bounce on all day and night.

Amtrac ft. Anabel Englund - Old Times (Skream Remix)
Talk about a trio of all stars. This jumped off the screen and into my soul, but even better blasted out the speakers. However I've fallen face down and cannot get up after those pans punched through the wubs. Skream has been making top notch tracks for years, but it feels like this last year or so he's settled into his golden age of supremely satisfying and epic electronic tracks.

Falcons - Fluidity Mixtape Vol. 1*
For years Falcons has been at the intersection of rap and electronic, especially with his bootleg remixes (see his Loosies release), but it looks like now he's really ready to showcase that skill with this Fluidity mix series, from which each individual edit/bootleg/mashup will be released a month later. Peep the tracklist here and whet your appetite, or just take my word and enjoy the awesomeness.

Alan Fitzpatrick Changing Seasons Mix

Going back to this past Friday, Alan Fitzpatrick took over the BBC Radio One airwaves with a guest mix for Pete Tong. This edition of Weekend Hot Mix took the theme of "Changing Seasons" as Fitzpatrick put it we're about to move from the clubs to festivals, and with that comes a change in sound, style and delivery. This mix reflects that more spacious, bright and warm feel, as far as techno goes. You can spread out, feel the grass beneath your feet, and the breeze on your face, all while still being jolted by the juxtaposed electronic energy. This mix is a smooth seven track spellbinder. With a new track from the man himself, the always incredible Skream paired with Billy Turner, and the euphoric "Higher" from Lo Shea, this mix demands more than just one listen. The winds of change are coming and the promise of warmth and freedom is on the horizon, with this mix offering up those feelings in droves. Stream below until Monday April 2nd, find the tracklist here, and follow Alan Fitzpatrick at the bottom.

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