Post Malone ft. 21 Savage - Rockstar (StéLouse's "Soundcloud '14 4eva" Flip)

Thursday afternoon StéLouse teased us saying he'd been sitting on "two versions of this official Rockstar remix."  Yesterday afternoon he left the teasing alone and shared his "Soundcloud '14 4eva" flip. The mix is a tribute to his favourite era of Soundcloud, featuring "floomed out synths and Portered up drops." I also point to this time as one of my favourites, certainly in terms of it seeing the explosion of future bass, when it was really fresh, and maybe even before that troublesome term was coined.  I'm not sure it holds the same nostalgia as bloghaus, but we're obviously not that far removed; perhaps in a few more years we'll be clamouring for more like this. And this is very good. It's probably about the same time I first heard StéLouse, and certainly reminds me of his earlier stuff, albeit more tempered, so as to fit with Post Malone's flow. The production that makes the original so popular still rings true in this temporal re-positioning, so you can still easily sing along, while the rolling drums and wavering synths will have you getting down for sure. Whether his more singer/songwriter focused productions (Sociopath or Bones) or blistering future bass bangers, it's clear StéLouse is a force to be reckoned with. While "Rockstar" isn't available for download, StéLouse is headed on tour, so you'll certainly have your chance to hear this played out on a big system. Find your nearest show here.

UPDATE: The track was removed rather quickly, but today has been re-uploaded as a cover with help from Nashville's Still Haze and Los Angeles' Manus. Still no download however, so enjoy the stream.FOLLOW STÉLOUSE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Top 100 Tracks of 2016: 33 - 1

Continuation of the list started Wednesday: From 100 - 67, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. The middle third of the list can be found here: From 66 - 34.
Soundcloud playlist can be found at the bottom.

#33: Maduk - Got Me Thinking ft. Veela
(As featured on EFYE) From those first strides of warm synths, and the accompanying bass grooves, the track picks up and continually gets steamier. It almost feels like a real band could play this, although they'd have to be operating at an incredibly high rate of speed. And boy would I love to see it played live. From Veela's strong yet ethereal vocals, through the endless groove, fabulous drum fills and playful progression, this track has everything. It gets me going and makes me hella happy.

#32: LDRU ft. Paige IV - Keeping Score (Cut Snake Remix)
(As featured on EFYE) When I wrote about the remixes of "Keeping Score," I called Oski's my favourite, since then I've changed my mind. Cut Snake have absolutely crushed and perfected the original (which too is brilliant). The foundation laid out by LDRU and Paige IV is beautiful, but the additional piano and fluid movement Cut Snake have injected is simply sublime. It's become the kind of all night party track that takes listeners through the gamut of emotions. It's smart, groovy and enchanting.

#31: A.G. Cook - Superstar
This track is built for lists like this, it literally has everything: beautiful vocals and lyrics, brilliant production, all wrapped together in an epic 5 minute journey of emotions. It's no secret how I feel about PC Music and their aesthetic, so clearly I'm a fan of the sounds their leader A.G. has used in this track, despite not being your typical PC Music track. Leaning more heavily on piano, live instrumentation, and Cook's voice, this track is an ode to true musicianship, that often seems absent in electronic music. Its beauty will have you reaching for the sky, hoping to grab a ride into the cosmos.

#30: Courts - Feel My Love
Right from the groovy pickup, Courts have crafted an absolutely captivating track. While it's a true electronic dance track, it (like many of the others on this list) features a ton of live instrumentation. That live element is so incredibly powerful, it's infectious from the fingers to the toes, and the head to the heart. It's one of the most fun tracks in this list, it has me grabbing for my air guitar and hairbrush microphone just to be a part of the band. It's impossible not to feel the love Courts are sharing.

#29: Stormzy - Scary (Slumberjack Edit)
(As featured on EFYE) This Slumberjack production is light years away from their other track on this list. Where "Open Fire" is kind and insightful, "Scary" is merciless and blunt. It absolutely hammers away at your senses, in the best way possible. It takes Stormzy's grime original and turns it into one of the most fire bangers of the year. It's diabolic is its delivery, leaving you stunned, stupefied and floored.

#28: Vera - Eeva (Sketch)
The beautiful tranquility of the flowing water in the opening, lays the foundation of this fresh and fully alive future bass track. It's at once like nothing I've ever heard before yet also so familiar. What would seem to be a cacophony of sounds couldn't be further from the fact. Vera is able to incorporate so much into one track, crafting unbelievable harmonies. Imagine Lido, Cashmere Cat, Ryan Hemsworth and Tennyson all worked together on a track, even then it might not match "Eeva."

Pusher ft. Mothica - Clear (Shawn Wasabi Remix)

The second official remix of Pusher's track "Clear" with Mothica, dropped today, one week ahead of the full remix EP's release on Black Butter Records. First Graves upped the intensity with rattling future bass slaps, now Shawn Wasabi has added his trademark kawaii sensibilities. Like the beyond brilliant lyrics, these remixes are great combinations of "so dark but delicate" and "rough around the edges" production from the original that lends so perfectly to both Graves and Shawn Wasabi's styles. I had thought Henrik The Artist's remix of Shawn Wasabi's "Burnt Rice" was the best combination of producers, but Wasabi's remix of Pusher and Mothica might just have upped the game. Pitting artists and tracks against each other is actually the opposite of the ethos of these tracks. These artists share the same taste and often share each others tracks. Most recently I caught Pusher pressing play on Henrik The Artist's "Lose You" during his set at Bestival. In fact my dream lineup would feature those three alongside Mija, Vindata, Mura Masa, Flume, Ryan Hemsworth, Chet Porter, Lido, LH4L, Danny L Harle, Dombresky, SteLouse, and Wave Racer. If only I had to power to bring all these people together; that's the dream. Anyway, get excited for next Friday, as there's sure to be even more exciting remixes of the already incredible "Clear."

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Sunday Hangover Saviours [Free Downloads]

After a weekend of living life to the fullest, my musical appetite focuses on the more light and bright productions than the raucous, hard-hitting bangers of the previous nights' debauchery. And while the majority of my blog posts focus on brand new music (save for Throwback Thursdays), I'm going to share some of my favourite Sunday morning saviour tracks, in no particular order. All available for free.Awesome future vibes abound with this new one from Kayoh. It's easy to get caught up in the sparkling, magic of this production as it bounces along. A little explosive but nothing that's going to make your head throb any more than it likely already is. And of course "Shh" is something that you're probably saying anyway. Another new track, Kidswaste's remix of one of my all time favourite tracks Chet Porter's "tbh ily." Genre tagged Ambient, Kidswaste's version ups the already high cuteness factor, filling out the original with additional vocals and a freeing twist on the percussion. Comforting, calming, and utterly relaxing, the love oozes, filling hearts in this this sublime, laidback Zelda-house affair. Down-tempo haunting beauty comes to the forefront Obeson's 2013 track that's just come to light this week. The wavering, hollow vocals trembling is situated so delicately around the ringing ambiance of the bells and chill trap stylings. Wonderful progression and story-telling in this emotive arc. Warm French, disco house vibes from Le Youth will get your toes tapping and extremities starting to get their feeling back. Energizing and exhilarating, Le Youth live up to their name refreshing listeners with a youthful resilience that inspires the desire to do something, anything, even if your body is still sore. Playful production and light bounciness support Lil Dicky's rap and Fetty Wap's melodic crooning perfectly. The lyrics, like your headache, will have you swearing off drinking and the tremendous expense that comes with it. Musically, you'll be cracking eggs and breaking bacon dancing around the kitchen cooking your favourite hangover meal. Maybe the best example of the kind of track I'm looking for in this particular situation, bright and playful with a great melody that's incredibly infectious but never too boisterous or in your face. Each element in "zZz" is full of emotion and feeling that works either before your nap or as an alarm of sorts. My affinity for Henrik The Artist is well known, and it would be ridiculous to think I wasn't going to include one from his genius. "On The Moon," somehow went generally unnoticed in my playlists until one day coming up in a shuffle, the awesome Henrik The Artist aesthetic blew my mind, as one of his best all around productions. There's not much that I'm capable of with a Sunday hangover, but playing video games is one of the few things, that I can do. The incredible playful and charming production of each of Henrik's tracks make his library perfect for a day like today. His just released Friendship EP is exactly the kind of musical arc that can transform a sleepy Sunday into savory one. Of course beauty is the most desirable aspect in tracks with a Sunday hangover, but I always want playful, energizing tracks not moody, sit-in-a-dark-room, tracks, so this dopamine inducing track absolutely nails that aesthetic. The jamming synthed steel drum overwhelms with love and happiness, cools your heartburn and cleanses your palette with some sweet ear candy.

Monday Mashed Up Mix #5

Each Monday I post a little mix of less than 30 minutes for your listening pleasure. It contains a variety of electronic music mixed and mashed up to varying degrees. The music is always first and foremost while DJing and mixing skills are meant to take a back seat. It includes some brand new stuff but also some forgotten gems and whatever it was that had entered my consciousness. I'll be hosting them on my Dropbox page for your listening and downloading pleasure, MONDAY MASHED UP MIX VOL 5. You can find the tracklisting and links for each track after the break...

Hebinomichi Volume 3

I first came across Hebinomichi last summer, while searching for more music from local talent Pusher. Admittedly I still know very little about the label/crew/collective, but what I do know is that their now 3 compilation volumes are perhaps the most cohesive and forward thinking compilation albums I've ever heard. The first track I hard was Pusher's "Pluto!" but I was greatly impressed with two other tracks from their first volume, SteLouse and ahh-ooh "Sex Panther," and one of my all time favourites, the incredibly catchy "All This Time," from Curious Kontrol.

How Hebinomichi was able to get so many unbelievably talented, rising stars is beyond extraordinary. My passion Pusher's productions and DJing is obvious if you've ever heard any of my radio shows, but he's not the only Hebinomichi artist that has climbed into the top echelon of favourite artists. SteLouse, JAWZ (now KUGA) ill-esha and Grimecraft have all jumped up into my consciousness and I am always awaiting their next releases, a small sample of which you can hear after the break.