2020 Grammy Predictions

As you likely know the 2020 Grammy nominations were announced yesterday, and instead of waiting until the day of to make my predictions, I've decided it'd be more fun to get them out of the way, forget about them and then surprise myself with my picks while I have a laugh at the eventual ceremony January 26th. Once again I'm going to do my usual shtick of making predictions for categories I know/care about, and again I'll be doing my 'who should win' and 'who will win' double pick scenario. Check out how I did last year, here, and check back here on the day of as I'll be updating with results.

***Update: Results noted with ✓ or X ***

BEST DANCE RECORDING

Bonobo - Linked
The Chemical Brothers - Got To Keep On
Meduza & The Goodboys - Piece Of Your Heart
Rüfüs Du Sol - Underwater
Skrillex & Boys Noize with Ty Dolla $ign - Midnight Hour

Who Will Win: Skrillex & Boys Noize X
Who Should Win: Rüfüs Du Sol X
Reasoning: Skrillex has never lost when he's been nominated in this category and while I don't think "Midnight Hour" should win, I think the academy will 'play it safe.' However, this one strikes me as the least likely winner of Skrillex's now four nominations. Lately the winners have been more towards the typical dance pop side of things so there's a real possibility of Skrillex being upset by "Piece Of Your Heart." With that in mind, you have to go back more than a decade for something like "Linked" or "Got To Keep On" as a winner, and if it were either of those two The Chemical Brothers strike me as far more likely. All of that said, I give "Underwater" a real shot, and find it the most deserving because of its enrapturing beauty, mystifying vocals and stunning sound design.

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM

Apparat - LP5
The Chemical Brothers - No Geography
Flume - Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape)
Rüfüs Du Sol - Solace
Tycho - Weather

Who Will Win: The Chemical Brothers ✓
Who Should Win: The Chemical Brothers ✓
Reasoning: Much like last year, this is an incredibly tight category, and truthfully I wouldn't be surprised if any of the latter four took it home. Apparat's album is nice, but there were less than a handful of tracks that stood out to me. I will say the same for Flume's mixtape too as it's just not for me, however I can easily see the academy going his way once again. Having lost to Flume in 2017 with what in my eyes is a better album, I once again see Tycho coming up short. This leaves me torn between two undeniably excellent albums, both with singles in the category above. I've sided with the academy going to The Chemical Brothers based on name recognition and legacy, something they've done the last two years. I also feel they are the most deserving if only by a slim margin. That said Solace boasts a spectacular soundscape and beautiful breadth while remaining tight and true.

BEST REMIXED RECORDING

Madonna - I Rise (Tracy Young's Pride Intro Radio Remix)
Miley Cyrus - Mothers Daughter (Wuki Remix)
Jorja Smith - The One (High Contrast Remix)
Mild Minds - Swim (Ford. Remix)
Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax Remix)

Who Will Win: High Contrast X
Who Should Win: Soulwax X
Reasoning: What a category! For the first time in a while we've got five remixers making their first appearance. That's right, neither High Contrast nor Soulwax have ever been nominated! This only makes this already incredibly unpredictable category even more so. I feel like there's a good chance Tracy Young can capture the title, as Madonna is a name voters can latch on to and her remix is quite slick. I'm really happy for Wuki, but I'd be pretty surprised if he won as the academy has not gone for something quite so banging in years. The Ford. remix has a shot but I'd put it as the least likely, both because of name recognition and its fit in the academy's recent voting patterns. Those two criteria would lead me to believe High Contrast will take the title, while I would love to see Soulwax and Marie Davidson get some well deserved recognition.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed

Who Will Win: Finneas ✓
Who Should Win: Ricky Reed X
Reasoning: There's a not a single holdover from last year's category which is an oddity, but Auerbach, Hill and Reed each have been here before. It's pretty rare that a first time nominee takes this crown, but I see Finneas taking the title for his inextricable role in the success of Billie Eilish. However his relatively small catalog (for which he is nominated) has me worried about this pick and could easily see Auerbach taking the title. That said, it really ought to be Ricky Reed for his work with Lizzo, Maggie Rogers, Maren Morris and SZA among others.

***OTHER, MORE UNINFORMED PICKS***

Best Music Film: Beyonce ✓
Best Music Video: Gary Clark Jr. X
Best Comedy Album: Dave Chapelle ✓
Best Reggae Album: Koffee ✓
Best Rap Album: Tyler, The Creator ✓
Best Urban Contemporary Album: Lizzo ✓
Best Alternative Music Album: Vampire Weekend ✓
Best Pop Vocal Album: Billie Eilish ✓
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus ✓
Best New Artist: Lizzo X
Song Of The Year: Billie Eilish ✓
Album Of The Year: Lizzo X
Record Of The Year: Billie Eilish ✓

Wuki & Ape Drums ft. Nicky Da B - Bed Squeak (ACRAZE Remix)

Ever since its inception, WUKILEAKS has been consistently loosing some of the most laconic and wild club killers mankind has ever seen. Like an archer atop a tower, Wuki has been shooting arrows of energy into DJ's quivers and this latest leak is no different. Orlando's ACRAZE has unleashed hell with this cataclysmic decimation of "Bed Squeak." Operating at a blistering pace pulverizing the previously three minute original down into less than two, there's no time to catch your breath or really do anything except loose your mind as you bounce up and down, absolutely and entirely, unhinged. ACRAZE will put you to sleep with a power punch to the jaw with free download via ToneDen here.
FOLLOW ACRAZE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW WUKI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW APE DRUMS: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Top 100 Tracks Of 2018: 25-1

Continuation of the list started Friday: from 100-76, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. The middle sections can be found here: from 75-51 & 50-26. Soundcloud playlist here and at the bottom.

#25: Bicep - Opal (Four Tet Remix)
A match made in heaven and speaking of heaven, this may be its soundtrack. It is epic resounding resplendence, brilliant bleepy beauty, a sweep you off your feet soaring success. Like a journey deeper into your unconscious mind, things get both more murky and more clear at the same time. If there's any track in this list that is best suited for a spiritual awakening it is this. Turn off all your lights, lie on the floor and let Four Tet transport you to his higher plane of existence.

#24: Bunji Garlin & Busta Rhymes - Drop It
(As featured on EFYE) I can't think of any track that can quite compare to the dueling fire flows in this, except for the other time these two locked horns on "Differentology." As I said the first time I wrote about this, it's as though Bunji and Busta both go super saiyan at the same time murdering everything in sight. That said you cannot leave out 1st Klase who's production is pure perfection, doing not just the big things right, but paying attention to the little details in the bed squeak, panning and more.

#23: The Night - Set Me Free
No, this is not Nero, but I don't care, it's genuinely gorgeous, funky fun. I'm not sure I'll ever properly get over Alana Watson's voice, she is an absolute sensation, especially atop this dazzling display. The whole track flows like a fantastic voyage aboard the world's most luxurious yacht with a continuous, never ending party. It is flashing lights and flights of fancy, free of fear and devoid of despair. It doesn't get any more upbeat or outrageously uplifting than this ringing resplendence.

#22: Planningtorock - Beulah Loves Dancing
I cannot help but 1) grin ear to ear and 2) sing along to the lyrics, whenever this one comes on. It is exceedingly catchy, heavenly, heartening and brilliantly built. The way the strings play is gorgeous and groovy and the way the electronic bits slide around them is truly sensational. Add in the story elements, and their roles in Powerhouse, and you've got the best track on one of the best albums of the year.

#21: Kevin de Vries - Aratak
Apart from perhaps #7 in this list, there may be no more powerful track released this year. Seeing Monika Kruse drop it with the Eiffel Tower in the background only adds to this incredible intensity, as does the way she played with it. That Cercle set is when I really fell for it, but there's no discounting the unreal alien design and fantastical flare of the studio version. Afterlife as a whole had a fantastic year, but this big build and even more epic release makes for one of the best tracks of the year.

Enlightened Listening for September 21

Holy funky Friday Batman! What another blessed week for releases. There's killer tracks from Apashe, Boys Noize, Chris Lake, along with the resurrections of both The Dove and Nicky Da B. A masterful album from Ryan Hemsworth. A mindblowing midtempo compilation from some of the best in the game plus funk from NAMPA, Midas Hutch and 2ToneDisco. Stream this week's Enlightened Listening in the playlist below, read brief descriptions, grab free downloads where available and enjoy!

NAMPA - Babymood
What's in the water that makes the French so funky? This one has me smiling from ear to ear, as both the vocals and production tickle my heartstrings. Feels like Aeroplane's mix of "The Piper's Song."

Midas Hutch - The Feels
We've already heard (and fallen in love) with a couple of these cuts, but six tracks are truly a treat, nailing the EP's title. Perfect for a sunset stream, sharing some drinks with friends.

Ryan Hemsworth - Elsewhere
This man can do it all, and this album is perfect proof of that fact. Just look at the number of tracks and artists, and the overall quality of each. Indie and pop at the same time. And those switch ups, damn!

MEMBA - Stand Off (ft. Ehiorobo)
These guys have been on the come up for a while so it's awesome to see them on Monstercat. While I continue to grow less and less interested in future bass, there's no arguing the killer quality of MEMBA's sound design, nor their ability to work with and around vocalists.

2ToneDisco - Love Automatica (ft. Chandler Blasé)*
So funky chiptune disco you say? No wonder I'm on board. Even when it's drawn back and Blasé takes the lead I can't help but tap my toes. Then when it all comes together, that's true love.

A-Trak ft. Todd Terry - DJs Gotta Dance More (Cassius Burnin' Mix)
Took me a bit to dig the last mix of this track, but when I heard the 15 second teaser for this one I immediately knew this was going to be for me. Legends on legends on legends. Sure to get more than just the DJs dancing, I can see everyone from the security to the bar staff grooving out to this.

Chris Lake & Green Velvet - Deceiver
Did someone say legends? Because we've got another killer collab here. Clean yet dirty. Simple yet strong. No big surprises here just another potent production to add to each of these veterans' catalogs.

Apashe - Do It (ft. Black Prez)
Is this really the first Apashe original since Requiem? Clearly he's been perfecting this and it shows. Another unreal ominous soundscape with viscous, violent drops and a dope vocal delivery.

Various Artists - Blood Moon*
Of the seven artists on this EP, I've covered or played everyone except No Etiquette, but their track has me digging for more. All these tracks reek of destruction, despair, dread, death and other dark D words.

The Dove - Vault Traxx
Hold up! The Dove is back?! It's hard to match the viral quality of "Girl At A Party With Siren" but these two new tracks are both in the same vein as that original Twin Turbo release. Pure party power.

Wuki - Go Deep (ft. Nicky Da B)
There have been a handful of tracks with this name, but Wuki may have just won the title with this banger. The bass line is wicked sick, sure to have you moving at one hell of a clip, and might just leave the whole club jumping as it slaps stupid strong.

Boys Noize - Killer (ft. Stephen A. Clark)
Last year Seal and Adamski's acid house classic got new life with an incredible orchestral touch from Pete Tong and Jules Buckley, now Boys Noize has brought it back to the executionary electronic sphere. Full of life with Clark's vocals and that perfect piano touch which opposes the exceptionally dark drums and cut-throat chords.  Some classics will never die and this one deserves to live on in eternity.

* asterisks indicate free download

Enlightened Listening for June 22

It's the end of the week and that means tons of new music is dropping. The digging has been done and I've got another edition of Enlightened Listening for you. As always the list runs through seemingly every genre, with new music from big names, new names and everything in between. This week I've done my best organize them in a cohesive flow from more chill future bass vibes, through funk and disco, where then things get a bit messy, moving from Wuki's take on "The Hustle" into Tiga & Kölsch's collab "HAL," then into heavy house and hard hitting bass. Stream below and grab the free D/Ls.

Clairo ft. Danny L Harle - B.O.M.D. (dream boi remix)*

Charli XCX - Lucky (Ö Remix)*

Birocratic - Holy Smokes

Maestro - Harmony (Yuksek Remix)

The Blackbyrds - Mysterious Vibes (LeBaron James Edit)*

Wuki - The Hustle*

Kölsch & Tiga - HAL

DJ Snake & Mercer - Let's Get Ill

KTRL & Cloverdale - Sphere*

Ape Drums - Shellz (Denzel Curry & Frizzo)

LITLBIRD - NEON ERROR*

Tracks marked with an asterisk denotes free download.

Wuki - Chop It (Blvk Sheep Remix)

Find something firm to grab on to, you're about to get weak in the knees. Over the past 11 months Wuki has been releasing brain-battering, bass-blasters through Wukileaks. While most have been DJ tools, bootlegs and collabs, the most recent was an original called "Chop It" with vocals from Bri Berlay. Today that track got kicked up a notch, as it appropriately got chopped and screwed by Blvk Sheep. Making the original even more raucous and rave worthy seems a tall task, but Blvk Sheep has delivered. It is absolute madness. The whole thing rips harder than a zombie tearing at the flesh of an extra on The Walking Dead, burns brighter than a supernova, and marches more menacingly than Jack Torrance through the maze at the end of The Shining. It is club weaponry amplified to the nth degree. Normally I'd say don't sleep, but it's so intense its likely woken the dead. Download free here.FOLLOW WUKI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW BRI BERLAY: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW BLVK SHEEP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Enlightened Listening for March 2

It's Friday which first and foremost means new music. So here we are again with a compilation/playlist of new music for your weekend. As usual we range from club cuts, house (bass, disco and otherwise), and funky groove numbers. There's names we've seen on this blog before: Pied Piper, Henrik The Artist, Aylen, Amtrac, and Night Tempo; and new names like Calli Boom, Swill, and Mansa '91. Stream this week's Enlightened Listening and read brief descriptions below. Asterisk indicates free download.

Nathaniel Knows - Hungover (ft. King Tutt)*
Fall in love instantly with that flittery bass groove, then have your heart ripped out by that ratchet drop.

Calli Boom & Swill - Impact*
Tripped up trickles of percussion send your eyebrows upward while the drop leaves you floored.

Samba Soul - Mambo #5 (A Pied Piper Jumpy Club Regroove)
The expansive excellence we've come to know and love from Pied Piper. Don't be surprised if you start dancing involuntarily as if you were in the classic "Cuban Pete" scene from The Mask.

Henrik The Artist - Everytime We Touch (Drippy Dolphin Remix)
Henrik's refresh gets a jumpy jersey club-eqsue recast. Perfect for freaking out a dancefloor.

Wuki & Wax Motif ft. Earlly Mac - Buns (Aylen Remix)*
I always bow to Aylen's bass design and while this one isn't groundbreaking it's undeniably groovy. Certainly capable of commanding a crowd, getting pairs of feet aplenty flying across the floor.

Mansa '91 - Hollah*
While the image and title give it away you might not catch onto the cheeky "Hollaback Girl" changeup until the whole horn lick comes through. Like the Drippy Dolphin above, the jumpy chaos of this track makes for a fun and screw-face filled dancefloor.

Amtrac - Old Times (ft. Anabel Englund)
Talk about a perfect pairing, finally a true collab between these two. Fans of Anabel's work with Lee Foss and MK will certainly love this. Her line "There's magic in the air" takes on extra meaning.

Night Tempo - Just Be Yourself
I first came across Night Tempo exactly a month ago today, so it's only fitting there's more music, and from the still forthcoming Moonrise album. Seriously, is there anything cooler than this combination of genre tags? Vaporwave, synthwave, disco, dance, chill, deep house, and french house. I think not.

Jengi - Good Good (Midas Hutch Remix)
It's named twice because both the vocals and the instrumental are good. Midas is one of the smoothest operators out there. His stuff always slithers into your soul, satisfying with sublime sonics.

Wuki & Benzi - We Like To Fuck That Shit

Twerk titans Wuki and Benzi have teamed up to bring you a wild, brain battering bootleg. Courtesy Wuki's creatively titled Wukileaks secondary account, "We Like To Fuck That Shit" pits "We Like To Party!" with "Club Action." After the opening booty bounce the Vengabus rolls up and all kinds of madness ensues. As much as that vengabeat might have you searching for the skip button, hold off and you'll be rewarded when Wiwek and FlipN'Gawd make an appearance. Maybe it's not the most musically enlightening piece, but there's no questioning the quality of this club edit/DJ tool. As with all the Wukileaks, "We Like To Fuck That Shit" is available for free download. Get it via ToneDen here.FOLLOW WUKI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW BENZI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Anna Lunoe - Hyperhouse Tour Megamix

The number of quality tours going around this fall is perhaps unprecedented. Whether it's Mija's FK A Genre, Destructo's Renegade, or Anna Lunoe's Hyperhouse, the slew of DJs on each is absolutely awesome. In anticipation of her tour starting next week, Anna just dropped a 35 minute mega mix, overflowing with some of the hottest tracks from her incredibly deep roster of DJs, including Vindata and Sliink who will both be at The Hoxton, Saturday November 5th. Of course the mix also includes Lunoe's latest, "Radioactive," Sleepy Tom's breakout banger, "Be Right There," and their collaborative effort, "Pusher." Then there's some magical Mija, including her remix of A-Trak and Tommy Trash's "Lose My Mind," Vindata's "Own Life" and their smash hit collab, "Better." The 12 city tour starts October 13th in Santa Barbara and works its way up the west coast through Vancouver before restarting in Washington DC, November 3rd, with a few east coast stops before heading to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. The line up varies for each stop, so check out www.itshyperhouse.com to see who of Cray, Sliink, Dombresky, Ducky, Madeaux, Mija, Nina Las Vegas, Rickyxsan, Sleepy Tom, Uniiqu3, Vindata and Wuki will be joining Anna. I've linked the facebook event for the Toronto stop, here, if you want more details and/or tickets.

FOLLOW ANNA LUNOE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Bump In The Hump: September Showcase (Episode One)

Tracklist

• Stephen Walking - Shark City
• Stream
• Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (MDRN Remix)
• Free Download
• Colours - Spark (ft. Bryanna Marie)
• Free Download
• Ephwurd - Pump The System
• Free Download
• Cosella - They Don't
• Free Download
• Jesse Zimmerman - Kimchi
• Free Download
• Future Magic - The Return
• Free Download
• Ramzoid - The King
• Stream
• Wuki - Make It Clap (Lambo Remix)
• Free Download
• Dom Dias - Promo (ft. The Weeknd)
• Free Download
• Harrison - Right Hook
• Stream
• A-Trak ft. Phantogram - Parallel Lines (STFU Remix)
• Free Download
• A-Trak & Tommy Trash - Lose My Mind (Mija Remix)
• Stream
• Justice - New Lands (A-Trak Remix)
• Stream
• Loud Luxury - Old Man (Cover of Nina Simone's Sinnerman)
• Free Download

New Grandtheft Mix For Diplo & Friends

Last night while in line waiting to get into The Hoxton to see Cyril Hahn, I was scrolling through twitter and saw this weird tweet. Playing IDs (or unnamed work in progress tracks) isn't necessarily odd, but this one struck me, mostly because of the youtube video it's linked to, being an only 42 second clip.

♬ KEYS N KRATES - ID #bbc #1xtra #nowplaying @keysnkrates https://t.co/hwebYwrTA8 https://t.co/LnGzy2h2nk

— BBC 1Xtra On Air (@bbc1XtraOnAir) December 6, 2015

But then I realized it wasn't from just any old BBC show, it was from Grandtheft's mix for Diplo & Friends. I'm a big fan of the show, both because of the wide range of upcoming talents that deliver monster mixes but also the incredible number of brand new and unreleased content those talents drop. Grandtheft's mixes are never to be slept on as he always comes through with brilliance, this one certainly does that, but more excitingly there is a crazy number of new and unreleased tracks from Keys N Krates, Autoerotique and Hunter Siegel, and of course a significant number of exclusives from Grandtheft himself. Because the internet is the best, you can stream the mix below, or download it here.

Grandtheft - Diplo and Friends - 06-Dec-2015 by Edmninja on Mixcloud