Enlightened Listening for April 5

It's time to become one with the weekend by enjoying the latest offerings from the wonderful world of electronic music. This week's Enlightened Listening features a strong serving of smooth flowing, electronic ease, a dash of funky fun and a big banging remix EP to close things out. Maxd opens with some cool lofi creativity which bleeds beautifully into bitbird's 3rd Gouldian Finch compilation which houses some supremely slick creations from Knapsack, Rome in Silver, Duskus and more. Next up galen tipton taps into the energetic chiptune side bitbird used to command. The genius of GRiZ comes through with another next level album featuring the likes of Snoop Dogg, Bootsy Collins & Wiz Khalifa, among others. And speaking of next level albums, Jai Wolf would seem to have found his groove as The Cure To Loneliness is not just exceptionally crafted, but incredibly heartfelt and heartening; truly beautiful. And it doesn't get much more beautiful than Goldroom's "Yellow Flowers" which with each and every play has led my jaw to drop to the floor. Staying on the floor but with the feet this time, Myd manages to concoct one of the most intoxicating offerings of the year. Rounding out the singles, Soulwax's remix of "Work It" sparks up some stunningly twisted techno, sure to have your head spinning. Finally BIJOU has brought together one of the better remix packages of the year tapping ANGELZ, YOOKiE, Gerry Gonza and others to take on the malicious "Memories." Enjoy below!

Maxd - wys

Various Artists - Gouldian Finch 3

galen tipton - scream

GRiZ - Ride Waves

Jai Wolf - The Cure To Loneliness

Goldroom - Yellow Flowers (ft. Mereki)

Myd - Superdiscoteca

Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax Remix)

BIJOU - Memories (Remixes)

Enlightened Listening for August 24

Some weeks you just get lucky and stuff literally seems to fall in your lap. That's the case with one of today's tracks from SSOS, an artist I didn't know I was following on Soundcloud or Twitter. Whoever that is they are not the only one to make their first appearance on my radar. That said this week's edition of Enlightened Listening is full of my favourites doing their best work. Bass is most definitely in, and in a variety of formats here. Check them out below and read brief descriptions at the bottom.

Bearcubs - Haunts
Bigger more expansive groove than usual Bearcubs, but that doesn't take away from its influence. Bold and beautiful, "Haunts" swings a strong sword to your heart.

Autolaser - less
Stunning. Could just say that. Bright beautiful effervescent soundscape, with lovely lavish grooves and subtle playful diversions. It's tracks like this that, in my opinion, prove we're in a golden age.

knapsack - Matrix*
Did someone say golden age? That's the quality of this knapsack production. As I said above, these are some of my favourites doing their best work, and this is so that. From the real strings, to the genuine feel, knapsack has made one hell of a track. It just feels so damn good to listen to.

The Night - Set Me Free
I'm on a role with segues because I haven't smiled this much listening to a song in a long time. I'm a sucker for Alana Watson (her delivery makes my heart quiver), but boy did Dan Stephens surprise me with the production. The crisp balanced delivery of Nero is there ,but it in a more funky, upbeat fashion. And to be honest I'm not sure there's anything I like more (take their '88 and '92 VIP mixes).

Woofax - Momentum
Killer electro funk from from who else but Westwood Recordings. My favourite from the EP of massive, anthemic glitch hop. Guitar riff guide this ridiculously destructive, speaker rattling vibe.

Gramatik & Kotek - Vitalik Buterin
Kotek just doesn't stop. Is this his 4th track in 2 weeks? Not quite but damn. A masterful mix of Gramatik's groove genius and Kotek's killer crack, rattle and roll. A brilliant banger.

Big Sean - Bounce Back (Vanic Remix) [SSOS Flip]*
This one's shrouded in mystery. Me and over 7000 people are following SSOS, presumably many others unknowingly like me. Seemingly Vancouver based, this first release comes a day before their Vancouver debut with Y2K at Redroom (here). Identity aside, this is one hell of a mix... of a mix.

Rohaan - Spine*
A few seconds in I was reminded of thook, and Rohaan certainly delivered the same unique quality. The craziest combination of sounds and samples combine over massive bass and killer percussion. Genius.

rOhmz - Vagarious
Dazzling DnB from a Canadian I'd never come across before. Deft design and big wobbling bass.

Voliik x I Am Sid - Croatoan*
Midtempo is hot right now and so are these two. Dark and destructive, punches are definitely thrown. Would be wild to see this one rock a crowd.

32stitches - Fallout (Far & Few Remix)*
Speaking of hot and crowd rocking, dark bangers, Far & Few upped their game again. The unease ridden opening delivers a desolate soundscape with soul crushing synths breathing down your spine. Your skeleton then exits your body with an unexpected irksome second drop. Scary good stuff.

Djedjotronic - H+
As good as ever, Djedjotronic has delivered one of the best twists of the year here. I don't care how you feel about the first half, the release at 2:22 is pure ecstasy. Funky, fat, acid techno. Fkn right!

* asterisks indicate track available for free download

knapsack - Clasp (Shortcuts)

After being wowed by my first exposure to knapsack via "Brainforest" back in October, my interest was once again captured when his track "Clasp (Shortcuts)" came up in my feed this morning. From his just released debut album Bend, this track is yet another example of the Chicago product's overwhelming warmth of production and crush-worthy creativity.

While the previous single "Inferior" takes a more typical song structure, this track plays out more like a beat, but a brilliant one at that. The chords are cool and calming yet command attention, the way the glisten and glide seems to speak to the secondary title, (Shortcuts). There's just something about their delivery that seems swift in its movement despite their length.

Then there's the understated yet sublime secondary melody that swings in around 0:45. It's delivery is a deliriously delightful mixture of toy box tuning and ethereal atmosphere. Opposing this, and leading to the eventual jamming finale, is the depths of bounding bass at about 2:13. And this is where the track becomes more than just a beat: knapsack's knack for strong sound design and playful progression is on full display, and yet I haven't got to my favourite part of the track, what I see as the titular component.

The "Clasp" here seems overtly obvious and oh so integral to the top notch nature of this production, it is of course the crispy crunch of his percussion. At times echoing endlessly, others a simple double tap, but however it occurs it is always awesome and truly the key connection between the magnificent melodies and ingenious grooves. Stream the track below, Bend via Spotify here and via iTunes here.FOLLOW KNAPSACK: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

knapsack - Brainforest

Chicago producer Gabriel O'Leary, aka knapsack, has been on quite a run in the last few months releasing several sensational productions. His blend of indie acoustic sounds, with dynamic electronic elements, and just a dash of internet-age ingenuity makes his already unique musicality even moreso magical. His latest, "Brainforest" brings all those assets together while transporting you to a transcendental thicket. The genre tag "Religion & Spirituality" seems apt as knapsack's living and breathing atmosphere springs to life, thrusting you into a grove of meditation. You cannot help but pulse with pure pensiveness. The intro allows for separation of body and soul, through its incredible dissonance. Once in the ticket of thought, you're left to battle the bass booms and jungle grooves among all nature of the unknown. There's just something about "Brainforest" that prevents me from addressing it from a mere musical standpoint, instead it speaks to a more mystical, almost primordial level. And really, what could be better than that? Music is meant to make you feel and think, and there's no question "Brainforest" succeeds on a level unmatched by most. It is awesome, intelligent and an all around cool creation. Keep knapsack in the back of your mind as many of his tracks elicit the same effects, and are, like "Brainforest," available for free download. Enjoy the orchard of enlightenment!FOLLOW KNAPSACK: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER