Seemingly from two different dance music worlds, Moombahton pioneer Dillon Francis and humble 90s techno knob twiddler TEED form an unlikely yet perfect alliance on "Without You". It sounds exactly how you would expect a mix of their two styles to sound, essentially TEED's "Garden" at a Moombahton tempo with a harder melodic drop. Claiming to be singing about Dillon Francis' "relationship problems" TEED's top line is one of the best he's ever written, and is further proof that his vocal presence is just as strong as his distinct production. The track is available to download from August 6. FOR FANS OF: Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Hot Chip
Who knew such a pretty skinny blonde boy could make such a goliath track? The bubbly verses of "Global Concepts" seem relatively tame and full of self doubting questions, but when DeLong vows to "make you fucking dance" all hell breaks loose. An obnoxiously loud Moombahton synth lead squirms like an earthworm on the pavement, and a raw, tribal drum beat pounds until it causes cracks to form (DeLong is a drummer and he doesn't hide it, despite his electro leanings). The song has the kind of genre-fucking semi-electronic vibe of Tom Vek, but the aggressive pounding of "Global Concepts" would most certainly knock Mr Vek's glasses right off. Robert DeLong's debut album Just Movement came out this week, and there's plenty more jittery electronics and schizophrenic beats to be found there. FOR FANS OF: Tom Vek, Frankmusik, The Presets
Disclosure - Voices (feat. Sasha Keable) #House #Garage #Settle What with Settle delightfully managing the near impossible task of being an almost entirely perfect full-length dance record, highlight "Voices" is yet another luxurious garage house anthem in the vein of "You & Me" and "White Noise", a benchmark in funky basslines and earworm vocal hooks courtesy of the silkily voiced Sasha.
Disclosure - Defeated No More (feat. Ed Macfarlane) #House #FriendlyFires #Settle Something else a little experimental but brilliant from the Disclosure boys. Friendly Fires' Ed Macfarlane's performance on the slightly slower and lustrous "Defeated No More" is so distinct that the track feels like a full blown Friendly Fires collaboration. It's warm pulsating pads and tropical, soulful vibe meshes with the dance duo's deep house basslines and crisp beats like a match made in Ibiza heaven. For god's sake people, buy Settle!
Gents & Jawns - Holler #Moombahton #Electro #Bass Gent & Jawns are making quite a name for themselves in the tropical moombah/trap/bass scene for their grimy noises and face-scrunching drops, and at the drop of "Holler", the dubsteppy throb that ensues oozes with filth and just the right amount of groove to keep things addictive.
Pomrad - Pomslap #Wonky #80s #NuFunk More than just slightly bonkers, Pomrad's take on 80s funk has about 15 different sections, each one even more irresistably funky than the next, with slap basslines thwacking against hyperactive synth lines and stuttering pads.
Jay Fay - Dibby Dibby (FREE DOWNLOAD) #Moombahton #EDM #FreeDownload A crazy Dillon Francis-esque earthquake of a tune, with the funkiest electronic squelch of a bassline at the drop.
Grandtheft - Hear This (feat. Deejay Theory) #Rave #Jungle #MajorLazer From jungle to dancehall to a misleading 90s house breakdown before all hell breaks loose in a way that would make Major Lazer proud.
A.W.E - YYY #Dubstep #Trap #Synth Following in the footsteps of Melodic Dubstep and Trap pioneers Rustie and TNGHT comes the most colourful and ambitious Trap-influenced act yet. "YYY" bursts with eurodance synth chords, burbling breakdown arpeggios and vangelis synth leads over a Rustie-esque rough-around-the-edges Trappy beat.
Naughty Boy - La La La (feat. Sam Smith) (DEvolution Remix) #House #Garage DEvolution turn this slightly mediocre big beat number into something approaching the glory of "Latch". Turning their faders to "Disclosure", the duo bring sharp beats and addictive synths to "La La La" resulting in one of the best house tracks of the year so far.
Artful Dodger - No I Turn You On (feat. Zoe Krypi) (Disclosure Remix) #House #Garage Yet another version of this, with Zoe Krypi bringing a female perspective to this remixed classic garage anthem, chucking some irresistible husky vocal hooks over the top, and all of a sudden it's diva friendly.
Sin Diesel - Bum Bum (Jesse Slayter) (FREE DOWNLOAD) #Moombahton #Trap I can't keep away. More rabid sirens, but this time over a ridiculously cartoony vocal sample and a jittery moombahton beat. It's free, so go on, indulge in some mindless rave.
Kento - Complicated (Prince Persona Remix) #Rave #Chiptune #Dance Looks like it's not just Unicorn Kid holding the 16-bit 90s rave torch. The hyperactive, colourful London producer Prince Persona turns electropop singer Kento's latest single into a garish 6 minutes of speedy distorted beats and bright neon synths, for widened pupils everywhere.
Diplo & GTA - Boy Oh Boy #Dancehall #Moombahton #HipHop #FREEDOWNLOAD Typically bonkers electronic dancehall from Diplo and his Mad Decent signing GTA, this Missy Elliott-sampling number begins with thunderous tribal dancehall that M.I.A. wouldn't turn her nose up at, before dissolving into brain-melting moombahton.
Misha B - Here's To Everything (Bimbo Jones Remix) #Dance #Pop #House A guilty pleasure party track for once. Misha B's relatively flaccid new single "Here's To Everything" suddenly soars euphorically under Bimbo Jones' watchful euro-dance eye. Best to forget the original and let this one tear up the dancefloors of gay clubs.
Major Lazer - Watch Out For This (Bumaye) (feat. Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green) #Dancehall #Reggae #Moombahton It is a joy to have Major Lazer back on the scene, and with their dancehall-reggae-moombahton hybrid sound sounding fresher than ever. Party-loving, tropical and utterly rave-tastic, "Watch Out For This" lives up to its title.
So out of nowhere Katy B releases a new EP, without warning, available to download for free (check the soundcloud link below). And names like Jessie Ware and Diplo come along for the ride. This has evidently been a masterclass in 'keeping a lid on it'.
Danger is essentially Katy B coming back to claim the crossover scene she pretty much solely occupied a couple of years ago, by summing up each current dance trend with a track each. "Aaliyah", a modern day 'Jolene' and surprising duet with Jessie Ware, could be a solo song for either singer, but together, Katy's silky tone is complimented by Jessie's husky one, in a sister's-from-the-underground-doing-it-for-themselves sort of way. Long time collaborator brings a Disclosure-esque sharp house beat, to which neither singer is a novice, and it's the best thing here.
Only just however. Diplo lends "Set it Off" from his bonkers moombahton EP Express Yourself to "Light As A Feather", and although it's not the best song Katy's ever written, it's a worthwhile endeavor, just to hear vocals on the drop. "Got Paid" is as grimy as it suggests, with terrible lyrics on paper, but Zinc's gritty bassline is so tasty that Katy somehow gets away with lyrics like "Friday never lets me down" and "new acrylics, liquid liner makes you wanna say oh my gosh". Yes, even that last one. "Danger" is the token downtempo one, with Jacques Greene bringing a seductive trap beat to what is probably Katy's best written song here, along the lines of gorgeous debut highlight "Go Away".
It's exciting that music of this calibre was considered disposable enough to be on a free EP. Welcome back Katy, it's been too long. "Oh my gosh!"
Another moderate quality music drought this week, thank you very much Olympics (!), but there are, as always, some proper finds if you look hard for them.
AALIYAH - ENOUGH SAID (FEAT. DRAKE)
Not quite a hologram, but hearing Aaliyah's silky and insanely sexy voice matched with Drake's producer 40's thick, ambient, bass heavy production in 2012 is something undeniably quite wonderful. It's almost a shame when Drake turns up, Aaliyah's voice is that show stopping, from the irresistible string of "yeah"s that make up the songs focal hook to her heavenly, fragile ad libs. Nevertheless, Drake is full on 'Take Care'-reflective here in his verse, and although he's upstaged by the late diva, they make a strangely apt pairing, the song playing like a hazy dream, in which Aaliyah is still alive and producing beautiful music, and Drake wakes in the morning, rubbing his eyes, trying desperately to recall what he just dreamt.
For fans of: The Weeknd, everyone involved with the track.
AYLEN & D!RTY AUDIO - DIFFERENT CITIES (FEAT. JITTA ON THE TRACK) FREE DOWNLOAD ON SOUNDCLOUD
Thanks to @poundpoundpound's INSANE moombahton mix last week on www.moombaplus.com radio, I came across this filthy, untamable monster of a track. A thunderous kick beats sparsely, as a string of rapid deadmau5 chords build to a crescendo before dropping into beautiful chaos, the rabid lead flailing and foaming at the mouth.
For fans of: Knife Party, Diplo, DIRTY Moombahton.
After last year's blissfully euphoric slice of balearica that was Beat Connection's debut EP Surf Noir, the chillwavers are back with their first full length record. Whilst nothing here quite matches the sheer sunkissed splendour of "In The Water" or "Theme From Yours Truly", the band have found a comfortable niche between Friendly Fires and Washed Out, with tracks like "Palace Garden, 4am" and "Further Out" oozing chilled poolside party charm with their deep, funky basslines and some delicious steel pans flourishes. "Think Feel" stands out however, with the subtly steamy vocals of Chelsey Scheffe perfectly complimenting the track's dark xx-tinged synthpop.
More summer fun in Kisses's new single. Whilst not quite topping their stunning debut single "Bermuda" or its beautiful follow up "People Can Do The Most Amazing of Things", the summery indiepoppers gain points for the sheer effortlessness in which the laid back optimism gleams from this track, in which two lovely chords loop round and round beneath a driving beat and shooting star synths. Twee in the extreme, and unashamedly so.
NE-YO - LET ME LOVE YOU (UNTIL YOU LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF) SINGLE OUT NOW
After guesting on Calvin Harris' functional but unambitious "Let's Go" not so long ago, it's predictable that Ne-Yo would continue with this direction in his solo material. However, when a big dance production is paired with the saccharine emotional piano led chord sequence and overwrought melodies that Ne-Yo so often brings to the table in his solo work, "Let Me Love You" ends up being a surprising pop triumph. Melodramatic yes, cheesy yes, but oh so, OH SO catchy and unfairly uplifting. Makes one grin like a buffoon.
Continuing in the 90s dance mould of Redlight's last smash "Get Out My Head", "Lost In Your Love" is more commercial with its piano house intentions, with flecks of decade old funky house combined with a very current ravepop sound.
TEENGIRL FANTASY - EFX (FEAT. KELELA) SINGLE OUT NOW
Quirky bass/synth/whateverpop act Teengirl Fantasy, thus far known for icy synth house tracks such as "Motif", have taken a slight detour via the new wave of US dark'n'B ala Drake and The Weeknd, and it's a delightfully weird middle ground between the bajan pop vibes of old Rihanna and difficult but gorgeous swedish pop like The Knife and Niki & The Dove.
WILD NOTHING - PARADISE ALBUM "NOCTURNE" OUT 27/08
After the shoegazery new wave of their debut "Gemini", Wild Nothing's sophomore full length Nocturne is looking to be a tad more anthemic, if second preview track "Paradise" is anything to go by. First single "Shadow" was earthier and lovelier than anything off "Gemini", with its Fleetwood Mac 70s rock demeanor and a majestic lead melody, but "Paradise" is an even further step into the epicsphere. Five and a half minutes pass without much happening, but each melody that introduces itself is a beautiful revelation. A jangly lead guitar and feathery flute melody provide enough musical joy between them than was heard on the entire of (the still quite enjoyable) "Gemini", and the brief vocal refrain is subtle but effortlessly grand. It is however the two and a half minute breakdown, carried on three gorgeous chords, that truly makes the track, giving it its warm, welcoming heart. When the whole band kicks back in for the final minute, it is one of the most joyous moments in pop music this year.
To finish, a grand pop rock anthem, with a gritty heart that The Script et al could never hope to touch. A massive britpop beat meets a truly anthemic wall of distorted bass and waves of guitar, as the singer announces triumphantly in the chorus "if you wanna find out you know where the city is". An uplifting move-to-the-city anthem with an aftertaste of rebellion.
For fans of: The Big Pink, Bloc Party, White Lies.
Sweden is known for it's weird pop music scene, from The Knife's otherworldly squeals and blips to Robyn's androgynous ghetto princess persona. So it's no surprise to find that Elliphant is from Stockholm. First appearing over here in the UK in an "introducing" article in The Guardian, with an "Eye of the Tiger"-sampling, droning piece of Swede-lectro pop, "In The Jungle", that was a bit hard to swallow, but follow up release "TeKKno Scene" goes down a treat. A moombahton rhythm propels the track underneath Diplo-favoured synth sirens, and Elliphant's distorted rapping sounds like a call to arms and the dance-floor simultaneously. This isn't the last we've heard from her.
For those wanting something new and different sounding, look no further. I've made no secret about my enthusiasm for the Moombahton* scene, crazy synths and heavy bass beats at 108bpm, but what's going on here is a totally different ballgame. A soulful sample-happy intro gives way to one of the most unexpected and violently brilliant drops I've ever heard in the genre... MUST BE HEARD. Get into it. Now.
*named as such when DJ Dave Nada slowed down Afrojack's "Moombah" to reggaeTON tempo to please a predominantly black crowd... the rest is history.
