NEW MUSIC: Shift K3y - Touch

If the sudden success of Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" in the UK is anything to go by, then "Touch", the mindblowingly catchy new single by previously musically ambiguous producer Shift K3Y, could well be the next step in a full on garage takeover in 2014. 

The garage revival has been gradually working its way through the dance underground's deep house obsession of 2013, but most of it has been afraid to place a toe firmly in the late 90s/early 00s nostalgia pool, the majority opting to follow in Disclosure's footsteps and offer flavours of garage without recalling too much of this shamelessly cheesy period in music. 

Why "Touch" works is that it brings back everything that was good about garage in the first place, including the features that Disclosure et al have been too credible to - the sugary sweet male vocal, gloriously sung by the producer himself (a fact which makes me very happy indeed), a 130+ bpm, and a set of simplistic, hollow yet instantly memorable lyrics, which accompany a melody so catchy that their vacuousness can be forgiven, celebrated even. 

If Clean Bandit turned back the clock to the sunkissed post-garage/chilled-house days of 2002/3, Shift K3y has bravely turned the hands even further back to 1999, channelling the spirit of Artful Dodger. Need another reason why this is so great? This was a time when unknown producers and acts would top the charts out of the blue, purely because of a shamelessly catchy tune, so please let's see "Touch" become the second breakthrough #1 of the year and let's see some hard work pay off.

FOR FANS OF: Artful Dodger, Kove, DEVolution

- Joe Copplestone, 3.2.14

Party Tracks of the Week! (FREE DOWNLOADS)

MKS - Flatline (MNEK Remix)

#Garage #House

It's a capital letter collaboration, and one that deserves 3 more capital letters - WOW. Bafflingly busy teen prodigy MNEK is known for his soulful 90s touch, and on his remix of MKS's "Flatline" his production is anything but flatlining. The track's pretty melody is placed into a fiery garage party-scape, and out of a humble original song, MNEK manages to cut and paste his way to about 20 more vocal hooks.

lostchild. - Private Party

#House #Garage #FreeDownload

Taking on Baltimore synthpoppers Dungeonesse's "Private Party", London producer lostchild. brings the track forward from big 80s electro to loungey 90s house. Much like the MNEK track above, lostchild flogs the wordy chorus for every potential cut'n'paste hook he can find. You can download it for FREE from the SoundCloud link below.

Mike Mago - The Show

#ChicagoHouse #Funky #DeepHouse

Managing to combine 3 different eras of house music into one seriously addictive track, Mike Mago brings 90s Chicago House piano, and a delicious Funky House vocal sample to a slick Deep House beat and bass. Sometimes you can please everyone all of the time it would seem.

EXS feat. Cassie Graves - In Motion [FREE DOWNLOAD]

After channelling Rudimental during a supernova on debut single "Sunshine", electronic duo EXS return with a similarly sunny disposition, but this time replacing euphoric drum & bass with 90s liquid garage vibes for second single, and free download no less, "In Motion".

Singer Cassie Graves is a million miles from her jazzy comfort zone on "In Motion", but her soulful, biting voice takes to its spiralling melody like an Eliza Doolittle-esque duck to Disclosure-esque waters.

Available for free download below via Soundcloud.

FOR FANS OF: Disclosure, Katy B, Jessie Ware

Party Tracks of the Week!

Chase & Status - Count On Me (ft. Moko)
#Rave #DnB

Making the transition from Drum & Bass front-runners to 90s rave will be a cop out to some and a clever move to others, but there's no denying that C&S bring the breakbeats and piano hooks just as hard as they brought their sharp D&B beats and roaring basslines, and a gutsy top line by crazy-voiced singer Moko seals the deal.
 

Sub Focus - Turn it Around (ft. Kele)
#Dubstep

Sub Focus' upcoming album Torus is a gift that keeps on giving before it's even been dropped. Final single to drop before the album, "Turn It Around" is, much like the rest of Sub Focus' string of singles over the past year and a half, unconcerned with it's shamelessly melodic and commercial nature. The track follows "Tidal Wave" in structure, beginning as a dreamy dubstep number before exploding into full blown D&B euphoria. Kele's angsty voice is a revelation on the track as well, hopefully opening the door to many more D&B guest spots.

Friend Within - The Renegade
#Garage #House

Updating Wildchild's "Renegade Master" for yet another generation, up and coming garage revivalists Friend Within are fast becoming house music elite in 2013, and this bass heavy interpretation of a classic dancefloor hit is sure to cement this status.

Party Tracks of the Week!

Disclosure - F for You (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
#House #Rave

Injecting Disclosure's pretty middle-of-the-road new single with a bit of T-E-E-D magic, this mix begins like tubular bells on the dancefloor, twinkling synths abound, before delivering a Fake Blood esque dirty bass drop.



Dr Meaker feat. Romaine Smith - Don't Think It's Love (TS7 Remix)
#House #Garage

Bristolian D&B upstarts Dr Meaker hand their latest apocalyptic breakbeat number over to TS7, who impressively transform it into 90s garage, with its sped up vocal hook providing a real old school high.



A-Minor - Thinking Bout The Things
#House #Rave

London newcomer A-Minor sounds like he's fully prepared to join nu rave elite like Duke Dumont and DEvolution with this debut track, which comes across as a darker, more soulful "Need U 100%" thanks to the husky, seductive vocals of London singer Bow Promise.

Party Tracks of the Week!

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.

Party Tracks of the Week! (FREE DOWNLOADS)

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.

Little Nikki - Where I'm Coming From

Jumping on the garage bandwagon seems like a fairly smart move for a young singer in 2013, and it also seems like a better idea to be a solo artist than a band. Two steps Little Nikki has smartly taken. Given the disintegration of SoundGirl, the last act Little Nikki was (prominently) part of, she brings a little bit of girl band sugar 'n' sheen to an ultra retro garage sound, one that stands out due to its tropical flourishes and unusual melodies. If her debut single "Intro Intro" showcased Nikki going hard, "Where I'm Coming From" shows her more sultry side, and an acrobatic vocal reminiscent of Katy B. The music's not far off either.

FOR FANS OF: Katy B, Rita Ora, Girls Aloud

Party Tracks of the Week!

AlunaGeorge - Attracting Flies (Shift K3y Remix)
#2Step #Garage

AlunaGeorge's sultry anthem gets the full on UK garage treatment from Shift K3y, with popping kick drums and jittery synths, and the song seems catchier at this speedy tempo. And it's no secret that Aluna's squeaky clean voice is straight from the 1999-school of garage anyway, so she sounds right at home here.



Goldroom - Only You Can Show Me (feat. Mereki)
#NuDisco #House #Dance #Synthpop

The summery, nu disco that the LA producer brings rises like a midday sun into a ravey piano house number, laced with catchy, giggling synths and a sugar sweet Ibiza vocal courtesy of Mereki.



Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Dillon Francis Remix)
#Trap #HipHop

Token trap track of the week! I may well be beginning to lose interest in the genre, but multi-talented Dillon Francis still brings a magnificent vocal mash-up at the drop of this addictive remix.

Toddla T Sound - Worst Enemy

Toddla T Sound, as you might expect, is DJ Toddla T himself, joined by R&B and UK garage royalty Shola Ama, UK hip hop artist/producer Serocee and MC DRS. Their debut track, "Worst Enemy", is breathlessly sexy, and it showcases a superb, slick merging of talents. Shola Ama's vocal has matured since her garage days and her previously R&B-honed syrupy chirpings are replaced with an aching, whispery tone, constrasting DRS' dark and heavily processed MC verses, and the boys manage to create something approaching a post-R&B track, with hints of UK urban and Trap. Altogether it sounds like the beginning of something quite brilliant.

FOR FANS OF: Roses Gabor, Jhene Aiko, The Weeknd

Party Tracks of the Week!

Alison Valentine - Peanut Butter (Moon Boots Remix)
#NuDisco #Dance #FREEDOWNLOAD

An absolutely joyous synthpop/piano house hybrid from the ever reliable Moon Boots, as Alison Valentine's dreamy voice floats around the soundscape.

Savage Skulls & Douster - TRT

#Garage #Bass #House

Hints of 90s rave give way to a thunderous bassline. Savage Skulls' "Bass Kick" EP is a massive testament to modern garage and bass, and "TRT" is its old school heart.

DJ Snake - Bird Machine (feat. Alesia)

#Trap #HipHop #FREEDOWNLOAD

First heard on Flosstradamus' Banned 2 Mixtape, "Bird Machine" is hands down one of the most bizarre tracks to come out of the Trap craze, with one of the most surprising drops ever, a menacing kick chasing after eerie chopped up bird tweets, quite literally. Yet this is, somehow, ridiculously addictive.

Party Tracks of the Week!

> Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge - White Noise (Hudson Mohawke Remix)

#Trap #Bass

Taking that thunderous chord onslaught HudMo is gleefully infamous for, and matching it to Disclosure's fidgity house bassline makes for a crazy tune with an orgasmic payoff.

> EX$ - Dream Last Night

#House #Dance

The dark south london atmospherics of Burial in the context of a 90s house rave, building slowly before a delicious organ bassline drop.

> Shadow Child - 23

#Garage #2Step #Bass #House

The simplest of 2 step bassline murmers over an old school beat, with a relentless, hypnotic groove that refuses to relinquish its hold.

Syron - Breaking

Syron's guest spot on Rudimental's excellent "Spoons" was somewhat underwhelming. Whilst the soulful melody was perfect for MNEK's husky, warm voice, but singing much of the same melody, Syron seemed short-changed, whispering a melody too low for her, making her voice seem thin. "Breaking" is another matter however, a silky, funky garage number sprinkled with her delicate, pretty upper range. With more material like this, Syron could easily be the next Katy B.

FOR FANS OF: Katy B, Delilah, Jess Mills

Rusko - Pressure (from new album "Songs")

Dubstep DJ Rusko's "Songs" album is out today, an above average collection of squelchy dubstep, spacey dub and energetic 2 step, and album highlight (and undoubtedly future single) "Pressure" is from the latter camp, a wonderfully chirpy garage number straight from the UK scene circa-2000.