Lianne La Havas – What You Don’t Do (Grades Remix)
GRADES increases the tempo and adds a french house flare over a nice bed of powerful vocals in his remix of Lianne La Havas’ What You Don’t Do. GRADES, perhaps best known for his original Crocodile Tears and whose video for King was recently nominated for “Best Dance Video” at the UK Music Video Awards, is continuing to develop his upbeat mixture of catchy vocals and bobby electronic production within the London dance scene. Both artists have soul – you won’t be disappointed.
Raye – Bet U Wish (Lucian Remix)
Sensual, smooth, scathing and unapologetic. When Bet U Wish first surfaced, its captivating vocal delivery and lyrical maturity suggested a time-tested artist working behind the scenes, practicing that kind of finesse that only comes with years of experience. So when we found that this mastermind was actually 17 year old Raye from South London, we were absolutely astounded. Raye has been carving out a name for herself in a saturated market of alternative R&B female vocalists since the release of her debut EP earlier this year, Welcome To The Winter. Since then, she’s shared a steady stream of content to solidify her fledgling fan base, including this breathtakingly dramatic and unique reimagination of the original Bet U Wish by Lucian, who had this to say of the final product: Read More…
Glass Animals – Gooey (Imagined Herbal Flows Remix)
Zaba was easily one of my favorite albums from last year. I fell in love with Glass Animals after listening through the LP front to back, again and again, and it’s with that peculiar but extremely common sense of fanboy ownership that I’ve watched them now step into the limelight like some kind of proud mother. It happens when you really identify with a piece of music, with an artist, with an aesthetic. And the same phenomenon occurred when I came across Imagined Herbal Flows last year, so when this blend of the two surfaced, I was trapped. IHF had a limited amount of material to work with, extracting only the vocals that were unburdened by the rest of the mix from the original. But there’s something beautiful that happens when your tools are limited, when you are forced to draw with only certain colors. Boundaries spawn innovation, and Dave Bayley’s voice sits atop IMF’s accompaniment as comfortably as if it was the master recording. While finding them can be challenging, this is an example of a remix done well: original, creative, but derivative in the best way.
Check out Imagined Herbal Flows here, and Glass Animals here.
Latroit x Bishøp – Loving Every Minute (Ghastly Remix)
Whether you’re celebrating upsets at USC’s Coliseum, just starting school or blowing off some steam after a brutal work week, a crazy weekend needs an equally wild song. Ghastly’s take on Loving Every Minute rises to challenge, throwing down some raw industrial chaos from the get go. Ghastly’s bass-heavy drops have already landed him big releases on popular electronic labels OWSLA and Dim Mak, meanwhile his grimy future house is becoming a staple of the LA club scene. If you’re trying to go out with a bang, we highly recommend Ghastly.
Glen Check – I’ve Got This Feeling (Kartell Remix)
Kartell brings the funk yet again with his throwback remix of Glen Check’s I’ve Got This Feeling. From one of our favorite labels Roche Musique, Kartell is definitely an important international artist to study up on. If you’re feeling the French House vibe, make your way through the Parisian crew’s first compilation .Wave.
Danrell x Småland – Hostage
Danrell recently gave Småland’s debut Hostage a rework, pushing the tempo and shaping the original into an extremely well-polished daydream. He’s been steadily building a catalog of remixes for the past two years, and they keep getting better and better. I think it’s safe to say that this is his best yet, but definitely don’t let that stop you from giving the earlier work a listen. It also goes without saying that the caliber of songwriting here is impressive–looking forward to more Småland in the future as well.
weird inside – just ask (Alexander Lewis Remix)
Take note of one of our consistent go-to’s Alexander Lewis. From what we gather, Lewis is now officially in LA and is continuing to carve out a niche that consists of his experimentation with jazz, trip hop, trap and a little funk sprinkled on the side. His discography includes some tremendous collab projects, including 5 South and many more with none other than Brasstracks. Take our word for it – browsing through his SoundCloud is like exploring a brand new city.
The Colourist – Little Games (St. Lucia Remix)
In honor of TBT, here’s a lighter remix released about two years ago by one of my personal Coachella favorites St. Lucia. It’s hard to maintain a frown when hearing Little Games’ bouncy synths and beach vibes, so soak up the last few drops of summer and take a stroll through St. Lucia’s notoriously catchy pop while you count down to the weekend.
SG Lewis – No Less (Kartell Remix)
Take note of Kartell’s latest track, a remix of SG Lewis’s No Less. An early pioneer back in 2012 of the French label Roche Musique – which now boasts artists like Zimmer, Darius and FKJ – Kartell is a master of blending R&B, Parisian House, and best of all the Rhodes piano. If you’re vibing with his “French Touch” revival, be sure to explore his new EP Tender Games.
Check out Kartell here.
AYER – Circle Down (Keljet Remix)
I know it’s only Wednesday, but this morning I heard Circle Down and couldn’t resist the throwback. Sit back, close your eyes and let Keljet’s nu disco groove wash over you. I’m all about Circle Down‘s bouncy bass line, the stripped pre chorus, and the dope synth solo around 3:23. These guys are from the Netherlands and just released their debut EP Transatlantic. Definitely give this song a spin, and Happy Hump Day!
Check out Keljet here.
Collarbones – Turning (Flume Remix)
Following a brief hiatus, Flume is now unveiling new material to audiences all across the US and Europe during his much anticipated 2015 tour. Australia’s young Harley Stretten continues to entrance fans with his dark, futuristic bass anthems. His newest release Turning follows in the footsteps of his earlier original Some Minds feat. Andrew Wyatt, giving off a mysterious vibe laced with his signature heavy synth. Be sure to enjoy Turning’s white noise breaks – we’re sure Disclosure will at Wild Life in Ibiza.
Check out Flume here.
Jungle – Time (Lxury Remix)
The UK struck gold again with Lxury’s brilliant take on Jungle’s Time, which effortlessly combines a steady groove with a light disco progression. Lxury’s style draws from his personal friendship with the Disclosure brothers and has even caught the eye of Australia’s own Future Classic. Following the release of his latest EP Into The Everywhere on Greco-Roman, the future looks bright for this rising London DJ.
Check out Lxury here.
Odesza – All We Need (Haywyre Remix)
After dropping it live every night for the last few months along a tour touching down in hot spots like Counterpoint and Electric Zoo, keyboardist and producer Haywyre has officially released his remix of All We Need, a bouncy filter-funk edit led by his signature keyboard work. It’s hard to pin this one into a typical genre, so I’ll use the one Haywyre came up with himself: “Post Avant-Garde Pre-Futuristic Jazz-Fusion”.
I’ve always appreciated the emotional drive accompanied by thick percussive sounds in Odesza’s music. After being contacted by them to remix All We Need, I instantly got to work; Here’s what I came up with after finishing it a few months ago. – Haywyre
Check out Haywyre here.
AlunaGeorge – Supernatural (Klaves Remix)
More Rhodes! AlunaGeorge is out with a new remix compilation for Supernatural, and the last track on the list is a bouncy funk house cut from Poland’s Klaves. Island Records won’t let him post the entire mix on SoundCloud because of copyright contract, but this snippet is enough to get you hooked and give the full song a listen on Spotify.
Check out Klaves here.
Jack Ü – Take Ü There ft. Kiesza (Tchami Remix)
The Take Ü There official remix album is out, and while I didn’t care for the original much at all, there are a few good creative spins to be heard: future bass from Zeds Dead, drum & bass from Netsky, and our favorite, grime house from Tchami. Trying out a different flavor, the French DJ abandons his usual gritty stab synths for some aggressive filter-play alone. But while the hook keeps you listening with a familiar and catchy flow, it soon becomes painfully obvious that the rest of the remix is just a feeble attempt to support it and fill the time. It feels like Tchami did the bare minimum on everything but the hook: Simple breakdown chords? Check. Copy/paste acapella? Check. Predictable snare build? Check. That said, I love the hook so much that I thought it was worth sharing, and also because I can see it being spliced into a DJ set to great effect.
Check out Tchami here.
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