Somewhere between La Roux, Hot Chip, Chromeo and some of the British new romantic singles from 1980's lies "Boulevard" the latest offering from Fantastic Fantastic. Following the excellent "House"/"Never Enough" combo from last year, the synth-pop duo serves another double portion of "pure pop perfection" just on time for the first days of spring. Catchy! Out on iTunes now!
Following the flamboyant Poisonous Relationship and his 1990s infused multi-vibrant Perfect Party Playlist which he compiled for me exclusively last year, I am now thrilled to present you with another exciting selection of songs, this time cherry-picked by Julia Kwamya from Germans. This Brooklyn based moody disco act completely stole my heart with their first two singles "Wonderhow" and "Cruel", both of which I included among the best tracks of 2013. Now the duo is getting ready for their 3rd release coming up next month. While working on the finishing touches for their brand new single, Julia Kwamya was kind enough to enthusiastically prepare this eclectic collection of tunes. Hope you enjoy it as much as myself!
What an inexplicably exhilarating time for all the Róisín Murphy devotees. We are literally only weeks away from the release of the artist's 3rd solo album "Hairless Toys" and now the Irish Empress of the Dancefloors, as I like to call her, teases us even more with the premiere of the first official single "Exploitation". The single edit, which follows "Gone Fishing" and streamed for the first time on Pitchfork earlier on today, promises another epic electronic journey "Simulation" style as the album version will be almost 10 minute long. The wondrously unexpected "Exploitation" delivers one of La Murphy's most memorable, unique and mellifluous solo efforts to date. It's another astonishing, this time sensually half-whispered, vocal performance with productional wizardry right from the musical top shelf, that I can only suspect either Moloko's Eddie Stevens or The Crooked Man to be partially responsible for. No less than a masterpiece in my books already.
To top it all up Róisín Murphy's one-off club single "Jealousy" is out now on 12" via Crosstown Rebels and you can purchase your copy on Juno now! The house mix which debuted on Annie Mac's BBC show the other week is an ultimate stomper and a saturday night worthy anthem.
Robyn's Konichiwa Records protégée and one of the most promising European artists of the past months, Zhala is bringing her debut album on 25th May. Judging by the undeniable excellence of all 4 singles so far: "Slippin Around", "Prophet", "I'm In Love", "Aerobic Lambada" and this brand new Bollywood inspired gem "Holy Bubbles" we might be receiving one of the albums of the year that very day... I continue to be in awe with this unique, incomparable and vibrantly talented Swedish/Kurdish singer. What an impeccable Orient flavoured synth-pop stomper "Holy Bubbles" is!
I only came across this tremendous disco record made last year in Denmark, about an hour ago. "Bijoux" by Christian d'Or & Vinnie Who is all about the darker, sleazier and more twisted side to nu disco. 11 minutes of aural epicness.
The leading characters of today's post are Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, better known as Röyksopp - the Norwegian wizards of electronica as I like to call them. The Tromsø duo produced and remixed many a gem all through the years but "Slowly", the song they collaborated on with their compatriot synth pop diva Susanne Sundfør, may as well be among the pair's most accomplished works to date. Sundfør's epic "Ten Love Songs" is out now and also includes my #1 song last month "Delirious" (see the entire "Crème de la crème" chart HERE).
Röyksopp have also just released another single from "The Inevitable End" and it's one of the 5 magical recordings with The Irrepressibles' vocalist Jamie McDermott.
The latest in series of Kitsuné compilations - "New Faces II" is out now and as usual I managed to find a couple of solid gems among all the offerings. The previous edition of "New Faces" featured a colourful array of new artists, the likes of Rosie Lowe, Kilo Kish, Lxury, Years & Years and George FitzGerald.
The insanely addictive "Got It", a fusion of bizarrely Oriental beats and contemporary R&B vibes (echoes of Kelis' distinctive "Kaleidoscope" sound anyone?), comes from a Philadelphia based electronic duo Marian Hill.
"Catch My Eye" by Danglo is an elegantly produced mid-tempo track balancing between numerous genres and moods proving once again that the current London dance & electronica scene is one of the most prolific ones globally.
Shura, one of Top 10 Hottest Newcomers in 2014 according to my own chart I published back in December, has just dropped her synth-laden oldskool flavoured new single "2Shy" and it sounds like the 1980's never really went away... Her delicate vocals bring back some sweet early Janet Jackson memories, the alluring melody and the irresistible production place this uncanny retro synth-pop gem somewhere between GL, Chromeo and Electric Youth in the "Future 80's" department. I continue to be in awe with this London act.
M.I.A. posted "CanSeeCanDo" on her Soundcloud last weekend hinting at the album #5 being possibly ready for a release this summer. Classic Arulpragasam gem!
Shaun J. Wright & Alinka, Chicago based house duo extraordinaire are back with their 4th Twirl release "Love Songs" which could easily be introduced as their finest joint effort to date. This sensual, sleekly produced slice of underground house is an irresistible invitation to vogue and your shiniest dancefloor moment on a Saturday night. Hypnotic, seductive and inescapable, the single, which drops 30th March, is accompanied by some of Wright's most memorable (and sexiest!) vocals to date and by 2 intriguing remixes. The twisted, slightly "Kraftwerkian" re-work by Harry Cross and the pulsating, dancefloor-ready mix by The Carry Nation. I've been loving all of their releases so far, I'm particularly fond of "Wait For Love" but "Twirl 004" may as well be Alena and Shaun's most fruitful and compelling collaboration yet.
"A Message" is another stellar production by the scarily talented Alejandro Ghersi, better known by his stage name Arca. Following his futuristic and unique aural escapades with Björk and FKA Twigs, the Venezuelan producer teams up with one of the most progressive American artists of the younger generation Kelela, for her brand new EP "Hallucinogen" which promises to take us "on a journey through lust, longing, delirium and ecstasy". One of the female pioneers of the alternative R&B movement, Kelela gained both enthusiastic praise from the critics and a cult status among her devoted fanbase for her debut mixtape "Cut 4 Me" where she added her own vocals on over instrumental tracks by DJs the likes of Kingdom, Nguzunguzu and Bok Bok. The stylish video for "A Message" was directed by Daniel Sannwald.
London songstress Laura Groves just delivered her 2nd EP "Committed Language" for Deek Recordings. This collection of exquisitely produced Dream Pop songs lies somewhere cosily between the sounds of Nite Jewel, M83, Jenny Wilson and iamamiwhoami. "Dream Story" stands out the most among all 4 tracks, beguiling its listeners with a charming profusion of vocal harmonies, unexpected melody twists and unassuming, gentle arrangement of all the impeccably selected instruments. It's a little sonic escapade I don't want to end... A sheer aural delight...
