Matt Van Schie and Mighty Mouse aka Du Tonc are treating us to a slice of sonic sunshine with their irresistible, full blast Balearic synth anthem "We Can Hold On". The uplifting track is the band's third release on Eskimo following "Every Song" and "Animals" earlier this year and announces the release of Du Tonc's debut album.
And for those keen on 90's R&B covers, a reminder of Du Tonc's summery rework of Aaliyah's "Rock The Boat":
Good old-fashioned melody, unpretentious production, catchy chorus, a brand new excellent pop single on the horizon ladies and gentlemen! London based quartet - PREP begin their musical adventure with a glorious retro-flavoured summer gem "Cheapest Flight" which you will just be dying to be grooving to by the side of the pool sipping that cocktail in the sun. This chilling slice of slow disco makes for an impressive debut single with its trumpets, saxophones and démodé synths. Sumptuous!
Weird World Records, London based indie label which spoiled our ears already with Washed Out and Jaakko Eino Kalevi, are eager to introduce you to Silicon - the new project from Auckland, New Zealand by a Hawaii multi-instrumentalist Kody Nielson. Judging by the first, extremely impressive single "God Emoji" we should be expecting a vibrant sonic cocktail of chillwave, funk and synth-pop. The alluring debut single from Silicon comes with one of this year's most memorable music videos, directed by Sam Peacocke, the artist's clever Instagram account and this peculiar press blurb:
"Lurking amidst Auckland’s tranquil waters, bold mountains and dormant volcanoes; insomniac Kody Nielson composes shiny and gorgeous pop-aspersions that loiter in the silence. Eyes never blinking, information never ceasing, it is seduction. Don’t stop."
"Annie" is a come-back single from Neon Indian, one of the pioneers of chill-wave, lo-fi and indietronica, arriving almost 4 years after Alan Palomo's last synth-pop gem "Polish Girl". Chosen as one of Pitchork's "Best New Tracks" last week, the song announces a slight change in musical direction for Neon Indian balancing between Balearic vibes, vintage electro pop, italo disco and tropical synths. A charmingly oldskool and oddly appealing mixture of Hot Chip, Penguin Prison and Culture Club. A brand new summer party anthem about to happen.
We have two ultimate summer anthems on the horizon guys! First up Parisian duo Brigitte and their latest single "À Bouche Que Veux-Tu" remixed, revamped and pimped up by the indestructible Yuksek himself. This is summer scented shiny disco music, a new saturday night essential and the latest in the catalogue of French Touch anthems.
The second track comes from a Dutch producer Siroj who made me forget about that disappointingly mediocre new Disclosure single from last week almost instantly. "Slowly" is anything but and it's a UK garage banger of epic proportions that you won't get rid off that easily. Highly addictive and irresistibly catchy!
It hasn't even been 2 weeks since my favourite Parisian synth-pop trio Jolie Chérie premiered their delicious new single "Où Tu Veux" and they're already serving us another electro anthem in the making. Their rendition of Equateur's "The Lava" is a classic French Touch recipe with a Balearic twist and irresistibly summery vibe. Right next to Vii's "Ton Goût Des Garçons", Kavinsky's "Nightcall" and Black Strobe's "Me And Madonna" among Jolie Chérie's most enjoyable remixes to date. A dancefloor winner, big time!
And here are the other remixes I mentioned above. Let's party!
Polish synth-pop champions Kamp! return with another sleekly produced, Balearic single "Parallels" taken from their upcoming EP "Baltimore" released on 26th August by Cascine. No one does synth-pop quite as stylishly as the electronic trio from Łódź. Pre-order your copy of "Baltimore" 12" HERE!
Official press release:
"Kamp! continues to grow their global fanbase on the strength of their stylish synth pop, which fluidly melds modern versions of 80's new-wave with international disco. Their warm, layered production, hit-flavored melodies, melancholic vocals and Balearic brushstrokes, evoke images of dusk-till-dawn beach-parties and dusty mirrorballs in the corners of forgotten nightclubs."
Idriss Chebak is a Moroccan dj and producer currently based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Fake Music have just released Chebak's "All Me" EP which is an irresistible cocktail of summery Balearic vibes dipped in a scorching sun ready for your garden parties and pre-club sessions. You can download it for free HERE!
It's such a pleasure to introduce brand new promising musical acts at the very beginning of their artistic paths. I have just discovered a Norwegian trio called Musique Le Pop whose very own sweet synth-pop sound with a tropical twist is right up my alley. Their self-defined lo-fi-licious summer disco EP aptly called "l’été" is all things hedonistic, light-hearted and effervescent in a magical aura of Casio, sunshine and glamorous kitsch. This jolly selection of summery songs is out now via Cafe Superstar Recordings, an independent label based in their homeland, Norway. Musique Le Pop are yet another delightful band to keep an eye on from the land of the midnight sun, the fjords and an exceptional amount of quality synth-pop, dance & electronica music of the past few years. Oh yeah and they made a track called "Mateo" which is the name of my beloved nephew, an additional sentimental reason for me to fall for them almost instantly. Check the video for "Mateo" and the rest of the EP below:
I've got two summery grooves for you today. Both of them come from the latest in the extraordinary series of Colette compilations, always reliable for discovering fresh dance & electronica talents before anyone else does. This one's called "Bonjour Colette" and it's a collaborative initiative aiming to present a selection of tracks by emerging French and Japanese artists signed to either Colette or Bonjour Records respectively.
Darius' "Espoir" is a hedonistic, festival-ready house moment of pure euphoria and Balearic vibes that will make you want to put those hands up in the air instantly.
Burning Peacocks are a Parisian duo inspired by Air, Portishead and Beach House whose sound fits somewhere between the luscious recordings of their compatriots the likes of Sébastien Tellier, Exotica, The Pirouettes or our favourite Cinema. 2 idyllic song beauties all ready for your BBQ's in the sun. Check out also the mini-mix below for a taste of the rest of the compilation.
Joakim's brand new album "Tropics Of Love" is out now via Tigersushi Records. The second single taken from the album is the oldschool flavoured "Bring Your Love" featuring Luke Jenner from The Rapture. The CFCF Remix of the previous single "On The Beach" is pretty dreamy too. Here they both are back to back.
On the glorious occasion of Kamp! - Poland's #1 electro/indie act playing a gig here in Dublin for the first time I decided to go over their entire catalogue so far and cherry-pick the juiciest of their tracks to date. This Polish export are arguably one of the most successful groups to emerge from Poland on the electronic scene. Having conquered their native country, they have amassed a niche European fan base with their synth pop and nebulous vocals adding a new age dimension to retro disco. Reminiscent of summer night raves and hypnotic vibes, Kamp! are expected to play a debut sell-out gig at Button Factory on 9th May. For more info on the event please check out the official Facebook event for the concert HERE or buy your tickets directly at entertainment.ie.
American underground label Cascine has just made a music planet a better place with the release of Yumi Zouma's beguiling self-titled debut EP. I usually tend to cherry pick the stand-out tracks from newly released EP's but with such a superb 4-tracker from this slightly mysterious New Zealand trio it has proven to be a mission impossible. It's the sweetest collection of dreamy, alluring POP for those who loathe current mainstream POP with passion. Think Washed Out, think Germans, think Rainbow Chan, think Nite Jewel, think Toro Y Moi. All these mighty influences with Yumi Zouma's very own delicately folksy twist, blissful harmonies and sumptuous melodies. 4 out of 4. What an impressively solid debut!
How delightful and idyllic is this little pure pop perfection by the lovely Alison Valentine? This New York chanteuse continues to impress with a stream of solid synth-pop recordings, here's hoping we'll receive a whole album at some stage in 2014. Out now on iTunes or below as a generously given away free download. And all of a sudden the summer is here in the middle of this gloomy wintertime. Tune!
This is a dream combo for all those house lovers who haven't stopped dancing yet since New Year's parties. Parisian dj Kartell is about to drop his brand new EP "Sapphire" on Monday and it is shaping to be an utter feast for all the admirers of his signature sound which blends French House, Nu Disco and Balearic specificities. His groovy re-edit of Dave Hollister's "Keep Lovin' You" spreads even more sunshine on the dancefloor and you can download it for free HERE! Delectable and beaming vibes.
Germans are actually based in Brooklyn. Julia Kwamya and Kurt Feldman compose the sweetest slow disco jams, pop break-up songs, balearic ditties and vintage grooves. This sound is right up my alley and will from now on become a guaranteed antidote to any moody day I might encounter. Listening to these two blithesome tracks one is not surprised anymore to notice David Bowie, Level 42, Sade, Empress Of and Local Natives among their influences. Blissful self-released sounds.
It seems I can't stop blogging about Basement Jaxx these days but I seriously haven't been that excited about their new material in almost a decade! While "What A Difference Your Love Makes" might possibly be one of the songs of the year (and definitely the best video in 2013 so far!) they're also offering a treasure of a b-side "Mermaid Of Salinas" - a slice of multi-coloured explosion of irresistible samba beats. The London duo could always afford to drop such quality tunes as bonus tracks only, an overload of talent and creativity that they are. This is the "Bingo Bango" of 2013. Superb! The single is out 29th September.
Daytime disco is how Adhe Arrio charmingly (and accurately!) describes his own sound. One may have noticed this slightly mysterious Indonesian dj and producer's name first among the remixes submitted for the likes of Chromeo, Phoenix or Breakbot. His latest single "The Love" sounds just like I imagine Bali, where he's based, to be: warm, sunny, chilled-out and refreshing.
Lindstrøm's nu-disco odyssey "Smalhans" was one of the most impressive dance EP's released last year. 9 months after its debuts we're treated to a cute video accompanying one of the 6 excellent and complicatedly titled tracks: "Vōs-Sākō-Rv". European nu-disco at its best!
One can never have enough of Norwegian dance music right? Following the post about the fruitful synth-pop collaboration between Annie and Ralph Myerz, I'd like to share Todd Terje's latest single "Strandbar" which is just oozing summer vibes and sunshine from everywhere, including the EP's artwork. This will get me right in the mood for Terje's performance with Lindstrøm at the opening day of Sónar Festival in Barcelona. Choose between samba or disco version of the track below and let the ☼shine.
