SHREM'S WORLDLY DELIGHTS: "Asembi Ara Amba (Henrik Schwarz Version)" - Y-Bayani & Henrik Schwarz

The magnificent slice of Ghanaian reggae "Asembi Ara Amba" by The Polyversal Souls feat. Y-Bayani gets an impossibly addictive remix treatment by the mighty Henrik Schwarz. The German dj and producer has previously hypnotised us with his epic mix of Amadou & Mariam's joyful "Bofou Safou" which landed at #2 among my Top 20 Best Remixes of 2017 list. Another fantastic cross-over club track combining African influences and House music to an astonishing effect.

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SHREM'S FUTURE ANTHEMS: "GOTASOUL" - Azari feat. James Baley

Dinamo Azari aka Azari from the prominent Canadian ensemble AZARI & III (who scored Track of the Year here for 2 consecutive years with "Reckless (With Your Love)" in 2010 and "Manic" in 2011) is back with a solo project heralded by one of the most addictive club tracks we've heard thus far in 2018. The pulsating "Gotasoul", featuring the electrifying vocals of James Baley, is an acid-house flavoured excursion into underground house clubs dripping with raw energy, sonic hedonism, mystery and sensuality. An immediate anthem which leaves me gasping for Azari's full album scheduled to drop later on this year.

The official press release describes Azari's new project most accurately:

"This project is a reaction to perfection and predictability, a reminder that you don’t have to fit in to function. It’s a return to the raw, expressive and rule breaking days of punk and acid house. It embodies forward thinking music, art and visuals that have the power to incite shock and awe. It’s for a generation that looks beyond labels. It’s a project that places equal power with all genders, sexualities and races, and draws in outsiders at odds with the world’s current categories."

"Gotasoul" is out on 3rd August via Get Physical.

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SHREM'S NEWBIES BUT TO-BE'S: "ONE OF THE GIRLS" - Otha

I am reviving my "Newbies But To-Be's" thread today with the arrival of the enigmatic Otha. Otha follows Smerz, Sassy 009, Lekende Lett, or ARY in the recent invasion of independent Norwegian female artists. Norway has enjoyed a really prolific club and electronica scene for way over 2 decades at this stage, yet each one of these new talents is bringing something fresh to the table. Othalie Husøy's self-released "One of the Girls" has it all. The seductive collage of ambient and deep house, that uncannily crisp Scandinavian synth-pop production, haunting melody and flawless vocal harmonies. It is an instantly captivating composition, complete in every respect. I have lost the play count of "One of the Girls" at this stage as I remain completely mesmerised by the song.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "DRINK I'M SIPPIN' ON" /// "LAST BREATH" - Yaeji

The unstoppable Yaeji, the GODMODE label's prime ambassador, continues to inspire the musical blogosphere, the underground clubbing community and muso nerds like myself. In an admirably profuse stream of self-produced and self-performed new sounds, the Korean wonder child is offering an urban flavoured single "Drink I'm Sippin' On" and a curiously off-kilter slice of deep house, sampling the diva of the divas herself - Róisín Murphy from her global mega-anthem with Moloko "The Time Is Now". Sticking to her unconventional approach, effortlessly cool attitude, geeky style and clear passion for her mother tongue, Yaeji is once again at the top of her game, shining brightly among the most uniquely talented and versatile artists of the current dance and electronica scene. "Drink I'm Sippin' On" announces the release of Yaeji's 2nd EP scheduled for 3rd November. I want more!

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SHREM'S BIGGIES BUT GOODIES BASKET: "FEATHERLIGHT" - Gus Gus

The 2nd most blogged about act in the 7 year history of Shrem's Carousel Of Über Nerdiness (as proven HERE) - the Icelandic wizards of electronica - Gus Gus, have just announced the release of their 8th studio album "Lies Are More Flexible" which is heralded by the enigmatic and tantalising "Featherlight". The band, who gained cult status across the muso world throughout their 2 decade-long vibrant career, are venturing further into Biggi Veira's signature, one of a kind, slickly produced cocktail of tech & deep house soundscapes, Daníel Ágúst's soulful vocals, and atmospheric layers of synths. "Featherlight" is as hypnotic as every "GusGusologist" could hope for. The spiral of crispy cool beats are reminiscent of Nordic winters. Gus Gus have confirmed they will be opening their festival appearances with "Featherlight". MONUMENTAL!

Buy it now on BANDCAMP

The sensual video was directed and produced by The Icelandic Love Corporation.

Through the light, light as a feather, you come down. Like a snowflake, spiralling down - featherlight.

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "MYSTIFIED" - Sísý Ey

The Icelandic quartet Sísý Ey is back with a brand new single "Mystified" which is just out via the legendary House label Defected. The track is an excursion into soulful deep house territories with the Eyþórsdóttir sisters' flawless vocal harmonies. Jimpster delivers a late night remix with a dark twist. "Mystified" is not an instant anthem which was the case with "Do It Good" or "Ain't Got Nobody" but rather a slow burner which haunts its listeners more and more with every next listen.

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "FEEL IT OUT" - Yaeji

Following a stream of superb singles, our favourite underground House re-inventor - Yaeji is back with a full debut EP, GODMODE's most excellent release since Shamir's "Northtown" back in 2014. In "Feel It Out", the New York-based Korean artist tweaks, twists and turns all the house music rules in her own signature quirky way. The mix of Korean and English, the adorably geeky production, the irresistible beats, the layers of echoey vocals and electronic bleeps make "Feel It Out" Yaeji's most accomplished song to date, her self-titled EP effortlessly winning in the Best EP of the Year category so far in 2017. The future shines bright for this gifted young producer. 

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "GROWING STORM" - Shaun J. Wright & Alinka /// "FADE TO ME" - Hannah Holland feat. Josh Caffe

2 imminent underground house gems on the horizon guys!

The always reliable pair of Twirl Records house magicians Shaun J. Wright & Alinka have dropped a brand new new gem for Allergy Season's charity release "Physically Sick". The pulsating "Growing Storm" is one of 42 exclusive tracks recorded for this honourable protest compilation (showing the middle finger to fascism, bigotry, violence and demagoguery) which also includes new works by Yaeji, Umfang and Alexis Blair Penney.

Buy it now on Bandcamp!

To top it all off we have a completely new hypnotic deep house collaboration by Hannah Holland featuring Josh Caffe which is just out now via Crosstown Rebels. That's your eerily beautiful, half-whispered club noir moment sorted for this Saturday.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "IN LOVE WITH" - Funkformer feat. S.Y.F. (Starving Yet Full) /// "EUPHORIA" - Pavel Dovgal feat. S.Y.F.

The instantly recognisable velvet vocals of former Azari & III singer - Cédric Gasaïda aka Starving Yet Full are the centre piece of this sleekly produced deep house-meets-electronic soul ballad by Moscow-based producer Funkformer. The beguiling melody and SYF's flawless vocal performance are paired with a fittingly stylish video directed by Alexey Puzikov and Victoria Vorontsova. "In Love With" EP is out now.

The sought-after Canadian singer of Rwandan descent has also recently featured on "Euphoria" - a track taken from Pavel Dovgal's upcoming album "The Aura". Cédric Gasaïda once again bringing the soul back to electronica.

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SHREM'S FUTURE ANTHEMS: "DON'T FIGHT IT" - stereogamous feat. Shaun J. Wright

When Shaun J Wright first joined electronic forces with the Australian house duo stereogamous, together they brewed one of the greatest dance tracks of 2012 - "Face Love Anew". In spring 2014 they collaborated once more on the saucy slice of underground house "Sweat" which was released via Tribal. This year sees this clubland dream team come together again with the release of the pulsating, sleekly produced and dazzlingly melodic deep house number "Don't Fight It". The single arrives via Twirl - Chicago-based-strictly-quality-house-music label owned by Shaun J. Wright himself & his frequent dancefloor "partner in crime" Alinka who provides one of the remixes here alongside Justin Harris. Another impeccable Twirl release and some more of those always welcome wide-ranging, velvet vocals J Wright stylee.



Here are two previous joint efforts by Stereogamous feat. Shaun J. Wright:

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "CLOUD 9" - Kasper Bjørke feat. Urður (Earth) + Remixes

Urður Hákonardóttir, previously known as Earth, Iceland's prime electronic soul vocalist whose flawless vocals have embellished some of Gus Gus' most celebrated songs to date ("David", "Over", "Need In Me", "Call Of The Wild", "Arabian Horse", "Another Life" to name just a few), has just joined Scandinavian electro efforts with the one and only Kasper Bjørke. The Danish producer's collaborative singles with fellow Nordics have been a success story for a while, the exceptional "Apart" with Sísý Ey and "TNR" featuring Jaakko Eino Kalevi being only the most recent examples. Bjørke and Urður team up for "Cloud 9" - a slickly produced, melodically affluent, melancholic synth pop moment echoing some 90's vocal house gems. Urður delivers another stellar vocal performance, proving yet again to be one of the most distinctive and impressive singers of the Old Continent. The single, accompanied by effervescent remixes from Weval and Marvin & Guy, is the first teaser taken from Kasper Bjørke's upcoming mini-LP "Fountain of Youth" which drops 10th June via hfn.

Here's what we read in the official press release: "Fountain of Youth" is a mini-LP drawing on Kaspers 15 years immersed in club culture and inspired by some of the genres he plays in his own DJ sets around the world; house, classic electro, post disco and techno. It’s exceptionally executed, a masterclass in exquisite sound and production - and a innate knowledge of dance floor dynamics.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "IN MY GARDEN" - Invisible Cities /// "THE HARDEST THING TO DO" -Tony Primo & Nixxie

There were two rather low-key, surprising releases last year where 2 female artists I cherish immensely, got involved in mysterious, collaborative efforts under disguises.

Róisín Murphy provided breathy, sensual vocals for "In The Garden" released by Luca C & Brigante's side project  Invisible Cities. The sublime deep house track leaves the Irish chanteuse uncredited making it a particularly attractive addition to every Róisín Murphy completist's collection.

"The Hardest Thing To Do" was recorded for Ariel Kleiman's debut feature film "Partisan". This 1980's flavoured synth-pop jewel is a joint effort between Joseph Mount from Metronomy and Robyn under the alias Tony Primo & Nixxie. Nostalgic and wonderfully catchy the song sounds like a genuine, lost classic from the era.

Two hidden gems.





Here's "The Hardest Thing To Do" as used in "Partisan":

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SHREM'S FUTURE ANTHEMS: "BECAUSE" - Smerz

i-D has premiered this instant Scandinavian essential last week. The Norwegian duo Smerz consists of Henriette Motzfeldt and Catharina Stoltenberg. Their sleekly produced debut single "Because" has just spiced things up in the deep house department. The instantly appealing track is reminiscent of another Nordic underground house anthem Sísý Ey's indestructible "Ain't Got Nobody" especially the Nils Hoffmann Remix of the song. Just press play and get mesmerised. And all is magic...

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "TOY" - The Cucarachas feat. Shaun J. Wright /// "THE LOVE DIVINE" - Shaun J. Wright & Alinka

Shaun J. Wright remains one of my most favourite vocalists in the whole club scene globally, no wonder he continues to feature on so many quality underground house singles, which is particularly admirable since he has also been extremely busy co-running the prolific Twirl Records label for over a year now with his talented professional partner Alinka. Tom Stephan & Borja Peña aka The Cucarachas are just about to drop their saucy deep house anthem-about-to-happen "Toy" via the prestigious Defected and Wright is playing a leading role in making it happen. It's bold, it's loud, it's infectious and sensuous.

Alinka & Shaun J. Wright are celebrating the 1st anniversary of Twirl - a musical nest for their fruitful collaborative productions with the release of "Twirl Exclusives Vol. I", the selection of remixes include reworks by Eli Escobar, Luke Solomon, Fata Kiefer and more. There's a cherry on top too, a brand new track which has as yet never seen the light of day, the hypnotisingly throbbing "The Love Divine". A delightful addition to your growing collection of dancefloor delicacies Twirl stylee. You can download your copy of "The Love Divine" for free now at XLR8R.





Want more of The Cucarachas with some of those Shaun J. Wright's velvet vocals?

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SHREM'S CLUB BIZARRE INTRODUCING: "PARTY GIRL" - Claptone feat. Jimi Tenor

I have first become acquainted with Jimi Tenor back in the mid-90's when I discovered his innovative and electrifyingly eclectic records "Intervision" and "Organism", both of which I cherish to this day. All through the years the Finnish wizard of electronica, as I like to sometimes call him, experimented with various musical genres and styles, focusing more and more on nu jazz and afro beat, however it was always his aural excursions into electronica that kept me the most absorbed. Following his latest house project with his wonderfully talented wife Nicole Willis - Cola & Jimmu, Tenor is now featuring on "Party Girl" which could be easily described as the greatest track on Claptone's debut album "Charmer". The Berlin based dj & producer caught my attention previously with his first-rate house records "The Music Got Me" and "She Loves You" and now the artist has also invited Jay Jay Johanson, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Young Galaxy, Peter Bjorn & John and Jaw to partake in making Claptone's first full album.







Here are Jimi Tenor and Claptone separately with my favourite tracks of theirs respectively:

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "VICTIM" - Dinamo Azari feat. Fritz Helder & Starving Yet Full

Dinamo Azari announces the release of his long-anticipated LP "Estranged" with a track that sounds like a perfect sonic bridge between the Toronto house ensemble Azari & III he was one of the founders of and his more tech-house oriented solo efforts. "Victim" features both of Azari & III's renowned and distinctive vocalists Fritz Helder & Starving Yet Full. The edited version of this fresh slice of pulsating deep house will leave you gasping for more. "Estranged" is released 16 February 2016 via The Vinyl Factory and you can now pre-order your copy of "Victim" on a 180-gram vinyl HERE. The sleekly shot and slightly disconcerting video was directed by Gigi Ben Artzi and Givon Snir.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "GET IT RIGHT" - Catz 'n Dogz feat. Tanika /// "EVIL EYES (Catz ‘n Dogz Remix)" - Róisín Murphy

Even though Catz 'N Dogz have a very solid following and a reliable reputation around dance circles at this stage, somehow I have only come across this Berlin based Polish electro crew when Róisín Murphy released her remix action packed "Evil Eyes" EP. The Polish dj's and producers are teasing the release of their 3rd studio LP "Basic Colour Theory" with "Get It Right" featuring Tanika who guest appeared on the record alongside Green Velvet, Egle Sirvydyte and Javeon. It's a full blast electro house stomper fitting somewhere frivolously between Peaches and Tiga. The track is accompanied by one of this year's most memorable videos. Catz 'N Dogz remix for La Murphy is a 7 minute deep house escapade adding an extra bit of colour to this already cult single from the Irish chanteuse. Aji Maji La Taraji and make some magic happen with Catz 'N Dogz and Róisín Murphy who is perfoming this evening live at Later with Jools Holland on BBC2.

Photo of Róisín Murphy by KAI MÜLLER.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "ON & ON" - Crayon & Jordan Lee /// "LA JEUNESSE RETROUVÉE" - Kartell

The Parisian label Roche Musique have just released their very first compilation ".WAVE" packed with exclusive new material and some of the label's underground lost classics from the past. They are promising "a sophisticated blend of house, nu-soul, at the borders of Hip Hop and funk, with French Touch as a background". I have chosen these 2 wondrous tracks for your pleasure - "On & On" the soulful joint effort of Crayon & Jordan Lee and one of Kartell's early tunes "La Jeunesse Retrouvée" sampling Maxwell's smooth R&B classic "Urban Theme".





You can stream the entire ".WAVE" below:

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "SHADOW DANCER" [feat. Eli Escobar] /// "DOWN LOW" [feat. Thodoris Triantafillou & CJ Jeff] - Jessica 6

It's exhilarating to see Nomi Ruiz, the queen of Nu Disco, making a much desired come-back with her Jessica 6 ensemble after 4 long years since their flamboyant debut album "See The Light". "The Capricorn EP" is packed with sensual dancefloor fillers, some exciting joint efforts with Ruiz's previous collaborators (Rampa and Eli Escobar) and their signature seductive melodies. The first song chosen to promote this EP is the irresistible "Down Low" featuring Thodoris Triantafillou & CJ Jeff but it's the elegant "Shadow Dancer", immaculately produced by Eli Escobar, that builds up to a magnificent club anthem about to happen, balancing effortlessly between the darker shapes of disco and deep house. "The Capricorn EP" is out now via Park Side Records.







Here's a reminder of Nomi Ruiz' previous collaborations with Eli Escobar: "Desire" and "Somebody To Love Me":

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SHREM'S FUTURE ANTHEMS: "DO IT GOOD" - Sísý Ey

It looks like the Icelandic quartet Sísý Ey will be scoring a Top 5 spot among my "Best Tracks of the Year" for the third consecutive year with the arrival of their impossibly catchy and instantly addictive house anthem "Do It Good". Friðfinnur Oculus, Elín Eyþórsdóttir, Elísabet Eyþórsdóttir and Sigga Eyþórsdóttir's debut single "Ain't Got Nobody" ended up at #5 among Top 100 Best Tunes of 2013 and then again I chose Sísý Ey's collaborative single with Danish electronic producer Kasper Bjørke, the epic synth-pop odyssey "Apart" as the 3rd best song last year. After months of teasing the electrifying "Do It Good" is finally getting released via Andy-Hercules & Love Affair-Butler's own label mr.intl on 14th August. The inescapable melody, the irresistible beat, the classic house hooks, the impeccable vocal harmonies is what makes it an immediate dancefloor favourite, worth all the wait! This is what Boiler Room had to say about the single premiering it in its full glory last night:

"Beyond a Kasper Bjørke guest spot and a smattering of live performances, there isn't much to kooky Icelandic group Sísý Ey's name. Well, until now – and what a way to make an entrance. "Do It Good" is outrageously fun: a bobbling bassline, coursing synth action and emphatic earworm vocals interlock to supreme effect; Neville Watson's aptly named "Power Dub" does similar damage. It's the same kind of raw, untrammelled energy that Mr Intl label boss Andy Butler provided in abundance when stripping down to his underwear during a boiling Hercules & Love Affair session this time last summer. In a different set of circumstances, this would have been a nailed-on no.1 smash, but alas."

Straight to #1 on my private chart, here's your new Saturday night essential "Do It Good":

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