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Saturday, 17 January 2015

G.R.L. - Lighthouse

Girlband G.R.L narrowly missed the UK top 10 last year with the brilliantly sassy slice of Jason Mraz-esque folk-tinged pop "Ugly Heart". The band suffered a huge loss in September with the passing of member Simone Battle, and in the process spent a few months out of the spotlight grieving. The girls got together with producer Dr. Luke to record a track that would be a fitting tribute to Simone. The result is "Lighthouse", a beautiful ballad with a huge anthemic chorus (and an incredibly moving video) that I predict will do big things on the UK chart and around the world in the coming months. Enjoy!

Friday, 19 December 2014

Forgotten Classic: A Blast from the Past: "Enigma - Return to Innocence"

It's been a long while since I've posted on here....I know.....but I have an hour lunch break and I'm struggling to keep myself amused, so this will prove a welcome distraction. I've decided to do a weekly (where possible) feature whereby I delve into the archives to bring to you, what I deem to be, unappreciated, forgotten pieces of music that may or may not have achieved their potential in the charts. Hopefully you'll discover tracks that you never knew existed, and realise that there's a hell of a lot of amazing music out there from the past that's waiting to be discovered.

This week I present to you a track by a German new age musical project that achieved great success during the 90s, selling over 100 million records in the process. The group I am talking about is Enigma, who first shot to success in 1990 (the year I was born!) with the hypnotic "Sadeness (Part 1)", which brought together the odd combination of Gregorian chants and dance beats, reaching number 1 in 24 countries in the process. However, the track "Return to Innocence" is my topic of discussion today. Released as the lead single from their 1994 sophomore album "The Cross of Changes", the track reached number 1 in over 10 countries while hitting the top 5 in both the UK and USA. "Return to Innocence" blends industrial beats sampled from Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" with a sampled tribal chant from native Taiwanese Amis people, along with a breathy vocal from German singer Angel X. For me, "Return to Innocence" is one of my favourite pieces of music to listen to; it takes me to another place with it's feel-good lyrics, euphoric melody, ambient synths and hypnotic chanting. I'd love to hear what you think about this track, so leave a comment below :) Enjoy!

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Lane 8 Feat. Bipolar Sunshine - I Got What You Need (Every Night)

Lane 8 AKA Daniel Goldstein's track "Every Night", originally released as an instrumental on Above & Beyond's Anjunadeep label earlier this month has received the vocal treatment ready for general release on Ministry Of Sound/Anjunadeep. The luscious slice of melodic deep house has been reworked as "I Got What You Need (Every Night)" with the silky smooth vocals of Bipolar Sunshine AKA Adio Marchant, previously the co-vocalist with the Manchester six-piece Kid British, fresh from releasing his single "Deckchairs On The Moon". Expect to hear this one gracing the airwaves over the warm summer months!

LuvBug Feat. Talay Riley - Resonance (Ex-JLS member Marvin Humes' new project)

Turns out that this brilliant and fresh slice of infectious house is the first offering from former JLS member Marvin Humes' new outfit, alongside producer and songwriting duo White N3rd and Jon Keep. The singer has been working with the pair for the last 18 months according to Digital Spy and wanted to stay away from the mic in order to write and produce, looking up to the phenomenal success of superstar DJs and producers such as David Guetta and Avicii as a model for his project. The 'Disclosure-esque' track features the brilliant vocals of singer-songwriter and Chipmunk collaborator ("Look For Me") Talay Riley and is set for release on September 28.

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Coldplay - A Sky Full Of Stars (Produced by Avicii & Paul Epworth)

The next single to be taken from Coldplay's forthcoming sixth studio album "Ghost Stories" is "A Sky Full Of Stars", which certainly marks a departure in sound for the four-piece. The track is the first venture into EDM for the band, with production from Swedish wunderkind Avicii and Adele collaborator Paul Epworth. The track masterfully blends the more "organic" dance sound and euphoric synths and beats which have proved so successful over the past year or so for Avicii (such as the genre-bending worldwide hits "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother") with the band's trademark guitars and Chris Martin's soaring vocals. Expect this to do big things over the next few months!

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

Mr Probz - Waves [Robin Schulz Remix]

The Summer's not too far away is it? It may still be a bit nippy but music-wise on the continent it's already starting to warm up. "Waves" by Dutch rapper/singer Mr. Probz in its remixed form by Robin Schulz has been making "waves" (pun alert!) across Europe over the past couple of months, notably hitting No. 1 in Germany and top 10 in Denmark and Switzerland. The chilled out tune, reminiscent of other releases by Chris Malinchak and Klangkarussell, is not set to be released over here until May 4th....quite a long wait I know! The dance track features a lush guitar-driven backing track and soulful vocals from Mr. Probz himself! Definitely one to watch!

Friday, 21 February 2014

The Next Big Thing?: Rixton - Me And My Broken Heart

Looks like Rixton, a group from Manchester might be the next big thing! These guys have been signed to Interscope/Polydor and besides being managed by Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun have been working with top producer Benny Blanco (of Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Britney Spears and Ke$ha fame). After achieving a sizeable following on YouTube, the guys have just premiered what looks like is going to be their debut single. This track "Me And My Broken Heart" is an insanely catchy piece of pop with an infectious chorus and is very much reminiscent of Maroon 5's recent releases. Expect a chart invasion from these guys in the not too distant future!

Monday, 17 February 2014

Tom Aspaul - Indiana (features on Kylie Minogue's forthcoming album "Kiss Me Once" as "Feels So Good")


First post for a LONG time I know but I thought I'd better come up with something good! This summer-tinged electro-pop gem "Indiana" from London-based singer/songwriter Tom Aspaul is an absolute corker. As Popjustice said when they posted it last year as their "Song Of The Day", this track certainly does have a bit of Sam-Sparro-Black-And-Gold about it, and definitely gets better on every listen. Aspaul's laid-back and smooth vocals are brilliant and "Indiana" has the potential as-is to crossover onto the charts, but the MNEK-produced track will be appearing in another guise soon as "Feels So Good" on Kylie Minogue's forthcoming album "Kiss Me Once". Looking forward to hearing that!

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Daft Punk - Horizon (Japanese Bonus Track from "Random Access Memories")

Daft Punk's universally acclaimed fourth studio album "Random Access Memories" was released worldwide earlier this week and is expected to top global album charts. Japanese fans have been treated to an extra 14th track at the end of the long play. "Horizon", a beautiful guitar and synth led instrumental number, is undoubtedly one of the most chilled out pieces of music the French duo have released, and harks back to work by Pink Floyd. This is a superb track and almost makes you think why they did not include this on the general release, as it would have provided a fantastic warm down after the rocket-fuelled excitement that album-closer "Contact" brings. Enjoy!

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Empire Of The Sun - Alive

Australian duo Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore AKA Empire Of The Sun (along with invisible band member Peter Mayes of PNAU), garnered critical acclaim for their first release "Walking On A Dream" back in 2009. The album spawned worldwide hits such as the title track and "We Are The People", which hit No. 1 in several countries across Europe due to use in a Vodafone advert. The band release their second album "Ice On The Dune" on June 17, which is said to have a "timeless" sound according to Mayes. The first track from the record to be unveiled is "Alive", which is free when you pre-order the new album on iTunes. The anthemic track, which features Steele's distinctive lead vocal, is clearly influenced by recent PNAU releases with its sweeping synths and atmospheric sound. RATING: 8/10