Aquilo – Sorry

The moment I heard this track on 181.fm, I had to turn it up. I love its simplicity, and how the vocal is so cutting and powerful that you don’t even realize there are basically no instruments during a large portion of the song. I’ve never heard of Aquilo, but he kind of reminds me of when The Eden Project goes falsetto. I just love this track. Beautiful.

Shan Vincent de Paul – Walk On Water

I heard this track on CBC Radio on my way home from work and pulled over so I could take it all in and inevitably catch the title. The tasteful autotune in the first verse caught my ear and forced my right hand to turn the dial till I found 11… and the skippy beat at 0:39 sealed the deal. The moment I got home, this went on repeat.

And if you’re digging it like I’m digging it, here’s an interview on CBC Radio that you may enjoy…

TheFatRat – Monody (feat. Laura Brehm)

It’s no secret that I love Celtic music–with a name like Robbie Ferguson I darned-well better–and TheFatRat seems to have some Celtic spirit in him too.

It’s also no secret that while I’ve never been a big gamer, I absolutely adore the nostalgia of retro video games, and TheFatRat again appeals to this love with some synth riffs that take me back to chiptunes of the 80s.

Simply put, this song puts a giant grin on my bald face.

Gareth Emery ft. Wayward Daughter – Reckless (BL3R Remix)

I. Love. This. Song!!

Some tracks just demand my player warning of permanent hearing damage, and this is one of them. When the bass comes in and my eardrums tingle, I know I’m where I want to be.

That beat drop at 1:24 and subsequent synth squelches makes me excited to be alive. And her voice… oh, her voice. Wayward Daughter shows us why Vocal Dubstep is the genre of choice for those of us who love and appreciate true melodic dubstep and talented vocal chops.

Gareth brings in the synth with old school frequency envelopes that seamlessly meld 2017 with 1998.

Enjoy! You can thank me later.

The Eden Project – Lost

I know, I know… I seem to be on an Eden kick. But like John 3:16, there’s a lot of power in Lost 3:16. 😉  Heh.  Yeah, skip to 3m16s and you’ll see what I mean. That bit keeps me coming back again and again. Then, at 3:46 I basically melt. I can’t stop looping this track. I have to admit, I’m digging The Eden Project big time.

Mako – Way Back Home (WE ARE FURY Remix)

One thing that always gets me is really. tight. harmonies. Mako had it on the original of Way Back Home, but I wanted something with a bit more intensity (it’s a pretty mellow track). Enter Trap Nation with the WE ARE FURY remix of Mako’s classic.

Take the intense harmonies of the original track, bring in a breakbeat, dubstep vocal chops, and an epic battle style for something I just can’t listen to without my phone warning me that “Listening at high volume for a long time may damage your hearing.”

That said, the original still gives me goosebumps.

Birdy – Skinny Love (Vanic Remix)

Time to turn up your speakers! This is a great remix. It’s a 5-minute crescendo that doesn’t stop oozing awesomesauce. Just when you think it’s starting to drip, Vanic turns back on the tap. Birdy has a great vocal, and the bassline build coupled with the unexpected (but oh, so welcome) dubstep breakdown makes it impossible for me to turn off the repeat feature.

For those interested in a little history lesson, here’s the original version of the song.