I first heard of Jonas Blue for his remix of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” a couple of years ago which I surprisingly didn’t hate. To take on a dance remix of a song like that and pull it off takes both guts and skill and it should have clued me in to what he was going to do in the future. This dance/pop track featuring an awesome Nigerian singer is my favorite so far.
Category: INDIE DANCE
Vera Blue – Lady Powers
This is such a funky song. Is it RnB? Hip Hop? Pop? I’m really not sure. There is no music video for this at the time of posting. All I can find are a bunch of different choreographers doing dances to this track. How does a track first gain popularity as the backing music for dance routines? That’s a bit of a mystery to me; all I can say is that this song definitely makes you want to get up and move, so maybe that’s the only answer there needs to be.
Peking Duk & Aluna George – Fake Magic
The only thing I don’t like about this song is that there are too many verses, breakdowns, and bridges. The chorus is epic, and I want more of it! The bass line is oh so beautiful. When it hits you just go Oooooh! Waiting on the remix that just extends the chorus into an entire track…
Porter Robinson & Madeon – Shelter
Another track I should have posted awhile ago, but I figured it would turn out to be a much bigger song than it ultimately was. Lately I’ve found quite a few people that I assumed had heard it, and I know would enjoy this track, that had never experienced it. For that reason I’m posting this inevitably good collaboration between young American producer Porter Robinson and young French producer Madeon. Honestly, combining the genius of these two could either produce a fantastic track (although not necessarily mainstream) or something so very obscure that very few could appreciate it. Luckily it was the former.
Starley – Call On Me (Ryan Riback Remix)
I always wonder if artists get annoyed when a remix turns out to be more popular than the original. The interesting thing with this track is that it was specifically commissioned along with 5 other remixes as an small remix album to compliment the main release. Turns out though that Ryan Riback pulled out the best parts of the track, added some great house piano, sped it up a bit, enhance the beat, added some synth backing layers and voila! 4 million views on Youtube versus just 46 thousand for the original. Maybe that was the point of the remixes to begin with though: as a backup in case the original doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Vallis Alps – Fading
I didn’t hear this track until it popped up on Australia’s famous Triple J countdown of the best songs of 2016 and I sure am glad I tuned in. A guy from Seattle and girl from Canberra created an entire album through collaboration, sending parts back and forth to one another for years. This is my favorite by the duo, but the album is quite good as a whole. The layering and vocal edits are exquisite and every time I listen I uncover another synth layer or drum fill that I didn’t catch on the last listen. With so much happening in the background the track never comes across as messy or sonically clogged. Impressive is all I can say.
Maggie Rogers – Alaska
Maggie Rogers who gained fame online for seriously impressing Pharrell in a NYU guest musical lecture has released the track that got both Pharrell and the online world’s attention. It certainly has character, and the uniqueness that so many heard on the initial video still holds true after some further mixing and mastering. I’ve included the video that brought her fame first, followed by her more recent release of the same track.
Calum Scott – Dancing On My Own (Tiesto Remix)
I feel like Tiesto did very little for this remix, and yet it’s all that was needed to make it perfect. It’s annoying when you hear so little created or added, and yet it’s the perfect touch so I can’t argue with the minimalism. Either way, if you’re outside of Britain you may not know this story. Essentially Calum Scott did his own slower re-work of the Robyn classic as his audition for Britain’s Got Talent (right after his sister was denied) and soon enough had his own release of his version of the song followed by a Tiesto remix which just was the icing on the musical cake. I’ve included his initial Britain’s Got Talent audition as a reference to how this all came about. There really isn’t any doubt that you won’t like the track either, it just works…and it’s even better than the original. Sorry Robyn.
Rudimental – Rumour Mill
These guys can do no wrong lately. They are just killing it with every music direction and genre they turn towards. This is a house/indie-dance/pop/RnB track that just hit the slow dance movement on it’s head. I keep hitting repeat on this one as I keep finding new subtle gems on each listen. Picture yourself dancing to this at a house party with a new girl or guy and having a raucous good time. That’s the image I’m seeing right now.
Japanese Wallpaper – Forces feat Airling
It was the vocals that got me. It wasn’t dancy which is my usual capture, but the vocals and subtle background are just a perfect match. I’m hooked.