[Audio] Kate Boy’s ‘Open Fire’

 

Kate Boy

The best thing to come out of Scandinavia in recent years (and that’s saying a lot!), and one of the best and most exciting live acts around Kate Boy have unveiled yet another new track. Following August’s Self Control this new single is the second to come from their hotly tipped début album, which we have been looking forward too ever since Northern Lights. Open Fire has us more eager than ever.

Wearing that Kate Boy ‘sound’ on it’s sleeve, Open Fire powers along on those post-EBM rhythmic synths and high energy percussive arpeggios forming an irresistibly compulsive soundtrack for Ms. Akhurst’s imposing and passionate performance. Managing to maintain a balance between being hard hitting, grinding alt-Pop and, at the same time, being funky as hell; Kate Boy seem to have found a sweet spot in Pop that no-one else has been able to get right in a long time. Open Fire is another instant anthem from Kate Boy, we can;t wait for this release.

♫ Kate Boy – Open Fire

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[Audio] Marina And The Diamonds’ ‘FROOT’

 

Marina And The Diamonds

Marina And The Diamonds is back on form! Saying that though, for a long time I had reservations about her second album, Electra Heart. The bland production from mediocre producers like Stargate and Dr. Luke felt so out of place with Marina’s dark and quirky songs. But going back to it it’s actually really grown on me in recent months, but mainly due to her incredible songwriting though. This first taste of what’s to come from Marina is in the form of FROOT, a track co-produced with David Kosten and makes us a lot more optimistic for album number three.

FROOT swings between raw ElectroPop and Electro-Rock and, like Marina’s first album, doesn’t feel like it;s pandering to anything. This is uncompromising Pop music, with pounding beats, grinding synths and Marina doing what she does best, sugar coating darkly satirical lyrics with a catch sheen. Marina is without a doubt one of the best songwriters on the planet right now, even if she (or her label more likely) sometimes get the vehicle for those songs wrong. FROOT leaves us optimistic that her forthcoming record could channel the off-kilter genius of The Family Jewels.

♫ Marina And The Diamonds – FROOT

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[Audio] Worship’s ‘Paradise’

 

Worship

It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard anything from epic Swiss SynthWaver Worship; he seems to be on one release a year these days, and he’s keepings things tight in 2014 by waiting ‘til the end of the year to drop- a new release. But drop a new release he has. At the end of last week he unleashed his latest slice of Italo, Disco, Dreamwave goodness. This is Paradise.

Paradise is one of those Cosmic Disco journeys that really is a journey. Worship’s music always had an epic, cinematic quality to it and this is no different. Headed thick with lush synths and rousing chords, Paradise is part space-age floorfiller, part Sci-Fi soundtrack. Leading with a stuttering Italo bassline, the track weaves it’s audio tapestry our of sweeping pads, uplifting leads and emotional keys, paving the way for a funky little riff to intersect the track at it’s nexus. A welcome return for Worship right here.

♫ Worship – Paradise

Worship’s Paradise is out now.

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[Audio] Ekkoes’ ‘Last Breath’

 

Ekkoes

This weekend sees the release of the eagerly awaited new single from UK ElectroPop heroes Ekkoes. Following the début proper release, the single Fight The Feeling, Last Breath feels like an escalation of activity from Ekkoes. It would be a long time coming; and if it receives a similar kind of attention and radio play as Fight The Feeling, well deserved too. It’s about time Ekkoes burst out into the public consciousness.

Last Breath shows off that particular brand of Ekkoes epicness. A rich, emotional track with a driving tempo, Last Breath blends waves of lush synths with shimmering guitars to provide an unashamedly euphoric soundtrack for Jon’s passionate delivery. Which is odd, as it’s quite a melancholy track, but that’s the way of the best ElectroPop, musically blending the moody and the optimistic, and Ekkoes hold on to that vibe here perfectly. With nods to mid-80’s SynthPop, 90’s Shoegazey Indie and one foot on the dancefloor, Last Breath has the total package.

♫ Ekkoes – Last Breath

Ekkoes’ Last Breath is released 12th October.

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[Audio] AlunaGeorge’s ‘Supernatural’

 

alunageorge

Future R&B/ElectroPop duo AlunaGeorge have unveiled their first new tune in a while. It’s been a quiet year for them, taking a well deserved break after all their hard work built up to the release of Body Work, their début full length record, in 2013. Supernatural premièred on Annie Mac’s last show and bodes very well for AlunaGeorge phase two.

Supernatural has got more of a punchy ElectroPop vibe that we have previously been used to from AlunaGeorge. The bassline alone is worth the admission price, and driving Euro synth line give the track a robotic funk new to the AlunaGeorge sound and some slightly more experimental sounding vocal cutting and chopping bring a new edge to the duo’s sweet avant-garde R&B. Supernatural oozes with effortless cool and synthetic heart; and has us more excited that we thought we’d be for their new album.

♫ AlunaGeorge – Supernatural

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[Audio] Clancy’s ‘Revolutions’

 

clancy_thumb

Here’s the B-side to the new Anjunadeep released single from Clancy. The A-Side, I Wanna’ Know features duo of the moment, Eli & Fur, and is a futuristic club juggernaut that gonna’ blow up when it’s released this week. The flip side, Revolutions, proves a worthy counterpart as Clancy gets deep and hypnotic.

This one is pure moody House electronics. A stripped back tune that distils House down to it’s basic elements and works them for full dancefloor control. Still retaining Clancy’s Sci-Fi soundtrack vibe, Revolutions is a synth bass heavy groover that gets under your skin. The kind of tune you can loose yourself in on the dancefloor. Clancy’s Anjunadeep dominance has just begun.

♫ Clancy – Revolutions

Clancy’s I Wanna’ Know/Revolutions is out this week.

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[Audio] Grum reMixes SecondCity & Ali Love’s ‘What Can I Do?’

 

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As if House newcomer SecondCity and ElectroPop/House legend Ali Love’s What Can I Do? wasn’t awesome enough already; along comes a shiny new reMix package courtesy of Ministry Of Sound. Sat on the single is this massive reMix from Grum. Grum’s having an amazing year with a string of slammin’ reMixes alongside his own acclaimed second album; looks like he’s planning to end the year on a high.

You know what to expect from Grum reMix; emotional synths, big sound, driving dancefloor grooves. All present and correct on his mix for SecondCity. Ali Love’s vocals belt out over a slick combination of House Piano and Progressive synths, rising and evolving as the track pounds toward it’s finale. Euphoric and uplifting, Grum deliver another big room killer with this one.

♫ SecondCity (Feat. Ali Love) – What Can I Do? (Grum reMix)

SecondCity’s What Can I Do? is out now

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[Audio] Starcadian’s ‘Saturdaze’ EP

 

Starcadian

So, after whetting your appetite with one hell of a mashup late last week New York electro wizard Starcadian dropped his new EP just in time for the weekend. We honestly weren’t expecting another body of work this size for a while; (for us at least) his album Sunset Blood is still fresh in our ears and despite being a year old, still gets constant play (also, writing “despite being a year old” just made us sad. Oh internet, what have you done to the shelf life of music?). The Saturdaze EP ages as somewhat of a companion piece to Sunset Blood; but whereas the album soundtracked the best in straight to video Sci-Fi thrillers, Saturdaze takes Saturday morning TV and runs with it.

And it does hit the ground running, the EP’s opener, Ultralove, is one of Starcadian’s best to date. The intro along is immense strings, synths, sax and crazy toms work the music up into a frenzy before dropping and kicking back in with a synth heavy future Disco belter. Ultralove is a journey through everything Starcadian does best, hard hitting raw Disco, Quite vocoder moments and squealing solos. This one’s got it all. It;s a tough act to follow, but the rest of the EP tries it’s hardest. Dance Or Die is the real TV theme hero here, mixing a rockin’ riff with Chiptune hooks this is your optimistic, action-packed, Cartoon intro here. Money seems to be a spiritual successor to Pompey Pirate a little, a growling, enigmatic Electro track that reminds us that Starcadian can do Dark just as well as Uplifting. Alien Victory jostles for position as the EP’s stand out track, an epic duet between ominous, creeping, synthetic tones and skyrocketing euphoric leads. There’s a whole movie that plays out in your head just to this one track; from the dark times to the hopeful future, Alien Victory will carry you there. All that excitement is followed by Entoptica, the EP’s instrumental power ballad, a soaring solo set against a steady melancholy electric groove before the release plays out on a new, up-tempo, dancefloor friendly version of previous single, and space ballad, He^rt.Kicking the track up a few BMP and dropping a kickin’ beat under the track doesn’t hurt it one bit, and reinvents it as a floorfilling anthem. As you can imagine Saturdaze comes highly recommended; we really can’t stress that enough, you need to get involved.

♫ Starcadian – Ultralove

♫ Starcadian – Alien Victory

Starcadian’s Saturdaze EP is out now. You can pick it up here.

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[Audio] Clancy and Eli & Fur’s ‘I Wanna’ Know’

 

clancy

Our boy Clancy has been snapped up by Anjunadeep, and rightly so. One of the leading lights of the Dreamwave, then Nu-Disco, then Deep House scenes it’s far past time that Clancy blew up; and with his forthcoming new single it looks more likely than ever. The amazing Eli & Fur drop in for vocal duties on I Wanna’ Know which only serves to take the tune to the next level. You could seriously be hearing a lot of this in the coming months.

Drawing on his retro electro past, Clancy injects  the UK Deep House sound with extra helpings of SynthWave-y futurism. Weaving dystopian soundtracks over booming club grooves, I Wanna’ Know presents a epic track that powers the dancefloor with growling basses and pounding drums, but also lays out an atmospheric soundscape. Eli & Fur serve up a hazy vocal accompaniment that hits just the right note to make you sit up and pay attention. An intelligent House monster; we can’t wait for this release.

♫ Clancy (Feat. Eli & Fur) – I Wanna’ Know

Clancy’s I Wanna’ Know is released 6th October on Anjunadeep.

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[Audio] Chris Malinchak & MNEK’s ‘Happiness’

 

chris-malinchak

New York Disco don turned Deep House master Chris Malinchak has really brought his A-game with his new single, Happiness. In fact that’s not all he’s brought; also along for the ride is one of the UK’s best voices (and songwriters to boot) MNEK.on vocal duties. No word of a release date yet on this one, but you can bet it’ll be soon. This is too cool to keep a lid on for too long.

Laid back and blissed out, Happiness is smooth as hell, probably the smoothest House tune we’ve heard in a while.. Both deep and dreamy, Malinchak brings sleigh-bell chimes and warming sub basslines to ride over a steady robotic beat. The human side of the track is delivered by MNEK, with a heartfelt and passionate performance that gives the song it’s heart. A blisteringly good combination.

♫ Chris Malinchak (Feat. MNEK) – Happiness

Chris Malinchak’s Happiness is out soon.

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