If you're looking for a beat for the weekend, we got the beat, that 808, that boom boom in your town. This week we're delivering 10 songs that would lend themselves quite nicely to a cheeky toe tap and will also soundtrack your weekend with ease. While the whole world this week focussed on whether Blue Ivy will have to grow up in a single parent household, we kept our eye firmly on the music world and this is what perked up our ears.
Dillon Francis + Sultan & Ned Sheppard- When We Were Young
Dillon Francis is the funny man DJ but now he’s decided it’s time to get serious about this music thing and drop an album. That said album is titled Money Sucks Friends Rule and while the title clearly suggests he needs to get his priorities in order, the first offering is a unashamed banger. When We Were Young sticks to a fairly solid EDM formula delivering a monster, hands-in-the-air chorus.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/dillonfrancis/dillon-francis-sultan-ned-shepard-when-we-were-young-feat-the-chain-gang-of-1974[/soundcloud]
SOPHIE- Hard
Enigmatic, British producer SOPHIE continues to churn out excellent, genre-less music with the B-side to Lemonade, Hard. The Hannah Diamond-esque vocal is likely to get inside your head and taunt you while the sporadic beat commands you to get very, very low. The whole piece clangs around in your head, no doubt, destroying a few brain cells on the way. It’s both enthralling and deeply annoying- take your pick. I’m siding with enthralling.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/msmsmsm/sophie-hard[/soundcloud]
Ryn Weaver- Promises
LA rising pop-maker, Ryn Weaver has proved once again why she’s one of the most hyped names around right now. Her sophomore track, Promises is a mammoth pop tune with a stomping beat with a brooding chorus and charming verses. We get to hear a bit more personality from Weaver on this one and it pays off.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/rynweaver/promises[/soundcloud]
Kiesza- Giant In My Heart (Blood Diamond remix)
Kiesza’s Giant In My Heart is a big house-driven monster on its own but this week Grimes collaborator Blood Diamond took it and turned it into a romp through delectable electronic sounds. He’s dimmed the chorus to let the vocal shine and also to leave breathing time before he turns it up on a notch which he does on several occasions. While still keeping the original intact, Blood Diamond breathes new life into Giant In My Heart.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/kiesza/kiesza-giant-in-my-heart-blood-diamonds-remix-master[/soundcloud]
xxyyxx- Unknown (Feat. Vanessa Elisha)
American producer, xxyyxx first taster from his as-yet-untitled EP is a smooth piece of work that creeps up on you with vocals that drift in and out and a heavy ambience. Like a lot of his recent work it errs towards future RnB with a skittering, mid-tempo beat and Ashanti-esque vocals courtesy of Vanessa Elisha.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/xxyyxx/unknown[/soundcloud]
Oscar Key Sung x Cassius Select- Wanna
Wanna brings together the best in Australian electronica on a sparse, desolate RnB tune that is just as likely to shake your rib-cage as it is to lull you into a hazy day dream. It may seem as if all is calm and collected on Wanna but behind it lies a shattering bass beat that elevates its dancefloor potential.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/cassius-select/cassius-select-oscar-key-sung-wanna[/soundcloud]
Ibeyi- River
When you sign to XL Records you’re almost guaranteed a heap of hype. And it’s easy to see why. With a roster that includes everyone from Adele to Jungle and FKA Twigs, XL Records have the best foresight of anyone in the game. Sister duo Ibeyi are the latest to sign to the label and River is their first offering. It’s a soulful, harmony-driven delight with a video in a river to boot. It’s a miracle that the pair don’t drown in the video with the amount of time they spend in liquid mass. Good grief.
SAFIA- Cavalier
SAFIA teased a recorded version of James Vincent McMorrow’s Cavalier when we interviewed them a few months ago and this week they’ve delivered. Their version doesn’t stray too far from the original but it brings in a few electronic stylings to ensure it’s transformed from an afternoon delight to a 4am space out. The final minute’s twinkling synths are the hero of the track.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/safia-music/james-vincent-mcmorrow-cavalier-safia-cover[/soundcloud]
BenZel- Wasted Love (Feat. Stevie Neale)
Originally BenZel were Japanese teenagers and then they turned out to be Benny Blanco and Two Inch Punch and while everybody is a little confused, there’s no doubt their material is top notch. Wasted Love is the first single from their forthcoming EP and it’s a slinky, polished piece of pop music. The relatively unknown vocals of Stevie Neale fit perfectly into that Jessie Ware aesthetic that the duo champion.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/officialbenzel/wasted-love[/soundcloud]
Jagaara- Marble Arch
If you’re not in a girlband who are you these days? British trio Jagaara is the most recent act to join the girl group frontier with bluesy, emotionally-charged tracks. Marble Arch is their latest offering and it’s an organic, hazy track that soars in the chorus thanks to lead-singer Jane’s phenomenal vocals. The fact that my gender prevents me from joining a girlband constantly haunts me 🙁
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/jagaara/marble-arch-unmastered[/soundcloud]
