With his latest track, House producer Florian Picasso has strayed into new territory. Having previously released predominantly Tech House music – or at least this remains true for the other singles he released earlier this year (‘Unwind’, ‘The Edge’, ‘Make Me Dance’) – his new single, out this Friday, is something different.

Pre-save ‘Waking Dream’

Still falling under the House umbrella, his newest track, ‘Waking Dream’, is lighter and more easy-listening. Well, then, what genre would this fall under, precisely? The La Californie Musique producer tells us: “I have been very influenced by the French touch like Cassius and Fred again’s groove for this one.”

‘Waking Dream’ begins with a soulful piano. Next, it adopts a set of driving drums, a melody-guided bassline, and, as is Florian’s style, a series of vocal cuts that bolster the track’s internal rhythm. Then, a gospel organ takes over to heighten the track’s fervour, before it returns to its prior enthusiastic state.

Listen to ‘Waking Dream’ below:

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Music producer Greg Kozo has shared his latest EP The Story of Rita Faltoyano, which is packed with two uniquely vibrant and awe-inspiring house tracks with a hint of retro appeal. Released via Enchanté Records, the EP concept was realized after an unforgettable story that Greg Kozo heard in a taxi. 

Stream / Download The Story Of Rita Faltoyano EP

An energetic and soft drum beat along with a gentle pulsating synthesizer arrangement starts off the EP title track. With a mellow and light intro perfect for late-night drives, we are also introduced to a haunting but charming vocal echo that lingers throughout this production fuelled track. As the track progresses the synth embellishments get more jagged and unnerving almost to insinuate that danger is just around the corner. 

On ‘Purple K.O.’ synth notes and a tense but jazzy beat collide to form an energetic groove. This makes the perfect backing soundtrack for a night of mischief and potentially a fistfight in an arcade – just as the title suggests. 

Both strong tracks, the future looks bright for Greg Kozo who has changed up his sound with his latest work. We are waiting in anticipation to see what the producer has up his sleeve in the coming months, but until then we choose to remain captured and haunted by The Story of Rita Faltoyano.

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The wait has ended for the anticipated Remixes EP from band KARMACODA via Sola Musa Music. Released today with a new remix of  ‘Traps’ by Sailor & I, each remix has its own unique panache with melodic and deep house textures. The band also presents remixes from Anjunadeep artist Lycoriscoris for the original KARMACODA track ‘Make Me The One’, as well as ‘Feels’ by Extrawelt (Read our previous feature about the Extrawelt remix here).

Stream / Download: Remixes EP

Unveiled a few hours ago, the ‘Traps’ remix from Sailor & I has taken us by surprise with its ominous alien atmosphere and synth-centered ambiance. The original romantic core remains along with the abundant vocal capabilities of singer Jessica Ford and Brett Crockett as the center point. 

Lycoriscoris’s spin on ‘Make Me The One’ is deliciously haunting with the echoing sincerity of Jessica’s vocals that linger on the track. Eerily warped electronics amidst a melodic landscape make one vibrantly alluring daydream. Extrawelt also follows an adrenaline-pumping direction with intriguingly eerie synth notes.

KARMACODA keeps the romance alive just in time for valentine’s day, with three of their most heartfelt tracks. Perfect for an intimate night in with that special someone.

The ‘Traps (Sailor & I Remix)’ features on HOUSE_GROUND.fm

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Released this past weekend, Aiden Francis’s latest EP offering Mezzanine via Houseum is a mellow house release that can be easily enjoyed after a stressful day. Aiden is inspired by out of the box electronic acts that have been dominating playlists like Peggy Gou, DJ Seinfeld and Chaos In The CBD. The music producer has breathed electronic music since his early teenage years, experimenting with soundwaves at the tender age of fourteen.

Stream / Download: Mezzanine EP

This non-chalant blend of electronic embelishments pulls away from Francis’s previous club orientated style. The DJ has mentioned that the lockdown inspired him to channel a more minimal energy into his sound, and the result is four elegantly simplistic tracks that can be enjoyed whenever. Aiden Francis has proven that he can adapt to change with this latest EP, intro ‘Revolver’ is a warped but warm greeting to the the evolution of Francis’s style. This may be due to the low-key synth infusions that that cascade the track. 

Read our exclusive interview with Aiden Francis here

‘Elegy’ takes a more refined and predominantly synth  approach, still ideal for a relaxing evening but also the ideal soundtrack needed to help you stay motivated and focused. ‘Porcelain’ fuses the energy of the previous tracks to unveil a upbeat lounge track perfect for intimate gatherings with friends. EP title track ‘Mezzanine’ fades the concluding track out with finesse and class. There is definitely a track for every house music lover on this EP.

EP track ‘Revolver’ features on the Spotify playlist HOUSE_GROUND.fm

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 Image credit: Alex Winton

Well-known remixer and producer LCAW has taken Ilja Alexander’s pop-laden ‘Someday’ single for a spin. The remix, released today via  Green Monk Records calls to mind industry greats such as Ben Böhmer, Rüfüs Du Sol and Jan Blomqvist.

Stream/ download: Someday (LCAW Remix)

“Working on this remix for Someday was a lot of fun because I used only analog synths that I recently acquired. Very happy I got a chance to put my spin on this song, hope someday soon I get to play it in a club and see people dance to it.” – LCAW tells us about his experience of working on the remix.

The original single’s noteworthy vocals have been kept intact, while a darker atmosphere is introduced. Think of a lover, corrupting their gentle significant other, while enticing them into a world of rhythmic dance floors and underground nightclubs.

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Arriving with harsh lyrics, the sentiment of a breakup song carries through from the beginning. However, there is a strong contrast between lyrics and beats as the funky synths resonating throughout the track.

“It doesn’t matter what you have to say
‘Cos your lies all sound the same
You’ve had your fun now watch me walk away
Only got yourself to blame”

Louis La Roche explains:

“The demo was written in 2017. I sang the first verse, bridge and chorus (I still have it somewhere). I sent the song over to Lucy and she sent it back with all my parts re-sung as well as a second verse and middle 8, plus all the lovely stacked vocal harmonies. With a lot of the album tracks, they started out as me humming or singing ideas over my instrumentals and the collaborator really understanding where it needed to be taken, to help with my vision.”

The track is unusual for JBXDR, not only because of the genre of music but for the simple inclusion of a vocalist. The Josh Craig brings smooth vocals to the mix, allowing for new depths for JBXDR’s work. Audio and visual artist currently living in Brooklyn, The Josh Craig uses  foreign and unique methods to create art

“I had a feeling that ‘Soul Fool’ needed to become the first track to feature a vocalist. I had just met Josh out in Berlin, his energy was strong and inspired and we resonated straight away. So I ended up sending him a bounce only to receive the first vocal sketches days later. At which point we knew that this would be only the first collaborations of many to come.” – JBXDR shares a little about the creation of the single.

‘Soul Fool ft. The Josh Craig’ is lifted off of JBXDR’s upcoming EP, No 2 which will be released mid-October. Ahead of this, the producer has already released the single, ‘Pocketcall’ which acts as an ode to his life partner.  Unfortunately, we don’t see any more mention of more vocals in this EP, but that doesn’t stop us from looking forward to seeing the rest of his work come to light.

The rework of ‘Waterfall’, Com Truise put on his own synth-soaked spin on the track. The track’s nostalgic allure treads the line between artful and emotive, with just enough shared vocabulary between the original and the remix. The remix brings the single’s tempo up, making it the perfect song to listen to on a Friday, driving home from work.

Gold Fields has a string of successes in their wake, from premiering ‘Dark Again’ on esteemed publication Rolling Stone, to racking up over 14 million streams between Spotify and YouTube alone. Gold Fields have also featured on Beats By Dre’s Beats Of The Week playlist, as well as the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show.

When you see the track title ‘Like Water’, knowing the power and history of the words, it’s easy to make assumptions about what that song should sound like, where it should take you and what you should learn from it. Connectivity to the elements, becoming one with nature around you until you can no longer tell where one stops and the other begins.

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water… You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Bruce Lee.

It’s strange to think that a purely electronic song could accomplish this kind of connection to the elements, as it is essentially a manufactured artform. It seems almost perfect that the one to attempt such a feat would be a man who not only has a clear ability for the electronic genre, but also an awe-inspiring talent for the more natural medium of paint and sketch. Christian Löffler has by keeping the musical elements minimalistic, given breath to such deeper possibility. With whispering synth sounds, creating an image of a dark still lake; The bass seems to represent the fear one would experience if floating out on such a body of water, while the calming ripples created by the soft voice of Mohna acts as your reassuring guide, telling you not to fight but rather to invite it in. We are all made of water after all.

To further push this sentiment, the music video released on 14 February, features a deep focus on the natural art medium of paint to create moving images, not to tell a story but rather to evoke emotion as well as the music does. It’s clear that Löffler is not one or the other but rather both. His focus on visual art in collaboration with audio speaks to the soul of those who don’t just listen to music but visualize it too. Let it not just move you but embody you… like water.

Overall, The Cause And The Cure Remixes retains the charm of the original track, and never loses sight of what made it great in the first place – Chantitown’s exceptional vocals. However, the input from the two remixers has successfully brought a brand new angle to the original offering.

28-year old deep-house producer Peer Kusiv turns the track towards the summer, with a deep-house feel that echoes beach parties and cocktails. Hailing from the German port city of Kiel, Kusiv has seen support from noteworthy publications like Dancing Astronaut, VICE’s music channel Thump and Earmilk.  Manuel Tur goes on to place the spotlight on Chantitown’s exceptional vocals and then builds the piece up with a host of eclectic dub-infused drum sounds and synth-notes, drawing listeners in with a driving bass drum.

“Cause and the Cure Remixes” EP Tracklist: 
01 Cause and the Cure (Manuel Tur Vocal)
02 Cause and the Cure (Manuel Tur Dub)
03 Cause and the Cure (Peer Kusiv Clubmix)
04 Cause and the Cure (Peer Kusiv Extended)
05 Cause and the Cure (Peer Kusiv Radio Edit)
06 Cause and the Cure (Peer Kusiv Deep Remix)