Tag: house music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

KARLITA is a rising French DJ and producer, who fell in love with the trip-hop, ambient electronica and lounge compilations in her parents record collection. Her desire to share her thoughts and emotions through music — her earliest love — had influenced her to start writing her own original music,, inspired by her surroundings.

The French DJ and producer’s full-length debut, last year’s Lazydayz found her quickly establishing a unique sound and approach in which melancholy and hope meshed in a groove-driven fashion. Lazydayz‘s follow-up, the five track EP Amor Fabola finds KARLITA exploring a sinuous, deep house sound. Interestingly, the EP’s title derives its names from two disparate sources — the Latin phrase for love story and from the French word fabuler, which can translate into “invent,” “make up” or “fantasize,” as well as implying infatuation, attachment and adoration. And the listener is invited to make up their own story with the material. “This album tends to retrace the process of a romance, good or bad, to each his own interpretation,” the French DJ and producer explains in press notes.

The EP’s latest single, EP opening track “i Can’t Wait” features glistening synth arpeggios stuttering hit hats, reverb-drenched thumps and KARLITA’s plaintive cooing paired with a sultry and insistent groove. But underneath the dance floor friendliness of the material, the song is imbued with the sort of longing and introspective nature that reminds quite a bit of Octo Octa‘s Between Two Selves.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Mathieu Cetta is an emerging Southern France-based producer and DJ. Cetta has developed a reputation for crafting DJ sets centered around melodious, sensual and joyful deep house in clubs across the Montpelier region, Paris and luxury hotels in the country’s 3 Valleys region.

Earlier this year, the Southern France-based producer and DJ signed to Electric Friends Music, who released his latest single, the sensual yet ebullient “Obsession.” Centered around shimmering synth arpeggios, thumping beats, an enormous, anthemic hook and plaintive vocals. “Obsession” captures the swooning and euphoric pangs of new love, when you want to spend every single moment just around your love interest. It’s a certifiable banger that features elements of classic house but with a slick modern production sheen.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: French Electronic Producer Edouard Releases a Glistening and Euphoric New Single

Constant reinvention has been a central part of French electronic producer Edouard’s music career and personal life: As a member of the French Touch movement of the 980s. his previous project wound up being an integral part of the European house music scene. Garnering widespread praise, the act signed to BMG Records — and as a result. they received massive radio play and appeared on compilation records alongside other acclaimed French Touch acts like Philipe Zdar, Etienne de Crécy, and Alex Gopher.

As time went on and as the musical landscape change, the French electronic music producer took up a number of different roles and lives: he was a solo-exhibited photographer; an art historian; an engineer; an investment bank manager; and he studied under six-time Grammy Award winner Gary Burton at the Berklee College of Music. Edouard’s latest musical project finds him writing and recording under his eponymous moniker — and sonically, the project meshes elements of electronica, electro pop, dance, house music, synthwave and several other electronic styles and subgenres with a retro-futuristic twist inspired by French electronic music pioneers like Daft Punk, Jean-Michel Jarre, Air, Justice, Laurent Garnier, Cassius, Bob Sinclair., Martin Solveig and the aforementioned Alex Gopher, who was studio engineer for Edouard’s forthcoming full-length, solo debut. Additionally, the project has a parallel focus on visual art, with graphic design duties being split between Filip Hodas and the artist himself.

Edouard’s fourth and latest single “Another World” is a Computerworld and Tour de France-era Kraftwerk meets Homework-era Daft Punk-like track, centered around multiple layers off glistening synth arpeggios, heavily vocodored vocals, stuttering beats, brief blasts of horn and a rousingly euphoric hook. The song finds Edouard carefully walking a tightrope between the mind-bending and expansive and straight forward, crowd pleasing club anthem. And interestingly enough, at the song’s core is a sunny optimism that there’s a much better world on the other side of this.

Directed by the French electronic music producer. the recently released video uses CGI to create exotic and surreal locales and worlds. It’s trippy as hell.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Melbourne’s SHOUSE Releases a Euphoric New Single paired with 80s VHS-like Visuals

Rising Melbourne, Australia-based electro pop/house music act SHOUSE is the latest collaborative project of two of that city’s grizzled music scene vets — IO’s Ed Service and The Harpoons’ Jack Madin. The duo specialize in a unique take on house music, collaborating with a collective of local vocalists and musicians. Additionally, they showcase talent at their OPENHOUSE parties, as a way to cement a sense of community while providing fertile ground for new ideas.

The duo’s latest single “Love Tonight” finds the duo collaborating with an All-Star cases of local scene talent they love and admire that includes Oscar Key Sun, Client Liaison’s Monte Morgan, The Harpoons’ Bec Rigby, HABITS, Pillow Pro and a lengthy of others, creating a crew that champions unity. As for the song itself, it alternates between slow-burning verses featuring plaintive solo serves atmospheric synths and two-step inducing house featuring stuttering and thumping beats, shimmering synth arpeggios and Gospel-inspired choral arrangements. Yearning sax lines and euphoric hooks hold the two different sections together, making the song a trippy and infectious synthesis of Quiet Storm-like Soul, yacht rock and house music. As the duo explain in a statement. “‘Love Tonight’ was written as a message of hope and unity for the underground!”

“Love Tonight” has amassed over 15 million streams across Europe — in particular the Viral 50 Spotify playlists in France, Estonia, Ukraine and Lithuania — and is rising on several other streaming charts, as a result of love from the likes of Solomun, Tensnake, The Blessed Madonna, Agoria, Tim Sweeney, Kraak & Smaak and others.

Directed and edited by James Robinson, the recently released video for “Love Tonight” is shot on a grainy VHS tape, and may remind some folks of security footage — but interestingly enough, the video takes cues from the video for “We Are The World.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Releases a Swaggering Banger

I’ve managed to spill quite of virtual ink covering the French electronic music artist, producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK over the past year. And as you may recall, the French JOVM mainstay grew up as a voracious music listener and fan with eclectic and wide-ranging tastes that include hip-hop, rock. techno and countless others. As a solo artist, LutchamaK’s work is deeply influenced by and generally draws from techno — but while reflecting his lifelong devotion to eclecticism: his work generally possesses elements of techno, deep house and EDM among other electronic music genres and subgenres.

During that same year period, LutchamaK has been incredibly prolific, releasing new material through an increasing number of EPs, standalone singles and a couple of albums, which now includes his latest album. the recently released Moments. The French electronic music artist and producer has released three singles off the album, and I’ve already written about two of them — the album’s opening track Moment,” and “Their Future.” The album’s third single “Won’t Be Scared” continues a run of sleek, futuristic productions. Centered around rapid fire, stuttering beats, glistening synths and a sultry vocal sample, the JOVM mainstays latest club banger manages to add a hip hop-like swagger to an enormous house anthem.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Releases an Industrial Influenced Banger

Throughout the course of this year, I’ve spilled quite a bit of ink covering French electronic music artist, producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK. LutchamaK grew up as a voracious music listener and fan with eclectic and wide-ranging tastes that include hip-hop, rock. techno and countless others. As a solo artist, LutchamaK’s work is deeply influenced by and generally draws from techno — but while reflecting his lifelong devotion to eclecticism: his work generally possesses elements of techno, deep house and EDM among other electronic music genres and subgenres.

The French JOVM electric music artist, producer and JOVM has managed to remain remarkably prolific, releasing new material through an increasing number of EPs, standalone singles and a couple of albums, which include his latest album, the recently released Moments. So earlier, I wrote about the album’s opening track “Moment,” and as it turns out the JOVM has released several singles off the album simultaneously, including “Their Future.” Featuring aggressive synth arpeggios, twinkling blasts of keys, tweeter and woofer rocking beats and vocoder’d vocals, “Their Future” continues a run of sleek club banging material — but unlike its immediate predecessors, it has a retro-futuristic and industrial air.

Indie Electro Pop by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Returns with a Mesmerizing Banger

Throughout the course of this year, I’ve spilled quite a bit of ink covering French electronic music artist, producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK. LutchamaK grew up as a voracious music listener and fan with eclectic and wide-ranging tastes that include hip-hop, rock. techno and countless others. As a solo artist, LutchamaK’s work is deeply influenced by and generally draws from techno — but while reflecting his lifelong devotion to eclecticism: his work generally possesses elements of techno, deep house and EDM among other electronic music genres and subgenres.

The French JOVM electric music artist, producer and JOVM has managed to remain remarkably prolific, releasing new material through an increasing number of EPs, standalone singles and a couple of albums, which include his latest album, the recently released Moments. The album’s latest single, album opening track “Moment” is a mesmerizing and expansive bit of deep house centered around a slick yet minimalist-leaning production featuring stuttering hi hat-driven beats, chopped and looped vocal samples and a insistent, motorik groove. Much like an earlier single “Back to Finland,” “Moment” is a fairly straightforward take on deep house that sounds like it could have been played at The Limelight, as well as on Ibiza.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

CASCINE · Roland Tings – Lights On The Headland

 

Rohan Newman is a Melbourne-based electronic music artist and producer, best known as the creative mastermind behind the acclaimed recording project and JOVM mainstay Roland Tings. Back in 2012, Newman caught the attention of renowned, Los Angeles-based electronic music label 100% Silk Records, who released his debut EP.  Since the release of his debut EP, Newman has become one of Melbourne’s biggest names while releasing material through the aforementioned 100% Silk Records, Internasjonal and Sony Records that has has found him expanding upon and experimenting with his sound and songwriting approach.

Last year’s Salt Water was a cohesive and introspective album inspired by Newman’s 18-month stint living on the Southern coast of Victoria, Australia, surrounded by rugged coastlines and verdant rainforests. Newman’s latest Roland Tings effort, First Wave EP is slated for an August 14, 2020 release through Cascine Records. Written in isolation shortly after the Salt Water sessions, the EP’s material is a marked shift from its highly collaborative predecessor, an effort that featured live drummers and vocalists. As Newman says, First Wave signals a return to a more instinctive approach — the same ethos that guided him while he crafted some of his earliest Roland Tings work.

“It took me a long time to find a way to come back to this more solitary way of working,” Newman explains. “After my first few records, I felt like I had really exhausted all the possibilities of working by myself, which is why so much of Salt Water was about collaborating and pushing further into new sounds. I felt a lot of pressure to go beyond what I had done before, so the goal of that record was getting others involved and trying to make something that was new to me.”

Although dramatically different from Salt Water, Newman’s forthcoming effort continues to draw inspiration from his coastal surroundings. The EP’s latest single “Lights On The Headland” is centered around glistening synth arpeggios, stuttering and swirling beats, rolling bass, hot flashes of snare and a sinuous melody — and while evoking shimmering sea creatures effortlessly swimming just under the surface, the track possesses the sort of free-flowing effortless feel that reminds me of Between Two Selves-era Octo Octa.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Mariatti · Patches

 

Andrea Mariatti is a 26 year old,Turin, Italy-born and-based electronic music producer, electronic music artist and DJ, who can trace the origins of his music career to when he turned 12. Around that time, he had started creating and making music from his laptop. Mariatti’s music career started in earnest when he was 15: he started releasing albums under the name Andrea Dub. Some of the young producer and DJ’s work was played by a number of DJs across the European Union.

After completing high school, Mariatti studied at SAE Institute, Milan, eventually earning a degree in Audio Production and Creative Music Industry, which helped him pushed the boundaries of his sound and technical limits. Over the past few yers, Mariatti has been rather busy: three years ago, he returned to his hometown, where he built a studio, so he could work on music every day.

Two years ago, the up-and-coming Italian produced signed with NBM Music Agency, who helped him sign with Deadmau5′s mau5trap Records, who released music from his latest musical projects Thin King and his latest solo project Mariatti. Additionally, he founded Recall, a live events brand whose mission is to create and foster a community of passionate people about electronic music with his friend and colleague HolyU.

Now, as you may recall, Mariatti has also released a batch of new material that included the trance house meets New Jack Swing-like “Other Vibes” and the lush, Between Two Selves-era Octo Octa-like “Variable Speed of Life.” Mariatti’s latest single “Patches” is a lushly melodic yet brash banger centered around layers of shimmering and wobbling synth arpeggios, stuttering beats placed with an expansive, seemingly free-flowing song structure. Subtly recalling Tour de France-era Kraftwerk, Factory Floor and others, the track may arguably be the most mesmerizing of the Italian producer’s growing catalog.

“‘Patches’ is the most melodic and evolving arrangement I went through,” Mariatti says. “The process of this song came from only one synthesizer: Korg MS-20; every single sound you hear is made by that astonishing machine.” 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Mariatti · Other Vibes

Mariatti · Variable Speed Of Life

Andrea Mariatti is a young, emerging Italian electronic music producer, electronic music artist and DJ, who can trace the origins of his music career back to when he was 12. He started creating and making music from his laptop. By the time Mariatti turned 15, he was releasing albums under the name Andrea Dub — and building upon a growing profile, some of his work was played by a number of DJs across the European Union.

After high school, the young Italian producer studied at SAE Institute, Milan, eventually earning a degree in Audio Production and Creative Music Industry, which helped him pushed the boundaries of his technical limits. The last couple of years have been pretty busy for Mariatti: three years ago, he returned to his hometown, where he built a studio, so he could work on music every day.

Two years ago, the up-and-coming Italian produced signed with NBM Music Agency, who helped him sign with Deadmau5′s mau5trap Records, who released music from his latest musical projects Thin King and his latest solo project Mariatti. Additionally, he founded Recall, a live events brand whose mission is to create and foster a community of passionate people about electronic music with his friend and colleague HolyU. Mariatti has also been busy working on new material, including his two latest singles — “Other Vibes” and “Variable Speed of Life.”

“Other Vibes” is slickly produced bit of trance-inducing house, centered around wobbling and arpeggiated synths, skittering beats, vocoder’ed and distorted vocals and an infectious hook — and while being a forward-looking yet crafted bit of electronic music that subtly nods at New Jack Swing, the track as the Italian producer explains in press notes is dedicated to Recall’s motto, with a focus “on the continuous research of inspiration from the sounds and the people, who enjoy the craft.” “Variable Speed of Life” is a straightforward yet brash club banger centered around a lush production featuring layers of shimmering synth arpeggios, thumping beats, twinkling and atmospheric electronics. Sonically, the track reminds me of Octo Octa and 100% Silk Records.

”Variable Speed Of Life’ is my second independent release and its title came from the quarantine experience: for the first time in our lives we got more aware about the flow of time and it’s importance,” Mariatti says.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Tchami Releases a Euphoric Club Banger

Tchami is a Paris-born and-based DJ, electronic music producer and electronic music artist, internationally recognized as a pioneer behind the subgenere of future house, while revealing a versatile and forward-thinking side, playing UK bass, EDM and a number of various styles and subgenres. And as a result, the Parisian DJ, electronic music producer and electronic music artist has toured with the likes of Skrillex, Diplo and DJ Snake, collaborated with Martin Garrix, Jack Ü and  AC Slater, and played at reamfields, Tomorrowland, SW4, Mysteryland and Dreamland.

He’s also a member of the acclaimed DJ quartet Pardon My French — and runs his own electronic music label CONFESSION, which has released work by the likes of Malaa, Mercer, AC Slater, Dustycloud, Loge2 1 and others. 

The French artist’s highly anticipated album Year Zero is slated for release later this year and so far, he’s released two singles “Proud” and “Ghosts” off the album. Building upon  the attention of those singles, Tchami begins 2020 with two more singles off the album — “Born Again,” and the album’s latest single “Buenos Aires.” Centered around stuttering and skittering beats, chopped up and looped vocal samples, arpeggiated synths and an enormous hook, “Buenos Aires” is a euphoric banger that nods at the New Jack Swing-inspired sound of French Horn Rebellion with a bit of early 90s house. The accompanying video features cinematically shot time lapsed video of some of the world’s most beautiful, well-regarded locales, including the aforementioned Buenos Aires. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Badgers and Damolh33 Team Up on a Cinematic and Thumping Club Banger

Currently split between Stuttgart, Germany and Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, the French-born, German-based electronic music production and artist duo The Badgers — Yannick and Joel — can trace their origins back to when its members met while in high school twenty years ago. Bonding over a deep and abiding love of music, the duo learned how to DJ from six vinyl records they had owned. Building from there, the duo earned a residency at a house music bar in Eastern France, which led to the duo creating and organizing events across their native France. 

Increasingly, the duo had a desire to create their own original music, and although through most of their recent history, they’ve been working in different locations, the duo have been busy: they wrote, recorded and released a batch of material that wound up topping the Beatport Charts including 2012’s Deep Dark Mood EP and Frozen Nipple EP. And while developing a reputation across the European Union for being a must-see live act with an improvisation heavy-based live set, the act has also been wildly prolific — including a successful and ongoing collaboration with Orechová Potôň, Slovakia-based sibling duo Damolh33 — Gabriel Bernáth (a.k.a. Gabbo) and Mikuláš Bernáth (a.k.a Mikkie)  — that has resulted in a handful of EPs including 2013’s Cabin Fever EP and They Live EP, Rebirth of Dark EP, and 2014’s Hospital Massacre EP. Each EP was centered around a specific, horror movie-inspired theme. ” 

“Near Death” finds the French-born, German electronic act re-establishing their collaboration with their Slovakian counterparts on “Near Death.” Centered around a minimalist-leaning production featuring wobbling low end, bubbling synths and skittering beats, “Near Death” may remind some listeners of John Carpenter soundtracks but with a club friendly, muscular thump. 

The recently released video is an incredibly cinematic visual that features our planet’s gorgeous and pristine beauty being destroyed by humanity’s greed, industrial excess — capturing what seems like the end of our species’ 2 million year run on this planet. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Fonkyson is a rising Montreal-based future house and electro funk DJ and producer, who has released a full-length album — 2016’s #followme— and a handful of singles through Lisbon Lux Records. Earlier this year, the Montreal-based DJ and producer released his latest album Falling, which featured “You Got It.” Centered around Vanes’ sultry, come hither vocals, a sinuous bass line, handclaps and finger snaps, shimmering synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rocking 808s and an infectious hook, “You Got It” was a summery, club banger that seamlessly meshed ’80s synth funk and ’90s house.

“Giving U Up,” Falling‘s latest single is a a straightforward ’90s inspired house music collaboration featuring Desiire and Kôsa. Centered around shimmering and arpeggiated synths, tweeter and woofer rocking low-end, stuttering beats, soulful vocal turns from Desiire and Kôsa and an an enormous hook, “Giving U Up” is an earnest and swooning declaration of devotion that simultaneously further establishes Fonkyson’s unerring knack for crafting infectious and summery club bangers.