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Essentials: “Live a Little” – Chaz Cardigan
Chaz Cardigan is back with a fun, straight-forward track that will fill your day with positivity. Known for tracks that explore the nuances of life and have a distinctive pensive quality, “Live a Little” is a new and exciting direction for the artist. “Live a Little” opens with a line all too familiar—“I got a… [continued]
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White Lights Channels Flying Lotus on Debut Album NUMBSKULL
The human condition is one of life’s greatest mysteries—to put in the words of Michael Scott, “why are you the way that you are?” White Lights explains what it means to be human in an ambitious exploration of mental health and electronic sounds on his debut album, NUMBSKULL. Comparisons to Flying Lotus are apt, thanks… [continued]
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Essentials: ‘The Tension’ EP – Hotel Garuda
It would be fair to think of remixes and DJ sets when Hotel Garuda is mentioned. Since his inception, he has been solicited for official remixes from the likes of Lorde, BANKS, Louis the Child and more. It goes without saying that it has been a long time coming for Hotel Garuda’s debut EP, The… [continued]
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Essentials: “Down” – Mokita
Mokita, or John-Luke Carter, released his latest track “Down” today. Beautifully integrated with classical piano and modern mixing, “Down” is a powerful serenade we can all relate to in these remarkably trying times. A soft, melancholic piano opens “Down” playing very simple chord patterns to balance out the poignant vocals. It’s the sort of melody… [continued]
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Essentials: “Yesteryear (Brame & Hamo Remix)” – Cosmo’s Midnight
Irish house duo Brame & Hamo might not be the most obvious choice to remix the retro-leaning funk sounds of Cosmo’s Midnight, but through some kind of musical alchemy, it sounds completely natural. An ecstatic plunge into trance’s insistent basslines and yearning melodies transforms “Yesteryear” from a ’70s disco fantasy to an emotional stomper of… [continued]
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Essentials: “Desperate” – Gillian Heidi
Singer-songwriter and pop are not traditionally wound together. But up-and-coming artist Gillian Heidi proves that it can be done. “Desperate” is the newest single off her upcoming album, 3AM, which is due for release later this year. Two tracks off the upcoming album have already been released: “High” and “Static.” But “Desperate” with its R&B influences… [continued]
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Essentials: “Worlds” – Heimanu
Upon hearing “Worlds”, Heimanu‘s track off the Sable Valley Summer Vol. 1 compilation, it was hard to adequately express my thoughts on the song. I kept focusing on that gnarly build and acid-tinged drop—but how could one possibly describe it to full effect? “Worlds” is the teeth-gnashing… the head-thrashing… the keyboard-bashing… the chart-smashing… Closing out… [continued]
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Essentials: “Bionda” – Lita
Italian singer LITA shares her own take on a classic Italian folk song in “Bionda”. Following up on her previous release “Ciao Ciao”, “Bionda” is an emotional story through a modernized folk sound. In the song, LITA tells the story of a girl from the neighborhood Trastevere in Rome as she struggles with addiction. Utilizing… [continued]
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Essentials: “Monsters” – Kat Saul
In time of COVID-19 and other stresses in our world, it seems like the perfect debut time for a track entitled “Monsters.” The newly released single from indie artist Kat Saul is a pop ballad for our current age. Saul describes the track as an exploration of adult fears—the move from childhood monsters like Dracula… [continued]
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Essentials: “For All” – So Durand
After a three year break spent furthering his craft—amongst other feats including studying law and becoming a father—So Durand is back with his new single “For All.” This track is significantly different from “LoveUs,” the producer’s dark, entrancing track released in 2017. “For All” is a melting pot of jungle and club music arrangements with… [continued]