One thing I've always appreciated about much electronic music is its ability to hypnotize and manipulate time. Something about the machinery - that it truly can go on forever and ever. Continuous DJ mixes that go all night long.
The trajectory of this mix is from spacey and abstract to fully present and groovy. From the early Eighties experimental work of Chris and Cosey (ex-Throbbing Gristle), to the four-on-the-floor relentless groove of TKK's remix of KMFDM's floor-filler Naïve.
If you can find it, you should also check out the other side of that single where KMFDM remixes TKK's The Days of Swine & Roses. Another great original with a great remix treatment.
If you need more KMFDM/TKK collaboration, which I do, refer to Excessive Force. Some of my favorite club tracks.
Sparked by Die Warzau's Material, this list conveys my appreciation for heavy texture and, often, speed in hard music.
HEALTH ends up being a little bit scattered for me across their whole discography, but this album is wonderful. Conceptually consistent, ever-engaging, and beautifully executed. I'm certain they'll be off into another style for the next album, but I'll be holding on to this one.
Youth Code. I love Youth Code. This album is produced by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly). Nothing I've heard since the 90's quite hits me as authentic and fresh, yet true to the genre, as Youth Code.
I've been working on a playlist for this song for a long time and could never quite get it where I wanted.
For this mix, I took off the pressure and added a bunch of other songs for no other reason than that I like them and they're generally in the same genre.
Eighties dance nights were popular around the turn of the century, and one of my favorite songs to dance to was You Spin Me Round. Stock, Aitken, and Waterman's bombastic bass line and swirling, choppy rhythm line just immersed me.
I was introduced to Bronski Beat via Smalltown Boy, an epic in its own right, but I'd usually opt for Hit That Perfect Beat if I was DJing. High energy.
I love these extended mixes. I love all the transitions, breakdowns, dance breaks, and solos. Keeping energy high and going on a little journey with each song.
Spring is here and it's time to get grooving!! This playlist is intended to put a spring into your step and a sway to your hips.
We start off with a jazz hit from Roy Hargove. If my life were to have a theme songs, I would want it to be "Strasbourg/St. Denis."
The remaining tracks on the playlist are new to me, with the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan "Chitlins Con Carne". Gloria Ann Taylor's "Deep Inside of You" leaves you wanting way more, but unfortunately, the remaining tracks on Spotify do not come to close to this hit.
Get By -- I loved when this song dropped. Sinnerman sample keeps it live and this all-star remix keeps the beat so fresh. (Notice Talib Kweli's send off line "I send a rest in peace to Nina Simone.") It's fun how Kweli brings some of the lines from the original version into his cypher here.
One of my favorite moments in music can be heard at about 1:56 when Snoop drops in with "Fo' sho!" Iconic. Unfortunately, his verse is edited, which is fine, but the way they edited the curses disrupts the flow and sort of ruins the song. I'd rather they just mute or something.
One of the reasons I put Can't Get Enough next is the way Cole starts verse 2: "Hey, Globetrotter, Cole hotter / Even way out in London town / Hoes holla, ’cause they love my sound / And I got love for the underground / Kweli, Pimp C, H-Town where Bun get down." The references to Transatlanticism and Talib Kweli look back to the first to tracks of the playlist. Unfortunately there are two or three really horrible lyrical moments on this song. The beat's a joint, though, so....
And, if you're wondering, Dirty South is the fourth track on Goodie Mob's Soul Food album.
Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" Still a fan of this song, but I wouldn’t mind more time passing between listens. While I appreciate Halsey dropping a single separate from an album, I do wish there were more singles coming out to follow this up.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" I should be sick of this one by now, but I'm not. Shrug.
NEW
#2 SUCKER / Jonas Brothers
Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" I’m so excited for the Jonas Brothers to be back and it doesn’t feel like they’ve missed a beat. This feels like a natural follow up to their earlier music, but doesn’t feel like they’ve moved forward in time which I think ultimately hurts them from gathering a wider audience base in 2019. “Cooler” doesn’t seem to move them forward either, so curious to see if a full album will bring anything new to attract a new audience.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" This one's growing on me. A lightweight, fun number for summer. I think it's a bit too lightweight, though.
NEW
#3 WOW / Post Malone
Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" At a glance, I don’t like Post Malone. Complex wrote a great piece on how he’s problematic which you can find here. His music is forgettable and I do believe being white helps him stay on the charts. Side note: Once you imagine his mustache is two dogs kissing, you won’t be able to unsee it.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" So I'm trying to not just hate everything with Post Malone on it. This song has a pretty good groove. Minus one star for Post Malone. Sorry, couldn't not be petty about it.
NEW
#4 DANCING WITH A STRANGER / Sam Smith
Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" A Sam Smith and Normani collaboration is unexpected but delightful.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" Smith's wheelhouse. Song's a joint.
DOWN 3
#5 7 RINGS / Ariana Grande
Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" I’m done with this as a single. I wish any single from Dangerous Woman got this much airplay.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" This song's not aging as well as I thought it might. On the whole, the album felt fresh and daring when it was released, but there's not a lot of depth there.
NEW
#6 BOY WITH LUV / BTS
Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" A true delight. It hits all the notes I want from a radio single. It’s light, poppy, fun, easy to sing along with.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" So happy this is doing well enough on the charts to make this list. I'm glad they didn't put Carly Rae Jepsen on it, otherwise I'd have nothing left to live for.
NEW
#7 BAD GUY / Billie Eilish
Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" The tempo, rhyming schemes and plays on rhythm all keep me coming back for more. I’m a big Billie Eilish fan and I’m happy she’s getting pop air time.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" Last time I heard this type of buzz about an artist was probably Lorde when she first came out. And I'd probably expect Eilish's career to go the same way.
DOWN 1
#8 SUNFLOWER / Post Malone
Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" It’s a forgettable song that becomes a little more fun if you’ve seen Into The Spiderverse. I think this song had the benefit of a lighter, summer feel before most of the radio.
Matt - ⭐️ "Turn it off" Never liked it, and now it's old, too.
NEW
#9 OLD TOWN ROAD / Lil Nas X
Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" This isn’t my cup of tea, but I see the appeal here. With its short run time, it’s an easy listen with a good flow. Feels like it could loop a few times before realizing it’s on repeat, and ends before you get sick of it.
Matt - ⭐️ "Turn it off" Almost two stars. A caricature of a trap beat and a caricature of a country vocal. Just like with a lot of Soundcloud productions, low on ideas and follow-through, poorly executed.
NEW
#10 SHALLOW / Lady Gaga
Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" This song makes sense in the context of the movie A Star is Born. As an undiscovered writer, this is good content for a start, and for a first draft it’s a decent song. For a radio single, it really needs a lot more work.
Matt - ⭐️ "Turn it off" I'm just not a part of this whole thing - whatever that is.
