Maya Jane Coles & GAPS 'In Dark, In Day' / I/AM/ME / 8th September
Eerie, melancholy female vocals, smooth rounded synths, minor chords, steady groove with clipped percussion... In Dark, In Day is textbook Maya Jane Coles and it works beautifully. The layered and harmonised vocals are the highlight for me - their wailing, coupled with the droplet like synths transform the track into a modern siren song.
Richard Norris 'Freaks' (Ivan Smagghe remix) / Throne of Blood / 5th September
Richard Norris is best known for his work with Erol Alkan as one half of the duo Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve, in fact Freaks is the first single released without an alias. It's a solid track, but Ivan Smagghe's remix adds a completely different dimension, altering the entire song with unusual 60s rock riffs and psychedellic ramblings. A strange and abrasive blend of sounds that against all odds works very well.
Giana Factory 'Walking Mirror' / Questions and Answers / 19th September
This trio of Danish dames knows how to write a melody, and with Trentemoller as a producer, the end result is some beautiful, cleverly arranged together music. A single from their album Lemon Moon, the lyrics to Walking Mirror were written in a Parisian cafe (ooh la la) and as of yesterday come with a live recorded music video you can check out here.
Black 80s 'Give Me Something' (Joe Goddard remix) / Defected / 8th September
We featured the Give Me Something original in our Top 10 Releases of June article last year, and now Hot Chip main man Joe Goddard has added a new flavour to the melancholy song. An elevated synth arpeggio combines with long drawn out pads to create an epic haunting journey which still features those fantastically craggy, low vocals.
Garnier 'Enchanté' / Hypercolour / 1st September
Yes that is THE Laurent Garnier, releasing on Hypercolour under the not-so-mysterious moniker of Garnier. Enchanté is chugging, soaring and bending all at once - a catalyst to the hands in the air, close your eyes and be thankful moments we all seek out from time to time on our dancefloors. Garnier always delivers these well, though I would love this song even more were it recorded with live instruments.
Mark Romboy and Stephen Bodzin 'Kerberos' / Systematic Recordings / 8th September
After a break of four years Marc Romboy and Stephan Bodzin have returned to the studio and, by coincidence, timed their creations perfectly for Systematic Recordings 100th release. Kerberos is all about slicing synths and regal keys, creating an epic, escalating production which is indicitave of the subtle trance influences popping up in many big techno tunes of this season.
Jeremy Olander 'Jackie' / Pryda Recordings / 29th September
Well there's nothing low-key about this. Rising through the progressive house ranks at lightening speed thanks to a ferocious aptitude in the studio and close relationship with Eric Prydz, Jeremy Olander (check out his Spotlight podcast) has put together this overtly euphoric peak time number - great for hugging friends under falling confetti or running for a moving bus. At 1'47 imagine you finally caught it and swung in through the open door. POW!
Vimes 'Celestial' (Gardens of God remix) / Needwant / 29th September
Gardens of God take a jerky, electro/indie hybrid in Vimes' Celestial, and gradually turn it into a dark and epic monster of a track during a 7 + minute progression from easy listening indie falsetto to blockbuster peak time bass growls. It's Gardens of God's first released remix which got a very powerful endorsement from act of the moment, Ten Walls in their BBC Essential mix.
Him_Self_Her 'Love You Like I Used To' (Psychemagik remix) / Crosstown Rebels / 8th September
UK duo Him_Self_Her produce another modern deep house track with a perfect blend of smooth melodies and funky percussion. One of a fine collection of remixes, Psychemagik's take on the track is unsurprisingly the pick of the bunch, the (other) UK duo having built a reputation for adding a bit of depth and magic to every track they cast their creative ears over.
Emika 'Sunday Night Jam' / free download / 7th September
I discovered Emika through her moody cover of David Bowie's Let's Dance, and she's turned out to be quite the find. Fond of remaking popular tracks in her own, unusual style, Emika also produces original content prolifically, including this short but sweet tune featuring her voice and some slow piano chords only, which she is giving away as a free download right here.
WORDS | Jordan Smith
