Another Piano Gem From Kygo

Well...if you were as much of a fan of Piano Jam as I was, then think fast because #2 is headed your way. #2 is even more stripped down than it's predecessor, but that doesn't mean it's any less noteworthy. Where #1 had a bit more ebb and flow to it, #2 seems to tell more of a story over the course of three minutes. Stylistically, you're starting to see more of a pattern from Kygo in that his pieces always seem to end with a bit of a high pitched crescendo. I'd liken his endings to a well developed conclusion to a novel. There are elements from earlier chapters, but there's a noteworthy twist that brings it all together. I can't say I like #2 as much as his first one, but you can bet I will be posting any and every random piano track that Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll decides to post on Soundcloud...#PianoJam2

Kygo - Piano Jam #2

Jackal Goes Animal Style on the Beat

It's hump day, meaning everyone could use a pick me up to get through the rest of the week. That pick me up came in the form of Jackal's new trap banger Animal Style. There's an assumed level of awesomeness that gets associated with any Mad Decent artist and the one below does not hurt that perception one bit. On the track, the quick 30 second build gives way to a heavy, bass thumping rhythm that falls into a bouncy chord progression. If you're a fan of the big boom, boom, clap type of beats, you'll enjoy the heck out of this one...#AnimalStyle

Jackal - Animal Style

ODESZA Returns to In Return with Light

I'll be the first to tell you, I did not give ODESZA's sophomore album near the amount of time it deserved. In Return was one of the most heavily remixed albums of the past year and for good reason. The EDM duo from U dub seem to have a knack for crafting a wide range of diverse and melodic instrumental anthems. I can't blame them one bit from re-releasing their recent album as a deluxe edition because of how stacked it was front to back.

The best part about a re-release? We get a few new tracks added to the original tracklist. One of those tracks is Light featuring the mellow vocals of Little Dragon who does an excellent job of delivering mellow vocals over the slow beat that seems to tell a story with each beat clap. If you're wondering whether ODESZA makes only upbeat dance music, pump the brakes and listen to this chill dose of goodness. While you're getting excited for their tour this fall, don't sleep on that re-release that will be dropping in about a month...#InReturn

ODESZA feat Little Dragon - Light

Kygo Reworks a Nas Classic

Wait a minute, you're telling me Kygo created a piano mix of Nas's Life's a Bitch? Yes in fact he did and it's as mellow and snappy and you'd expect. How did this come about you ask? Well, it seems as if the whole Apple Music co-sign is opening up some doors for the rising star. Don't know what I mean, check out the following...

Boy it's as if Apple has their pulse on the early adopter audience by targeting Drake and Kygo to lead their new music service. Regarding the remix below, it was folded into the most recent Beats podcast in case you missed it. Is it my favorite Kygo track or something you should run and tell your friends about? Nah, I wouldn't go that far because it's nowhere near as awesome as say Piano Jam if you're wanting a fresh example. Still, the fact that he tackled an old school Hip Hop classic speaks volumes about his ability to find a way to inject his style in just about anything. Now, if he'd only go on a US tour, then we'd be talking...#LifesABitch

Nas feat AZ - Life's a Bitch (Kygo Remix)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Show Me to a Higher Place, Take Me to Outer Space"

Chalk this one up to one that slipped by the goalie about a month ago. Anytime you get Ne-Yo on an EDM track, I'm all ears. In Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike's case, if you throw in a few attractive women in the video, then we're really talking. Check it out below if you're curious...

All in all, it's an easy listening dance track that is equal parts pop ballad and top 40 EDM hit. It will remind you a bit of Calvin Harris's Feel So Close with a soothing, repeatable lead-in. Picture this one as a solid addition to a road trip playlist, where you're not looking for anything too flashy or loud, just something blend in and make the car ride go by quicker. Feel free and head on over to iTunes to cop this one and add to the aforementioned playlist...#HigherPlace

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike ft Ne-Yo - Higher Place

"No One Has to Say It's Alright, Cause I Think We're There"

I've got a special place in my music fandom for Seven Lions. His combination of soothing house and dubstep hit the spot when you're in the mood for something to zone out to. If you need one of those mantlepiece tracks to adequately exemplify what I mean, look no further than his remix of Tritonal's Still With Me (below)...
It doesn't get any more ethereal and classic than that when it comes to chill EDM. Fast forwarding to the present where Seven Lions just released a new single with Lights this week called Falling Away. It's an uptempo house track where Lights' shine all over the track with superb vocals (#cornyPun). You won't your the Dubstep fix if that was what you were after, but it's a solid mix of chill and uplifting. All in all a solid addition to his new Summer of the Occult EP that will be out sooner rather than later...#FallingAway

Seven Lions feat Lights - Falling Away

Videos of the Week August 14th

Novelty won over actual music in this week's top five. I say that, but the standout video of the week was from The Chainsmokers. While they normally err on the party side, they instead took a more theatrical, artistic angle on their new video. Kudos to Alex and Drew for giving the green light to something a bit more apropos for the visuals on Roses.

If you wish you knew more about the backstory of 8 Mile, then Honest Trailers has your back. If you haven't ever seen an Honest Trailer from Screen Junkies, then you're in for some fun. Then there's the Giants recreation of the Full House theme song, which couldn't have been more appropriate given the TV series was based on San Francisco. If you're in the mood for some sexiness and wanted to see Robin Thicke and Nicki Minaj flirt a bit, then you'll want to check out Back Together. And last, but definitely not least, Timeflies came through with their own original mix of The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face. I'm starting to think that there isn't a song they can't cover successfully...#CantFeelMyFace
The Chainsmokers feat Rozes - Roses (Video)

Honest Trailer for 8 Mile (Video)

Robin Thicke feat Nicki Minaj - Back Together (Video)

The San Francisco Giants Full Club House

#FullClubhouse http://t.co/1MkMdGfuUZ Starring @bcraw35 @mm_duffy @JeremyAffeldt @hunterpence Javier Lopez @JoePanik and Bruce Bochy

— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 14, 2015

Timeflies - Can't Feel My Face (Remix Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"I Say What's Your Name"

Bubbly, quirky, bouncy, effervescent...whatever you want to call Dillon Francis and Calvin Harris's new track, it's supercalifragilisticexpialidopeshit. From the beginning alarm clock ring, it demands your attention and does everything in its power to keep it for an entire three minutes and 49 seconds. Yes, the drops are some kind of wonderful too and are set up well by the immense amount of effort given to building up the energy pre-drop. I would understand if you called it formulaic, but on the other hand, it's a lot of fun and you can't deny the crazy amount of energy the track exudes.

I feel like at this point it's becoming old news, but Dillon's upcoming mixtape is seven straight shots of awesome lined up all in a row. It's got collabos with Skrillex, Kygo, Calvin Harris and Chromeo, which are all as promising as they look on paper. Living up to expectations isn't tough when you're making an album or mixtape without features, but including big talent and living up to the hype is a tough thing to accomplish. There aren't a lot of paid mixtapes worth staying up for at midnight to cop, but I'd make an exception for This Mixtape is Fire...#WhatsYourName

Dillon Francis & Calvin Harris - What's Your Name

GRiZ & Big Gigantic Let the Good Times Roll

If you haven't caught onto this big sexy saxophone revolution, here's your perfect chance to hop on the bandwagon. Hands down, the two artists in the game that use the sax best are Big Gigantic and GRiZ and they just so happen to finally collaborate. They didn't just collaborate, though, they knocked it out of the park. Led by soulful, "take-em-to-church" vocals and a fun call-and-response toward the end, Good Times Roll wins on so many levels. Also, if you're into free stuff and have a Spotify account, then you get to enjoy the track for free. While you're at it, don't sleep on catching them while GRiZ and Big Gigantic are on tour too because there are plenty of reasons why they sell out shows on the reg...#GoodTimesRoll

GRiZ x Big Gigantic - Good Times Roll

"You Think You're so Inner Circle"

It's been a minute since I've posted some new BANKS, so you could imagine how high my expectations were for her new funky duet with Chet Faker. I'll put it this way, if you like BANKS' brand of sultry, irresistible Indie sound, you're really going to like 1998. It starts off so simple with a chill, synth led build up, but it quickly gives way to the steady womp womp of a Deep House track. I haven't listened to much Chet Faker, but he went pound for pound with BANKS on the mic, delivering a noteworthy vocal effort. I appreciate how the energy and complexity of the song continues to increase as the song moves along. I feel like I've gotten so accustomed to formulaic build ups and drops that when artists break that mold, it can sound great. Do yourself a favor and head on over to iTunes to cop this diamond in the rough...#1998

Chet Faker feat BANKS - 1998

"I Wanna Be a Chapter in Your Book of Love"

Felix Jaehn is on a mission to become a household name in House music. Every since he set the hook on the Cheerleader remix, he's continued releasing great single after great single. The latest example came in the form of Book of Love featuring the vocals of Grammy winning singer/songwriter Polina. I wouldn't call it Deep House or Trop House (despite the bubbly samples), it's a much sexier brand of Chill House. The beat is incredibly easy to palate with the smooth guitar chords leading the way. If I've learned one thing this summer, it's that Felix Jaehn isn't going anywhere if you were banking on him being a flash in the pan...#BookOfLove

Felix Jaehn - Book of Love (feat. Polina) [Extended Mix]

"Yeah I Been Dancin' With the Devil"

Chalk another one up for the good guys! And by good guys, I mean yet another successful Hip Hop and EDM collaboration. On Cash Cash's new one they not only got Neon Hitch to provide a stellar hook, but they got top notch verses from Bussa Buss and Bobby Ray. Full disclosure, Devil is just as much pop as it is EDM, but the tempo and build up/drop create a fun mash up of genres and sounds. I'm confident you'll find it head nod worthy and at the very least you'll appreciate the high octane delivery from Busta Rhymes that will take you back to late 90s/early 2000s when he was at the top of his game...#Devil

Cash Cash feat. Busta Rhymes, B.o.B & Neon Hitch - Devil

Kygo Shows How Simplicity Can Be Beautiful

Even though Kygo is becoming known for being the leader of Tropical House, there's a lot more to his talent as an artist. If you haven't seen him play the piano live, then he's still probably one dimensional in your eyes. If you're like me, you get just as much if not more out of a great instrumental than a finished track with vocals. I've always admired the skill of producers and given them the lions share of the credit for a lot of artists' success. It's tracks like Piano Jam, where Kygo was evidently just playing around on the keyboard, that show the depth not usually seen when a track gets released to the masses. Many of you will listen to this and get bored by the 30 second mark because it sounds like elevator music. I love it for it's simplicity and if you're looking for audio that will help you tell a story visually, this track is perfect. My favorite part is around the 2:15 mark when the beat picks up and there's some clapping layered on for added effect. I'd equate this to a great freestyle from a Hip Hop artist. It's not something that would be released on an album, but it's a perfect snack that will keep you wanting more. Now, how about that debut album??...#PianoJam

Kygo - Piano Jam

Videos of the Week August 7th

Slightly Hip Hop heavy week with a sizable dose of silly. Leading the silly wagon is without a doubt the trailer for Zoolander 2. In case you haven't already seen the trailer as a preview for another movie in theaters, it's about as goofy as you'd expect. From the eerie galactic lead in to the absolute lack of intelligence from Ben Stiller's character, it all works quite well. Following up on a similarly goofy note was the creatively spliced Doug Funnie Trap Queen video. If you're familiar enough with the lyrics, you'll be more than a little entertained by how much the animated visuals match up with the audio.

On the music video tip, Drake/The Game came through with their Compton inspired video for 100. Speaking of Compton inspired, Kendrick Lamar had the audacity to make a music video for an interlude on his latest album. Can't say I've seen that happen since the 1990s, so kudos to him for having the huevos and knack for entertainment with the visuals on For Free? Rounding out the week comes from UK's own Calvin Harris who felt the need to show us exactly how deep love can go. And no, it's not a big surprise that his gf's friend was cast for the video...of course she was...#HowDeepIsYourLove
Zoolander 2 (Trailer)

Calvin Harris - How Deep is Your Love (Video)

Doug Funnie Sings Trap Queen to Patty Mayonnaise

The Game feat Drake - 100 (Video)

Kendrick Lamar - For Free? Interlude (Video)

Photo Credit - YouTube

I Want S'More of marshmello

Over the past few months I've played the role of casual observer as marshmello has went from obscurity to the next big thing in EDM. First it was the quick support from Skrillex and now lately it's been the witch hunt to find his real identity. While the current best guess says Chris Comstock, aka Dotcom, is in fact marshmello, the real story here is there's a new song that's been released that's worth talking about.

HoMe is the new best reason to learn about marshmello. It's a bright, vibrant track that you'll remember for the high-pitched synths and quirky samples. If you're looking for an EDM track that personifies happy, then I'd nominate this one to be considered. The rumor was that marshmello's identity would be unveiled at Hard this past weekend, so if you wer like me and itching to finally pin your fandom to a face, you're going to have to wait a bit longer as you listen take in the great music below...#marshmello

marshmello - HoMe

"If I'm Still Growing Up, Up, Up, Up"

Some artists or duos are so genuine that it's legitimately hard to dislike them. Sitting high atop my list undislikable artists is without question Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. If you know anything about their story, you understand how improbable their come up was and how hard they worked to get where they're at today. To sum up their schtick - they write from the heart, their production is unique, and they don't shy away from emotional topics.

Given all that and the fact that Macklemore just had a kid two months ago, it was no surprise that out of nowhere the dynamic duo dropped a new heartfelt ballad about parenting. The track would have been on point without the vocals of Ed Sheeran, but he took it to another level. There's so much good in this track from the lyrics to the open letter to the steadily soulful, piano let instrumental. It's a tall order, but my guess is when all is said and done, we'll be talking about this one in the same breath as Same Love...#SloanesSong

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat Ed Sheeran - Growing Up (Sloane's Song)

"Who Am I? Who Are We?"

After a bit of hiatus and plenty of rumors surrounding an upcoming Man on the Moon III album, a new single from Cudi has finally arrived. It's not exactly what I had hoped for as it resembles a rock-flavored WZRD track more than a trippy Cudder classic. There's plenty of crooning over vibrant electric guitar chords on Confused, which will invite you to keep listening. As expected, the hook is repeatable, urging you to sing along with the introspective lyrics. You might like it more than me, but despite being lukewarm on the lead single, I still have high hopes for Speedin' Bullet To Heaven....#SpeedinBullet

Kid Cudi - Confused

"Don't Say a Word While We Dance With the Devil"

There's something refreshingly 80s about Duke Dumont's new single Ocean Drive. I know...I know...I can already hear your eyes rolling since the 80s was such a beloved decade for music. Yet, there's a hint of Deep House in the smooth, synth-pop rhythms that make the track slightly less dated. You better believe it, if you give the track a listen or two, you'll find yourself singing along with the every-so-catchy lyrics. The real question is whether or not you're going to be in attendance at one of Duke's shows this fall. With his new Blasé Boys Club EP: Part 1 due out in about two months, there's plenty more to get excited about in the coming months for one of UK's finest DJs. I'll be in attendance when he comes to the Bay Area, you can count on that much...#BlaseBoysClub

Duke Dumont - Ocean Drive

Dillon Francis & Skrillex Set Fire to the Dancefloor

When Dillon Francis released the track list for his upcoming mixtape, there was one track in particular that everyone collectively circled. This week, his collaboration with Skrillex finally found its way on the internet. With a song name like Bun Up The Dance, there was an obvious expectation for some reggae flavor and it delivered. The rapid riddim, repeatable vocal samples and booty shake inducing bass make for a club favorite. With less than two weeks to go before This Mixtape is Fire drops, this one should continue the momentum that Bruk Bruk created a few weeks back...#ThisMixtapeIsFire

Skrillex & Dillon Francis - Bun Up The Dance

"There'll Be Nothing Left For No One"

The law of averages says that there will come a day where I will not be head over heels for a new Kygo track. That day came this week with the release of his new single with vocalist Will Heard titled Nothing Left. It'd be fair to label the new single as slow jam highlighted by powerful vocals. There's a faint dash of Trop House toward the end of the song, but not so much that you'll feel comfortable labeling it as such. Heck, if this is a filler on Kygo's new album, then so be it, he was batting 1.000 before today, so he deserves to mix in a lazy fly ball to the center fielder every now and again. Fear not Apple Music, you've still got the right guy, but Nothing Left amounted to a bit of a snoozer for me...#NothingLeft

Kygo feat Will Heard - Nothing Left