This Ain't Bristol - Amsterdam Selections

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One of the first blog posts on freshdrops was the original TAB Selections back in 2015. Now they’re back with another massive compilation of driving tech-house in preparation/commemoration of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) coming up at the end of October. 14 tracks from artists like This Ain’t Bristol regulars like Maximono and Nick Olivetti, along with some new faces. The sound throughout is signature TAB though - grimy, deep, dark and pounding tech-house.

My two standout picks from this compilation are definitely BYOR - Call Me Up, and MKJAY & Lowdown’s Afterhours.

The official release isn’t until October 12th, but check out the sampling of the entire compilation below.

-KJ

Golf Clap & Sebb Junior - You Can't Hide

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No strangers to this blog, eternal tastemakers Eton Messy have just released another solid free download from American Country Club Disco directors Golf Clap and tech house producer Sebb Junior. 

This is a chill tech house summer jam with really nice loungey pads and a really pleasant progression of accent keys.  All of this comes with the vocal "girl don't you know that you can't hide..." that filters in and out of the track wrapping it all together nicely. There is even a nice bassline that enters early, but remains understated throughout. Definitely going to be banging this one out in my summer sets and road trips, and why not?  It's free fiery goodness!

Really happy to have come across this today, as somehow I had missed Sebb Junior until today. No longer, make sure you check out his Soundcloud as there are a ton of recent heaters there and ready to go.

-KJ

Tony Quattro - My House ft. Showtime Willy

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Here's a house track with a really interesting production story behind it.  The track itself is pretty great as well, but the most interesting thing about it is actually buried in the background details of the vocal.  New York based producer Tony Quattro was riding home from work on the subway, and happened to be on the same train car that was treated to an impromptu stand-up comedy session.

The stand-up routine was put on by New York local homeless man Showtime Willy, and Tony was taken by his infectious delivery and vocal qualities. Showtime Willy is a long-time resident of New York City, and has been living on the subway cars for over 30 years, performing his stand-up routines for audiences throughout the day.  Before Willy could leave the train, Tony made his way over to Willy and offered him $20 to record some vocals with him for a house production.

My House is that production, and apparently the whole session took about 45 minutes to lay down the vocals that ended up on the final version.  When they wrapped up, Tony sent Willy home with a bit more money along with some alcohol and cigarettes.

My House was released as part of the Plates compilation on Main Course, a forward thinking label run by Bot (Formerly of Crookers).  Pick up the compilation on iTunes here. Also, credit to Thump for the original premiere of the track.

- KJ

Dislexik - Bird Song

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So this one was released a while ago already, but I just came across it relatively recently, and thought it really deserved a bit more promo.  Bird Song is a driving tech house track from local Saskatoon producer Dislexik, a veteran DJ and amazing producer in our local scene. A lot of the material I've heard of his leans more toward techno, and Birdsong captures much of his feel while also having a bit of a house vibe on it as well.  It's also been released through Prescribed as a free download, so jump on it and support your local artists!

- KJ

Fennec & Wolf - Cocoon

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We've been a bit slow this week for posts, so we're adding a couple posts today in advance of dropping the Friday Care Package.

First this awesome track from Fennec & Wolf called Cocoon. This one oozes house funk and groove from every bit of the track, from the percussion, to the bassline, to the vocals. It's a lesson in groove - literally. The vocal sample in this says all that needs to be said in this one. Cocoon is both laid back and driving, in what could be used as a very versatile house track, particularly over the summer in any number of sets and locations.

Stream Cocoon below, and pick it up as it is available on Beatport as part of the compilation Set In Stone from Incroyable Music.

- KJ

Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne - Real Love (BÅUT Bootleg)

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This remix was uploaded on Soundcloud by BÅUT a while back, but I was waiting to see if it would get set to a free download before I posted it here, and it did!  I've already tossed this into a couple of my sets, as it's a seriously great bootleg. The Soundcloud play stats are seriously way too low considering the quality of it, but that's why I love digging for music - you come across absolute gems that are still secret weapons.

BÅUT keeps a majority of the vocals from Jess Glynne from the original, and it sounds very similar to the pop version right up to the first buildup, but when the drop comes in at the 1:30 mark, you know this is something a bit different. Working on the style that is evident in the other bootlegs posted on BÅUT's Soundcloud, this bootleg oozes deep bass in line with the deep/future/tech house niche. If you want a bootleg that goes hard but still is recognizable to everyone in the club, grab this one now - it's now your secret weapon too.

- KJ

Thee Cool Cats & Lika Morgan - Thee Worst

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Lika Morgan is a singer/songwriter out of LA with quite a talent for putting her vocal spin on classic tracks. This is evident from her Soundcloud profile, having dropped versions of Ace of Bass' All That She Wants, Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams, an her most recent, a version of Duran Duran's Relax. Her collaboration with Thee Cool Cats is work in the same stream, a vocal house reimagining of Jhené Aiko's The Worst. 

As much as there is a very legitimate focus on the vocals of this collaboration, that by no means indicates that the house production fades away into the background. When the bassline and piano hit together just past the minute and a half mark, there is no denying that Thee Cool Cats have not held back in their house production here. Everything works together really well, and the result is an uncompromising house track with serious crossover appeal.

The full EP was released on April 13th, with EDM.com's Tech channel premiering the full track. Stream it in full below, and pick it up from Beatport, as it's still exclusive there for the time being.

- KJ

Felon - Closer

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Felon, a crew of three London producers, have only been around for a little over a year, but have blown up over this relatively short span of time.  Felon's tracks are really well done, so it's no surprise that they are now getting attention from major labels such as Ultra Music. From really cool remixes to very polished originals, Felon's material is rock solid from start to finish.  If you don't believe me, just head back to their Soundcloud and see for yourself. Their first single that was released was Isla, and one of my favourites that was also picked up by Ultra is Colour.

Felon is back again with a new track set for dancefloors and beachside sets the world over, straddling a line between deeper tech house and garage, and the summery vibes of tropical house.  Let yourself G a little closer, and have a listen for yourself below.  You won't be disappointed.  Then hit the download button at the top right hand side of the embedded player, as Felon and Ultra have released this as a completely free download.

Don't forget to check their Soundcloud page for more past heat.

- KJ

Fresh Drops Vol. 2 - Guest Mix: NuKraft (Ontario)

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Here's the Soundcloud stream of March's edition of Fresh Drops on Underground Sound Canada. Some deep house, tech house and future house, along with a few great promos in there that I had to include.  Some of this should sound familiar, as they are tracks I've posted, while some of it should be fresh!  

We were also joined this month by NuKraft from Ontario for a guest mix.  Tune in at 1:15:12 for his house and tech house mix.

Tracklist

Part 1: Kris Jones

1. Always There - Just Kiddin

2. Running Out (Knightley Remix) - Ben Remember, Jack Summers

3. Deepest Love (Ivan Garci Remix) - Distant Relatives JHB (Forthcoming on Deepwit Recordings)

4. Lotus (Original Mix) - Beatamines

5. So Much Love (Original Mix) - Ren Phillips

6. Girl - Middle

7. Frigate (Original Mix) - South Seven

8. Cross The Dancefloor (Mad Villains' 2015 Revibe) - Treasure Fingers

9. How I Knew (Original Mix) - Justin Jay

10. Moudness (Original Mix) - Miguel Bastida

11. Downpipe (Bontan Remix) - D.Ramirez, Mark Knight, Underworld

12. Bee Beat (Kry Wolf Remix) - Nick Olivetti

13. 22 Tango (Original Mix) - Monteiro & Colle

14. Used To Be (Original Mix) - Sab & Keelan

15. Somewhere (Rare Roots Mix) - Rare Candy

16. Eyebrows - Emilio Del Canto (Forthcoming on Liquid Soul Recordings)

17. Love Never Felt So Good (Black Legend Project Rework) - Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake

 

Part 2: NuKraft

1. Oliver $ Pushing On - Jesse Rose Live From The Villa Remix with Oliver $, Jesse Rose - When We Heard Solid Groove (Original Mix)

2. Tocadisco - My Man

3. Schuhmacher - Lets Go

4. Dusky - 9T8

5. UMEK - All I Want (Dosem Remix) with One Over - Into You

6. Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey (Attention Mix) with Dennis De Laat - Sound Of Violence (Main Mix)

7. Dennis Ferrer - Underground is My Home with Son of Raw - A Black Man In Space (Sax Mix) with Dennis Ferrer - How Do I Let Go (Charles Webster's Deep Mix)

8. Huxley UK - Creep with Piek - Insorit

9. Jesse Perez - That's Real Muthafuckin' Talk (Original Mix)

10. MK with Nightcrawlers - Push The Feeling On (Gily's 2014 Re-Edit) with Quentin van Honk - Hot Temptation

11. Waze & Odyssey - Bump & Grind 2k14

- KJ

Friday Care Package - March 20th

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- KJ

Owen Westlake - Trust Me

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Owen Westlake brings a mature and classy vibe to the deep/tech/future house scene with the Trust Me. Simple and understated vocals settle nicely into the soundscape of the breakdowns, while there are serious deep and ever so slightly delayed bassline grooves when the vocal drops out and the dance floor vibes start flowing.

This one was released as a free download, so you can grab it just by clicking the arrow in the top right corner of the embedded player.  Make sure to check out Owen Westlake's Soundcloud for previous work, much of which is also free.

- KJ

Sab & Keelan - Used To Be (Two Rhodes Remix)

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Two Rhodes did a fantastic remix of Sab & Keelan's Used to Be.  Depending on your style and mood, all of the tracks from this EP are great, so don't limit yourself to just this one.  However, I am really enjoying the deep tech and garage vibe that Two Rhodes brought to the table with their remix.

The EP was just released on Xylo Music through Beatport on the 23rd and was premiere'd by Deep Sounds on the 21st.  You can pick it up right here.

If you're feeling this, check out Sab & Keelan's Soundcloud, as they have some quality tracks, including the free download Muve that I opened the first Fresh Drops mix with.

- KJ

Amtrac - Truly

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Amtrac tossed this track up on his Soundcloud page over the weekend as a free download, and it is a massive tech house roller.  Just back from BPM, he says this was produced while he was Playa Del Carmen for the festival. If this is the type of track inspired by the festival and surroundings, I may have to start looking into booking a trip next year.

In any case, just hit the shopping cart on the Soundcloud player below and put in your email address to add this one to your collection. Simple as that. How can you go wrong?

- KJ