"I Know That We Could Leave Our Love in Ruins"
I can think of no better way to easy into a work week after a stressful weekend than a new Gryffin single. Love in Ruins features soothing vocals from Sinead Harnett and is more chill dance than upbeat party starter. There's a twisted angst mixed into the vocals that gives some added intrigue to the otherwise easygoing track. It may not be my favorite of Gryffin's discography, but it's a solid addition that the shows off a softer side. If you're digging the track give it some love on hypem or Soundcloud. Or you can be an adult and check it on iTunes or Spotify, either path works, just depends on how official you're feeling...#LoveInRuins
Gryffin feat Sinead Harnett - Love in Ruins
Labels: Dance, Gryffin, Sinead Harnett
"Would You Ever Hope for Something Never Ending?"
Just when you thought Skrillex was starting to focus all of his attention on making music for other superstars he comes out with a fresh new single that collectively makes everyone's speakers smile. Would You Ever features chopped up vocals from Poo Bear and a steady thumping bass line that has the capabilities of igniting the lamest of parties. It has that brand new, yet retro Nu-disco sound to it that feels fresh, but familiar. It's not a sound you'd normally associate with Skrillex, but that's a testament to how many tricks he still has up his sleeve after years worth of making music. Lucky for us that the week the track dropped, it was also blessed with a video. It's a choose your own adventure below that you can't go wrong with below...#WouldYouEver
Skrillex & Poo Bear - Would You Ever
Labels: EDM, Poo Bear, Skrillex
"Paint Dripping Like I'm Whipping Marmalade"
Despite not being sold yet on Lil Yachty's staying power, I respect his sing-songy hustle. There's a happy lullaby vibe to each and every song of his that is peaceful enough to make a fairy blush. Not everyone can sound good over a gentle piano beat, but he's able to pull it off with ease.
You know who else can pull it off? Yep, you guessed it, Ben Haggerty himself...aka Macklemore. Marmalade has enough tough, flossy, witty one liners to keep the listeners attention for the four plus minutes. It has the makings of a concert favorite as I can easily picture everyone in a crowd singing along word for word. It may not be my cup of tea, but my guess is a lot of people will be drinking the hell out of this one like free refill style...#Marmalade
Macklemore feat Lil Yachty - Marmalade
Posted by GWDJ at 10:00 PM 12 comments
Labels: Lil Yachty, Macklemore
"I Just Wanna Love You in Real Life"
Remember that time Dillon Francis got tired of the haters and quit social media for the rest of the year? Well that happened last week as he released a brand spankin' new remix of a current dance favorite. Duke Dumont and Gorgon City's Real Life was a stellar collabo when it first dropped back in early June. For quick reference check out the video for the original below...
It's exactly as funky as you'd expect from two of dance music's best. Now picture Dillon's speaker reverberating, Moombahton rhythms applied to the original. That's what you can expect from the remix below. It has a lot of the same qualities of the original...until you get to the drop when all bets are off. It's a fun offshoot of the original, maintaining the strong vocals from Naations while adding plenty of bass and flare to make it club worthy. Give it a spin on Spotify if you feel so inclined...#RealLife
Duke Dumont & Gorgon City - Real Life (Dillon Francis Remix)
Labels: Dillon Francis, Duke Dumont, EDM, Gorgon City, Naations, Remixes
RZA Cooks Up Hot Burrito Bowl Beats for Chipotle
I'm still trying to wrap my head around Chipotle's new Savor.Wavs campaign. In summary, RZA created this soundboard with 51 samples that Chipotle mapped into ingredients that make a burrito. I can't make this stuff up, you just have to go to the site and create a song burrito for yourself.
It's interesting timing given the latest norovirus scare in Virginia. I'm not debating how momentarily novel creating your own musical burrito bowl can be. It's a fun minute or two, especially if you stay long enough to play with the visual toggles as you listen to your musical composition. Still, the tech nerd in me has a hard time not questioning the ROI on creating something like that. Novelty aside, check out RZA taking a huge bite out of a Chipotle burrito as he puts his culinary sound board together.
But the real reason we're all here tonight is because GRiZ remixed RZA's SAVOR.WAVs track. The result is as soothing and subtly funky as you could have hoped. It's certifiable porn music, no denying that. It along with the other five new tracks are a welcome evolution in Chipotle's quest for sustained cultural relevance. Shoot there's even a Wu-Tang Clan remix thrown in the mix. It's all just one big epic dream, so buckle up and hop on for a ride...#SAVORWAVS
RZA - SAVOR.WAVS (GRiZ Remix)
Labels: Chipotle, GRiZ, Remixes, RZA, Savor Wavs
T-Pain Proves He's Much More Than Autotune
It's hard to feel bad for someone who has garnered as much success as T-Pain, but he gets a bad rap for his frequent use of auto tune. In hindsight, his use of a the vocal aide turned out to be a double edged sword. On one hand, his use of auto tune was novel stylistically and allowed him to stand out as he adopted it as his own style. On the other hand, it sort of unintentionally diminished his true vocal abilities, so people for years were left wondering whether he was a product of sound manufacturing rather than true talent.
Well, in case you missed his Tiny Desk concert, he's starting to distance himself from auto tune. So much so that he's unofficially passing the torch on to Travis Scott. To emphasize the point, Teddy Pain went on Kurt Hugo Schneider's To The Beat to perform a few of his biggest hits in one big mashup. When you press play below, be ready to do a massive cannonball into T-Pain nostalgia. Everything from Bartender to Buy U a Drank to I'm in Love with a Stripper to his new single, F.B.G.M. I don't usually post videos alone, but this is a well-deserved exception...#TPain
Labels: Kurt Hugo Schneider, T-Pain, To the Beat
Lido and THEY Bring 90s Nostalgia on Not Enough
Sending this one out to all you children of the 1990s. Somehow Lido and THEY managed to capture the essence of 90s Pop/R&B on their latest single Not Enough. The track was released about a month ago, but the vision for the track was not complete until the video came out this week. Between the throwback synths and choreographed dance moves, it's a quick trip back in time to two decades ago where the color was saturated and flashy was defined by synchronicity. Credit Ian Eastwood for delivering the choreography needed to capture the essence of the track. I would have never pegged Lido to be the one behind a track like this, but clearly I underestimated his range. Don't hesitate on hopping on this 90s train via iTunes, Spotify, or even the #NotEnoughChallenge...
Lido feat THEY - Not Enough
Labels: Ian Eastwood, Lido, New Jack Swing, THEY
Videos of the Week July 21st
It's impossible to sugar coat it, this was a sad week due to the loss of Linkin Park lead man Chester Bennington. It's unfortunate that we continue to lose such talented people to depression at a young age. Hopefully one day mental health is taken as serious as physical health.
Regarding videos this week, Linkin Park still let loose new visuals for Talking to Myself the day that Chester passed. The video will serve as a bittersweet bookmark in history, unfortunately. If you're in need of a boost of energy after the previous video's punch to the gut, then RL Grime and Miguel have you covered. Let's just say they brought the energy at EDC in performing Stay For It. In case you haven't gotten enough of the genius that is Kygo, I've got good news. He'll be releasing a documentary soon that will give more of an in-depth look into his life as a rising artist. If a bit of novelty is what you need, then seeing your favorite Game of Thrones characters spliced together singing Smash Mouth's All-Star will provide some much needed humor in a tough week. And last, but most interesting was a behind the scenes look at Odesza's creative process. Let's just say they do a LOT of tinkering to manipulate and bend sound to until they come up with something unique. Such a cool way they go about inventing chords...#Odesza
Linkin Park - Talking to Myself (Video)
RL Grime and Miguel Perform Stay For It at EDC
Kygo's Stole the Show Documentary Teaser
Smash Mouth's All-Star Sung by Game of Thrones Cast
Inside Odesza's Creative Process
Posted by GWDJ at 4:18 PM 10 comments
Labels: Chester Bennington, Documentary, Game of Thrones, Kygo, Linkin Park, Miguel, Odesza, RL Grime, Smash Mouth, Videos
"The Rich Have Their Rituals, We Got Pills and Visuals"
You can always count on RAC to deliver something fun and upbeat. Lucky for us, he just put together an entire hour's worth of the Indie funk goodness in the form of Ego. It's tough picking a favorite after one lap, but his newest gem with MNDR is a good start. It's an airy track whose lyrics are just as uplifting as the airy beat. Armed with a clear message about being yourself, there's plenty of symmetry between the vibe of the track and the words being communicated throughout it. As a side note, I really dig the cover art scheme of the album with the four singles being a collective representation of the the tracks as a whole. Check the cover art below and note how the art above is the lower right quadrant. Y'all know the drill, Soundcloud, Spotify, or iTunes if you feel so inclined...#Unusual
RAC feat MNDR - Unusual
Labels: Ego, MNDR, RAC
"We're Broke as a Bottle of Wine"
I could listen to Ryan Tedder's vocals all day. Whether they come solo or through a new One Republic track, I'm not picky. But, if you throw in some Trop House vibes to the already stellar vocals, I'm all over that. Rich Love sounds like something Kygo or Thomas Jack would produce with airy synths and a bouncy beat leading the way. It's the third release from the group, following the spring release of No Vacancy and recent single Truth to Power. It's what you look for in a summer anthem, with a chill instrumental and repeatable lyrics. It'd be criminal to gush about the beat and not give the production trio Seeb credit for their contribution. Kudos to One Republic for continuing to evolve their style as they continue to shape the landscape of Pop music. It's not easy to stay on top, but they're proving to be a example for others to follow who seek career longevity. No word on when their next album will drop, but it'll be presumably be their fifth full length release over the past decade. Can't complain about an album every other year, especially when they've been able to maintain the consistency as music has continued to evolve...#RichLove
One Republic - Rich Love (prod by Seeb)
Labels: One Republic, Seeb, Tropical House
"Oh Adrian, I Wanna Be Like You"
The formation of so-called super groups can go one of two ways. Sometimes it can be a revelation when the two styles meld together to create something greater than the sum of the parts. Other times it's an absolute train wreck that makes you question how such talent could result in a such a let down. Luckily for us, when The Knocks and Mat Zo got together to form The Mary Nixons, it was the former rather than the latter.
Adrian combines the quirky upbeat rhythms from both collaborators, creating an idealized mix of styles. The high-pitched vocal sample that gets chopped up throughout the track is a good look. It'll have you singing along as you find yourself nodding along to the beat. It's poppy, Indie dance at it's best and you'd be crazy not to consider adding it to your latest Spotify playlist...#Adrian
The Mary Nixons - Adrian
Labels: EDM, Mat Zo, The Knocks, The Mary Nixons
"Just Let Me Love You When Your Heart is Tired"
When you think about it, it's kind of amazing that Kygo has found such a huge niche in EDM with his mellow, piano driven style. With the masses in EDM trending toward more tempo and more bass, he chose to slow it down and build off a masterful background as a pianist. I never thought I'd be so enthralled by watching someone perform music on the piano, but that all changed when I first watched a video of him performing a song in studio.
His latest creation is a remix of Alan Walker's Tired. The word beautiful doesn't quite do justice to the amount of emotion he's able to impart on the new version. A steady tempo serves as the heart beat of the track, as Gavin James's vocals are able to shine even brighter on Kygo's version. It's a catchy ballad made even catchier with a mellow post-drop chord progression. This one has the ability to melt the stress off a long Monday, so feel free to use it as such on your ride home today or tomorrow...#TiredRemix
Alan Walker - Tired (Kygo Remix)
Labels: Alan Walker, EDM, Kygo, Remixes
Odesza Seeks Higher Ground With New Single
And the onslaught of great new music from Odesza continues. Their new one features vocals from Naomi Wild and fits their ethereal chill style to T. The rolling tempo is enticing, gradually gathering momentum toward the hook. From there's it's a progression of happy synth horns that you can picture being the backdrop on a sunny day frolic through a meadow.
It's another huge step forward leading toward Odesza's upcoming A Moment Apart album that'll be hitting e-shelves on September 8th. If there's one thing you remember from this post it's to reference their upcoming tour stops. I can't stress enough how worthy of an investment it is to go see them live. I just saw them run Red Rocks and I'll be seeing a follow up show when they visit the Bay Area this fall. When it comes to EDM performances and actual "shows" (not just a DJ sitting behind turntables playing records), it doesn't get any better than Odesza...#HigherGround
Odesza feat Naomi Wild - Higher Ground
Labels: A Moment Apart, Naomi Wild, Odesza
"We Both Need Fixing, But They Can't Fix What's True"
Galantis's new one represents everything I like about EDM right now. There's so much fun, care-free music released every week that it's energizing. The slow build on True Feeling does everything in its power to invite you to keep listening and those who do are rewarded mightily with a bright, bubbly chord progress that is impossible to not nod your head along to. I talk a lot about nostalgia, but that's because are getting so good at evoking feeling with their music. In other words, you could probably make a candlelight acoustic ballad version of this track that would rocket up top 40 radio, but Galantis added a bit of tempo to it and subsequently, it's all the more addicting. It's slated to be the lead off hitter on Galantis's upcoming sophomore album The Aviary. It won't be landing until mid-September, which implies a lot of new music to look forward to in the coming months. Get pumped!...#TheAviary
Galantis - True Feeling
Labels: EDM, Galantis, The Aviary
For whatever reason, this week was dominated by huge music video releases. It seems more like the exception than the norm for a week's top five to be so heavily skewed toward music videos, but such was the case this week. Led by the action packed visuals from Dillon Francis and G-Eazy's Say Less video, there was plenty of bottle smashing fun littered throughout. Then, Macklemore did a complete 180 on his video for Glorious where he took his grandma around town to celebrate her 100th birthday. In hindsight, the vibe of the track fits perfectly for the celebration of life, so kudos to Macklemore for sharing the moment with all of us.
Then things got a little trippy on Travis Scott's Butterfly Effect video. Don't care what the critics say, that track goes hard and I have a really hard time skipping past it when it plays. In case that first dose of Travis Scott wasn't enough, he made an appearance in the dance heavy video for Know No Better. I'm not exactly sure what story is trying to be told other than kids that are picked on can still get girls too through their dance moves? Last, but most expensive was literally everything about deadmau5's new studio. Such a cool behind the scenes look of all the bells, whistles, nobs, and keys the make up his arsenal of music making equipment. Not sure about y'all, but I was impressed by the amount of analog based sound machines and old keyboards he had. If you had an inkling that he cares about his craft, your perception should remain unchanged...#deadmau5Studio
Dillon Francis feat G-Eazy - Say Less (Video)
Macklemore feat Skylar Grey - Glorious (Video)
Travis Scott - Butterfly Effect (Video)
Major Lazer feat Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, & Quavo - Know No Better (Video)
A Behind the Scenes Look at deadmau5's Studio
Labels: Camila Cabello, deadmau5, Dillon Francis, G-Eazy, Macklemore, Major Lazer, Quavo, Skylar Grey, Travis Scott, Videos
Childish Gambino's Redbone Gets a Mustard Upgrade
Calling Childish Gambino's Redbone a modern day classic is getting less and less outlandish with each day. I'm still amazed that he pulled off that falsetto so flawlessly. You'd be hard pressed to find me another artist who could sell hundreds of thousands of records as a rapper, then turn around and drop an R&B classic.
Original aside, when I saw the track below on DJ Mustard's new DON'T BOX ME vol. 1 playlist, I was more than a little curious. Pressing play resulted in a much more excitable, snappier remix. The slow ebb and flow of the original was augmented with some heavy bass and a bouncy synth progression on the hook that almost overpowers the vocals. Were the vocals trampled a bit? Maybe, but the vibe of the original still carried over in a much more party friendly fashion. Share it with your friends to defamiliarize them with the original version that they're probably getting tired of hearing around now...#Redbone
Childish Gambino - Redbone (DJ Mustard Remix)
Labels: Childish Gambino, DJ Mustard, DON'T BOX ME vol. 1
"I'm Helpless When I'm Oceans Away"
Forgive me for a minute on being late to the party on A R I Z O N A. Despite Spotify's best efforts to usher their new music my way I resisted...like an idiot. Little did I know how much they would remind of The Script with their addictive synth pop vibes. Much of their standout material on Gallery has been out for over 6 months, but listening to Oceans Away on repeat the past week has been a breath of fresh air for me. There's plenty of somber nostalgia baked into the lyrics, which falls squarely in the wheelhouse of what I crave in vocal driven music. I've still got a lot of catching up to do on their discography, but let's just say I'm well on my way at a brisk sprint thanks to my epiphany this week...#OceansAway
A R I Z O N A - Oceans Away
Labels: A R I Z O N A, Gallery
It's Different Knocks One More Weekend Out of the Park
When Audien and MAX dropped One More Weekend about a month back, I was a fan. Not enough of a fan to write about it, but it got a few spins. Fast forward to late last week when It's Different swung for the fences and knocked a remix of the original out of the park. The remix has the catchy vocals of the original, but injects an addicting, speaking thumping drop that elevates the track to a new level. This is the first I've posted of It's Different, but upon further review, they have some bangin' music. Like for example their remix of Blackbear's Fashion Week. Holy bass batman! Follow me on over to Spotify to do a big ol' cannonball into their discography...#OneMoreWeekend
Audien x MAX - One More Weekend (It's Different Remix)
Labels: Audien, EDM, It's Different, Max, Remixes
Chance the Rapper's Blessings Get Flipped by Louis Futon
Take a bow sir Louis Futon. You deserve some serious dap for your flip of Chance the Rapper's Blessings. It's such a difficult task to break a track down to it's elemental form and build it back in a completely new and novel way. Before you watch how Louis broke it down below, here's the original version of Blessings.
Sure, the piano, guitar riffs and effort from the talented Ariel Shrumpet were cool, but the "Phat Drums" were what elevated the track to a new level. With samples being so easy to capture and make nowadays, this proves how easy it can be to "flip" a track. That's not to take anything away from Louis either. What he did was beyond dope. Find me someone who can utilize such a wide array of musical instruments and end up with something as cohesive as he did on the flip below. Feel free and direct download the bulky wav file if you want, but hopefully this becomes big enough to end up on Spotify one day...#Blessings
Chance the Rapper - Blessings (Louis Futon Flip feat Ariel Shrumpet)
Labels: Ariel Shrumpet, Chance The Rapper, Flip, Louis Futon, Remixes
"How Can I Sleep When You're Out There With All My Love?"
The more I listen to music produced by Cash Cash, the more appreciation I gain for how well they're able to inject life into their music. They generally churn out either party music or really mellow, addictive EDM pop tracks. This one is definitely the latter with Connor Maynard's vocal contribution leading the way on All My Love. There's a palpable bounce post-drop and a soothingness that the synth progression provides that's catchy af. It's a fun track that you'll be hearing a lot more on Top 40. Cop it on iTunes or stream it to your heart's content on Spotify if you're more into renting than buying...#AllMyLove
Cash Cash feat Connor Maynard - All My Love
Labels: Cash Cash, Connor Maynard, EDM
Four Tet Unleashes Massive Chill on New Single
To some, the track below will elicit a "WTF!? reaction, but those who frequent this corner of the internet know how much of a child of Pure Moods I am. It's a big reason why I vibe so much with Odesza's ethereal, rhythmic, instrumental style. Four Tet may skew more toward the chill than rhythmic on the instrumental spectrum, but there's plenty of room for that on my playlists. His new one below, Two Thousand Seventeen, is a chill sandwich with a side of dream sauce. The harp sounding chord progression is downright picturesque...maybe even to the point of placid. The steady pace of the beat give it just enough contrast to remain interesting for a full four minutes. Cool the f out to this one with me y'all...#TwoThousandAndSeventeen
Four Tet - Two Thousand and Seventeen
Labels: Chill, Four Tet
This week we got another Tiny Desk highlight to go along with a few music videos and some obligatory novelty. I've posted quite a few of NPR's Tiny Desk videos, but you'd be hard pressed to find another one better than the one below. Of course Chance performed a poem that he wrote while driving to the NPR offices. Luckily he had some DC traffic because what resulted was a fun watch.
Moving along to music videos where Ke$ha made a triumphant return on Praying. She's been through a lot over the past few years and if her new single is any indication, she's doing a hell of a job channeling that emotion. On a similarly invigorating way, Run the Jewels new claymation roller coaster video for Don't Get Captured was unique. Spooky is the word that comes to mind, which fits the vibe of the track quite well. If comedy is what you're looking for then you may be interested in James Van Der Beek's new show "What Would Diplo Do?" I'll give it to him, it was bold to cast himself as Diplo, but we'll see if the mockumentary has more than a few silly laughs to carry the series.
And last, but not least, this week delivered a new trailer for a star-studded new Jumanji reboot. The cast definitely gets your attention with Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and The Rock leading the way, but it makes you wonder whether or not they will be able to pull off a serious plot like the original did. Maybe it'll be an upgraded version of the original with a huge dose of comedy added to the mystery. Maybe it'll be one huge, contrived cluster. We shall see, at least we have until Christmas to hold our judgment...#WelcomeToTheJungle
Chance the Rapper Performing Puts on a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR
Ke$ha - Praying (Video)
Run the Jewels - Don't Get Captured (Video)
Viceland - What Would Diplo Do? (Trailer)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Trailer)
Photo Credit: NPR
Labels: Chance The Rapper, Diplo, Jack Black, James Van Der Beek, Jumanji, Kesha, Kevin Hart, NPR, Run The Jewels, The Rock, Tiny Desk, Trailers, Viceland
"Get Low, Get Low, Hands on Your Waist Let's Go"
Summer must be in full swing because the EDM heavyweights are turning up the heat with new singles. Enter Zedd who just unleashed a new one with Liam Payne today. Get Low is about as feel good and addicting as you would expect from a new track from Zedd. The cover art above typifies the vibe of the track with a sunny summer feel permeating the track. It's a little too perfect to get more than a week's worth of love on GWDJ Favorites, but it's going to be a fun week ahead with this new one leading the way. Head on over to the normal outlets if you're pumped about the bright ray of sunshine below...#GetLow
Zedd feat Liam Payne - Get Low
Labels: EDM, Liam Payne, Zedd
"I Turned My Life Into a Nice First Week Release Date"
It's been an interesting last few weeks for Jay Z. Just last week he surprised everyone with a new full length album, 4:44. To no one's surprise, it was exclusively released on Tidal...the same music service that Kanye is doing he absolute best to sever all ties with at the moment. Storied history aside, 4:44 is going to get its highly anticipated physical release this Friday, building on the initial exclusive Sprint and Tidal release on June 30th.
So what can expect from the new album? Well, CNN thinks it's dope, 50 Cent thinks it's golf course music, and somehow it's already gone platinum. The only real consensus is that The Story of O.J. is a clear standout track. Blessed with a picturesque No I.D. production and a laid back, storytelling vibe, there's a lot to unpack. Just today, the Jiggaman released a video for the track that invites even more discussion. The black and white cartoon aesthetic provides and interesting back drop for a story surrounding racial tension. I'm still trying wrap my head around it, as well as the numerous subliminal shots on his latest album. Despite the record already going platinum, it's safe to say the story of this album is only beginning to be told...#TheStoryOfOJ
Jay Z - The Story of O.J. (Prod by No I.D.) (Footnotes)
Watch @S_C_'s "Footnotes for 'The Story of O.J.'" https://t.co/We5OlPBrLl pic.twitter.com/m1kf9eHaXj
— TIDAL (@TIDALHiFi) July 3, 2017
Labels: 4:44, Jay Z, Mark Romanek, No I.D.
"Your Dad's Black Honda Was a Maybach"
After a weekend off the grid, the GWDJ crew is back just in time for 4th of July festivities. And what better way to slide back into the daily music routine than a Gryffin remix of a Kygo track. Admittedly, I was lukewarm on the original version back in late April, but Gryffin's version is a different story. While it still has that chopped up, remix feel to it, the added tempo and dissection of Ellie's vocals as a sample worked really well. Similar to the original, the remix gets off to a quiet start as it gradually builds energy toward the subdued, Chill House drop. The gentle ebb and flow of the chords post-drop was a nice touch too. It's a rare example of an EDM heavyweight doing justice to the original, rather than trying to really hard to out perform the original. Give it added listens on Spotify or iTunes if you feel so inclined...#FirstTime
Kygo feat Ellie Goulding - First Time (Gryffin Remix)
Labels: Chill, EDM, Ellie Goulding, Gryffin, Kygo, Remixes
"The Rich Have Their Rituals, We Got Pills and Vis...
It's Different Knocks One More Weekend Out of the ...
Chance the Rapper's Blessings Get Flipped by Louis...
"How Can I Sleep When You're Out There With All My...
"I Turned My Life Into a Nice First Week Release D...