Lanzo x Yclept Insan - bloom.

With the Labour Day weekend here in Canada, we might as well call this one the Mellow Mid-Week post, but nonetheless we've got something chill and fresh for you today. Lanzo and Yclept Insan have dropped this little number entitled bloom. on Natural Selection just this morning. If you're into visuals as well, the Youtube video is here.

bloom. is a quick 2 minute hip hop jam, but when you have something this good, 2 minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven... there are some really interesting sounds in this one, with Lanzo and Yclept Insan obviously experimenting (successfully) with some ambient and off the wall sampling. It's all brought together with the simple hip hop break and the synth providing a the melodic portions to the track.

I haven't found anything in terms of release just yet, but enjoy the stream below.

- KJ

Astronaughty - Try Much Harder

Today for our Mellow Monday post, we've got something a bit different from the fresh NYC electro/pop duo Astronaughty. Try Much Harder has a sound that is particularly reminiscent of The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, really catchy and melodic with vocals that seem both fragile and powerful at the same time.

The guys of Astronaughty are giving this one away for free, so hit the download icon in the player below to grab your copy.

- KJ

JackLNDN - All I See

If you've been following freshdrops for any length of time, you will know that JackLNDN is no stranger to the blog, especially in Mellow Monday features.  His sound just fits so well into the vibe we go for on Mondays - chilled out, laid back sounds and feelings.

All I See once again hits that mark, with a nice mix of instrumentation and vocals, setting the tone for your mellow monday.  Just hit play and enjoy the laid back piano and house sounds... and hit the shopping cart icon in the player below to be taken to a page that lays out options to buy or stream the track on a number of major outlets.

- KJ

Coldplay - Magic (MNEK Cover)

We're doing a bit of a throwback again today for Mellow Monday. MNEK uploaded this cover of Coldplay's Magic about a year ago, and it is magnificent. A really stripped back version, this is just MNEK's vocals and the accompanying piano. This version was recorded live for VEVO at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton last summer. Have a listen, and enjoy the live video at Youtube here.

- KJ

.OCIN - Forever Ya

In much of the same stream as the other post from today, German producer .OCIN brings a chill trap/future beats vibe with Forever Ya.  This one is super fresh, as it was just published earlier today. This is a great track for ending your Monday on a laid back note - Forever Ya is introduced with a really nice laid back melody with a little bit of low end bass accompaniment before the percussion drops in. Even then, the whole track works together nicely to give the feel of a mellow slow jam. Again, pitched vocals make an appearance to give some lyrical interest.

.OCIN has uploaded this one as a free download, so make sure you hit that shopping cart in the embedded player below or click here and pick it up if you're feeling it.

- KJ

cln. - Found

This came up on the stream last week, and we held out on posting it for a bit later.  cln. brings some serious vibes to Found, with interesting melodic key runs throughout backed by warm and wobbly pads. Pitched and chopped vocals just add to the variety in this one, all around a really cool and easy going track.

Found is the title track off of cln's new Found EP, which is available from iTunes here.  Make sure you head over and check out the rest of the EP, and grab it if you're feeling it.

- KJ

Soulstruck - Messy Bed w/ MKSB

For your Mellow Monday evening, we have a little hip hop instrumental gem from Soulstruck and MKSB. It also describes the state of my bedroom 99% of the time. Messy Bed features some funky instrumentation on the keys and guitar, with a swingy, laid back broken beat bringing it all together.  Have a listen, and enjoy the rest of your Monday night.

- KJ

WDSTCK - So Free (Millesim Remix)

Millesim have come up with a really laid back and summery remix of WDSTCK's So Free.  While the original has a bit of a tropical feel, it has a much quicker pace and heavier drums. Where Millesim really shines is their stripped back and lounge style indie tropical vibe that allows a lot more expression in the melodic elements of the track. Even the vocals seem more expressive and free in this, a bit of a fitting description for its title. We hope you enjoy this remix wherever you happen to be spending your mellow Monday.

The Millesim remix was released back in mid-june as part of the remix package for So Free, with 4 other remixes. It is available from iTunes here.

- KJ

Aquilo - Better Off Without You

Aquilo dropped Better Off Without You on their Soundcloud a couple months back in advance of the release of their EP. It was originally available as an instant download when you pre-ordered the EP, but the full release is already out, so you can pick and choose from iTunes or grab the whole EP at once.

Better Off Without You is a great piece of laid back and smooth vocal work with electronic production and a slight pop feel, perfect for a mellow Monday evening. The lyrical content is also quite powerful and masterfully woven - a tale of two people who are on their game, but just not working well together. The realization comes that it's just not a match, but it's still a bittersweet and melancholic situation though also for the best. Aquilo's work on this is in a similar niche to other tracks we've featured from Patrick Baker and Mar.

Better Off Without You  was released at the start of June by B3SCI Records as part of the Calling Me EP, now available on iTunes for just under 3 bucks.

- KJ

Jessie Ware - Cruel (Klaves Remix)

It's been a little while since we've featured a chill house track for Mellow Monday, but this remix of Jessie Ware by Klaves fits quite nicely. The vocals remain smooth and intact, with Jessie Ware once again showcasing her considerable talent in this area. If you haven't heard of Jessie Ware yet, her work can be heard in several bass heavy dance productions such as Disclosure's Confess To Me, and their hugely popular remix of her track Running, or SBTRKT's Right Thing To Do.

Klaves' take on Cruel maintains many of the same vibes as the original, but with a distinctly house oriented feel. The remix is a bit faster and uses more deep house instrumentation in the warm synth tones, but the overall sound is very similar - much like a transposition between styles as opposed to a large departure from the original.

It doesn't appear to be released anywhere for free or purchased download, so you'll have to settle for streaming for the time being at least.

- KJ

Christian Schultz & Miskeyz - Welcome To Paradise ft. Emma Carn

For our Mellow Monday post, we're bringing you a summery indie flavoured jam from Christian Schultz and Miskeyz featuring vocals from Emma Carn. Welcome to Paradise has a really nice mix of summer flavours, with some definitely indie and folk influence in both the instrumentation and lyrical content, combined with some stripped back house percussion elements. If this doesn't get you through your Monday with a smile, I'm not sure what will.

Welcome to Paradise is available for purchase from iTunes here.

- KJ

falcxne - Tams

What's more relaxing than listening to a Canadian weather report with a smooth, funky and jazzy backing track? If you didn't have anything that fits this description before, it exists now, and it's pretty mellow.  Canadian producer falcxne got a bit experimental in sampling the news for his most recent free download Tams. Check this funky jam out, and hit the download button if you're feeling it.

And in case there was any doubt as to just how Canadian falcxne is, take into consideration that he put out two albums that are up as name-your-price on Bandcamp called Timbits and Timbits II. There are few things more Canadian than that!

- KJ

Patrick Baker - I Lost You

Nashville-based producer and vocalist Patrick Baker uploaded this little free download over the weekend, and I've been loving it.  It's a little darker than our typical Mellow Monday post, but it was too good not to share. I Lost You is really different from anything I've heard recently - dark and brooding synths paired with a deep kick and reminiscent love-lost lyrics all come together to make this track something special. 

Have a listen for yourself and see what you think.  It's available for download directly though the player below.

- KJ

Mellow Monday Material - Koala and CATMAGIC

I came across CATMAGIC on my Soundcloud stream a little while back, and through a little bit of profile exploration, also came across Koala - which I believe are two pseudonyms for the same producer. His material really embodies a very laid back chill vibe, which is exactly the type of music we try to post for Mellow Mondays. The tracks here have kind of a chill trap vibe, but they're all so soothing that it's hard to actually classify them as such. Have a listen below and see for yourself.

All of these tracks are available for free download as well, so hit the download button in the embedded players on any that you feel like adding to your collection - it's really that simple! Also make sure to check out both Koala's Soundcloud and CATMAGIC's Soundcloud for more material, and give them a follow to keep up to date on new releases.

- KJ

ALOKA x Mulkern - Feel

ALOKA and Mulkern put this ultra chill collaboration out a couple months ago, and I was lucky enough to stumble across it the other day. The intro starts out with some really warm chords and ambient sounds, and slowly but surely builds into some energy through the introduction of a kick, and later some additional piano chords. By the time the vocal comes in, the track is riding high without there having been any real obvious drops - simply an easing up into the groove.

Feel has a lot of deep house and garage elements integrated, but keeps a much more chilled vibe throughout. The progression and transitions through the various sections of the track are extremely smooth and enjoyable, with each change simply melting into the next.

This is a true Mellow Monday track, and it's up for a free download.  Hit the shopping cart below to grab the mp3.

- KJ

Mar - She's A Dancer (Produced by Sebastian Carter)

Mar brought some new material to Soundcloud this past week with She's A Dancer, the backing track produced by Sebastian Carter. This is a fairly chilled out tropical deep house track for Mellow Monday.

Starting off with some simple evolving synth pads and also adding in some subtle percussion, Sebastian Carter lays the perfect backdrop to showcase Mar's always spectacular vocals. The buildup finally drops in at the 1:10 mark, with She's A Dancer moving into tropical deep house territory. Mar is still very much still present in the track, and the backing track calms back down for the second verse only to drop back in at 2:55.

Mar has also released this for free download through Toneden, so hit the shopping cart in the player below and grab your copy.

- KJ

Yugen - Calgary

We wanted to share this track earlier, but felt like it would fit best as a Mellow Monday post and held off until today. Abbey Fontaine and Edwin O'Hara are long term friends and a duo out of Melbourne working under the project name Yugen. After both having had to pull through some tough personal battles, they were faced with the choice of whether or not to continue with their musical project. As you can tell since you're reading this here, they decided to continue and put everything into their music.  This approach definitely comes across in their first track. Yugen sent some of their material my way through freshdrops email, and I'm glad they did - Calgary blew me away with the emotional depth and vocal chops exhibited on it. The backing track is a fairly simple but driving beat, but the real strength of this piece comes from the ambience created in the background along with the slow evolving melodic elements all working in unison with Abbey's superb vocal work and lyricism. Best of all, Calgary is released as a free download from their Soundcloud, which can even be downloaded from the embedded player below.

Yugen has already had some attention from Triple J, and have also put together a short teaser video available on Vimeo. Calgary is the first piece of work from Yugen, but it has me just waiting on their next piece. Make sure to follow their pages and watch for this duo as more material becomes available.

- KJ

Sina. - It Was You

Three tracks not enough for Mellow Monday?  We thought not.  Sina. is an artist that I've been listening to for a while, but have yet to post on freshdrops.  That ends today. The Irish producer has started to tease a couple of the tracks from his upcoming free EP on Soundcloud, and It Was You is the latest he has uploaded in advance of that release. This is a really chill piece of work, and full of emotion - perfect for winding down Monday evening.  Just hit play and drift into the soundscape offered here for the next 4 minutes.  You'll be glad you did.  Then hit play again.

Watch for Sina.'s EP dropping soon for free, and in the meantime grab his remixes collection for free from his Bandcamp page - remixes of Passion Pit, Odesza, Kilimanjaro and more.

- KJ

Flamingosis - About A Week Ago // Gas Pedal

A couple chill hip hop jams coming in for Mellow Monday this week, from an artist that we've featured multiple times before - Flamingosis.  Both of these tracks are remixes that have been reworked to have a completely different feel from the originals, and into that funky, jazzy and loungey hip-hop flavour that is Flamingosis' specialty.

About A Week Ago... is a remix of Bobby Shmurda's Hot N*gga, which is a pretty heavy gangster rap originally - but the rework turns the vibe into a much more laid-back jazzy hip-hop jam. The original lyrics still flow without much editing aside from the tempo.

The second track is a remix of Sage The Gemini's Gas Pedal.  Again, this puts a really fresh groove on the original - Flamingosis keeps the lyrical content, and simply weaves a whole new backdrop that they are presented against. Similarly, this rework brings in some grooving guitar licks and brings that signature funky hip-hop sound.

Both of these are up for free download, so pick them up and add them into your collection of summer jams.

- KJ

Tapes - Almost

This Monday we've got a throwback to the end of November that graced our Soundcloud feed. Tapes delivers a smooth chill trap vibe on this.  This should get your Monday off on the right foot. This one needs little further description, hit play below and enjoy.

Oh, and it's also a free download. Imagine that?  Part of an entire free 27 track compilation from Shoeboxx Recordings.

- KJ