Bambarra - Can Feel It

This is a bit of a throwback, as it was uploaded last summer, but it's a track that continues to sneak its way back into my DJ sets fairly often as it's just a quality tune.

Can Feel It is appropriately titled, because if you can't feel the summer vibes that come across in this track, there is something going seriously wrong with your perception and/or hearing. The organ line at the start really sets the mood for the entire track, and Bambarra expands on that introducing a deep, bumpy bassline at the 1:30 mark, and then bringing in a beautifully cheesy synth around 2:40.  The whole track oozes chill summer beach vibes.

Can Feel It was set to be a free download at 1K plays, but it has long ago passed that mark - so grab it with the download button in the player below! Make sure to check out Bambarra's Soundcloud page for more, as well as his duo Mob Serenade.

- KJ

Low Steppa - Troubles (Free Album)

Big news if you're into house, garage, bassy house, deep house, piano driven house, breaks, olds school sounds, or pretty much any dance genre.  Because he's just a stand up guy and appreciates his fans, Low Steppa has released a full 15 track album for free and available on his Facebook page.

The whole album oozes with that signature Low Steppa low frequency vibe.  Blends of house and garage with intense low end basslines, with tracks that bring an old school flavour into contemporary house works (notably Good Old Days, Interlude 2 and Play Around), alongside piano driven tracks (Burnin and That Old Dust Groove).  If you're looking to add in a little more low end into your music for the day, look no further.

Check out the album preview in the player below, or head directly to Low Steppa's Facebook page for the downloads.

- KJ

Josh Pan - Black Manhattan (J Dilla Tribute)

You may or may not know that the late iconic hip hop producer J Dilla's birthday came and went this past Saturday. Josh Pan took note and gave a tribute in fitting fashion, posting a track that he "made a couple years ago after a night of listening to dilla".  This is a really cool piece of production perfection, starting off with a swingy, chill lounge vibe, and later introducing a chopped vocal and some piano. The track works so well, and is perfect for a Mellow Monday post. Hit play on the player below, sit back and enjoy this one.

- KJ

Uknowy music - Free Downloads

This post is a bit of a label spotlight, uknowy music is a label based in Munich Germany, and has a unique flare for releases that seem to share a vibe combining elements of hip hop, rnb, and electronica in addition to mixing in a healthy dose of sampling and remix culture. The label was nice enough to combine a a playlist on their Soundcloud page of all their free downloads in one location, which is embedded below.

If you like what's on show for free below, make sure to check their Soundcloud page for more full releases, including really awesome looking and quality filled physical (limited production) releases like this.

- KJ

Friday Care Package - February 6th

- KJ

Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk (Jump Ship Bootleg)

This Thursday I'm all about the pop influence on freshdrops I guess. Hard not to be though, with tracks like this showing up! Once again, a free download, this one courtesy of Jump Ship.

The original is a great funk pop track, and Jump Ship's take on it is a great house bootleg. There is just enough of the main vocal left in to make it obviously recognizable, but definitely a departure from the original. The bootleg keeps the funkiness of the original track, while also integrating a kind of deep/future house hybrid sound to give this a unique feel.

Make sure to check the bootleg out below, and if you want a copy, just send a message to the guys themselves and they will get you a copy!  So far it looks like they haven't uploaded it for general download yet, but they also have a number of other free bootlegs and originals through their Facebook page if you're feeling their style.

- KJ

SoySauce - Broken Record (ft. Joni Fatora) (Louis The Child Remix)

What style would this be classified as? Electro Pop? Future Beats? Chilled Bass Music? Whatever style you try to pigeonhole this one into, it's hard to deny the fact that it's super enjoyable on so many levels.

The intro threw me off a bit I have to say, it sounds kind of like a lo-fi digitally distorted synth, and I was already wondering where this was going to go. Enter Joni Fatora on vocals at 0:32, and the track went from what I thought was going to be just a happy, different sounding instrumental, into full blown sugar pop territory - and I say that in all the best ways. If this one had me hooked when the vocal dropped, I was long gone when the drop came, still under a minute into the track.

Check out Louis The Child's Soundcloud, and hit the shopping cart in the player below to get to the free downloads page, where there are a bunch more remixes for free as well.

If you want to hear the original from Soy Sauce, I also have to give it a full plug, if only for the awesome way that they released it.  Broken Record is available both as a free download, and as a paid track through iTunes. However, if you purchase it through iTunes with Soy Sauce's Lunch Money EP, all proceeds from the EP are going toward setting up school lunch projects in some of the world's poorest communities through the project Everybody Eats. It's hard to concentrate fully at school on an empty stomach, and many kids who have this issue are also faced with other difficult issues that affect their ability to be successful in school. If you decide to purchase through iTunes, you are helping to feed a child and enable them to succeed in school by lowering at least one of their barriers. Check out the original below and watch for the iTunes release sometime in February to help out with the cause.

- KJ

Paul Oakenfold - Touch Me (Pretty Pink Remix)

Pretty Pink brings things to a deep and emotional level with her reimagining of Paul Oakenfold's Touch Me. The German producer brings deep and melodic house elements into this remix, and the whole mood of the track follows this lead.  With vocals so smooth and lyrics like this, there is no mistaking that this track was written with the bedroom and intimacy in mind.  The Pretty Pink remix really follows through on the intended subject matter with the maintaining of the lyrical content, and a bassline that runs throughout - giving just enough energy to be danceable, while also just laid back enough to be played at the after-party, or after the party is over...

The Pretty Pink remix was released on Armada Deep on January 5th, available from Beatport.  Enjoy this trip into the deep end below.

- KJ

Gorgon City - Go All Night Ft. Jennifer Hudson (Nicky Night Time Remix)

Nicky Night Time takes Gorgon City's Go All Night to a really deep place compared to the original. This remix comes in really deep, before going into a buildup into a deep, future house hybrid.  Once the full bassline kicks in around the 1:18 mark, the track is already hitting it's stride. Much of Jennifer Hudson's lyrics are left in, which still work amazingly well around the new elements of this remix.

If you haven't heard the original yet, check it out here on Youtube.  The original is out and available on iTunes here. Watch for the Nicky Night Time Remix dropping on Neon Records February 27th. In the meantime, stream it right here.

- KJ

TCTS - Coupe De Ville

TCTS brings an interesting flavour to Deep House by incorporating an 80's hip hop vibe overtop of a deep, vibey instrumental. Coupe De Ville features a nice balance of chilled energy - the vibes feel just as good hitting you in the morning, afternoon or evening.  The vocal is laid down by Aniff Akinola, an addition that really seems to complete the track.

"It's easy to love when you ain't got bills to pay". Truly words we can all relate to.  Check out the track below, and watch for TCTS's Body EP dropping March 30th on Chase & Status' label MTA Records.

- KJ

David August - Her Myth

Just had to sneak one more track in for Mellow Monday - a really laid back David August track called Her Myth. Not much needs to be said about this one, it's just a spectacular, ambient, deep house track. This was released as a free download for reaching 100,000 likes on his Facebook artist page. If you know David August, you need no more introduction. If you don't know David August, get acquainted below.

- KJ

Soundpalette - MiST

I stumbled across this spectacular track on a late night perusal of Soundcloud, as I tend to do.  I was was doing some reading as my stream continued through, but this track made me drop what I was doing and go back to see just what this was. MiST features some really interesting guitar work layered over some heavy percussion as the feature point of the track. Later introducing some chopped vocals, everything flows together really nicely in what results in a strangely electrifying but chilled out instrumental.  

MiST was released as part of Soundpalette's Sentience EP, released on Future Beat Records and available for purchase via their bandcamp page.  You can pick this up along with the rest of the EP for as little as £1 or more.

And in case you missed our previous post on Soundpalette and need a little more, we're revisiting this awesome free download from a little while back, Questions.  Make sure you head to Soundpalette's Soundcloud page for much more.

- KJ

Friday Care Package - January 30th

- KJ

Le Youth - Touch

Summer vibes are coming at you in this track. The temperature here in Saskatchewan has been pretty warm recently, so what better way to match with the weather outside than to jam out to this spectacular track from Le Youth jam packed with rays of summer sunshine and good vibes. Clocking in at just under three and a half minutes, this is begging for an extended mix for those sunset sets that this type of feel good house track would meld into perfectly.  Le Youth just put this up on his SoundCloud page about a day ago, so this is about as fresh as they come.

The hook catches you right off the top of the track, building up into that oh-so-gentle feel-good drop at the one minute mark, with the vibe continuing throughout. This is going to be a huge track for the summer of 2015, I will be getting my grubby little DJ hands on it as soon as possible (so far no word on release?) and rinsing it in my sets for sure.

Check out the track that will make you feel like you're on the beach in January below:

- KJ

Pat Lok - All In My Head ft. Desirée Dawson

This one is a spectacular deep house track with great vocals courtesy of Desirée Dawson. All In My Head has all of the trappings of a pop influenced contemporary deep house track that is sure to have crossover value from house sets to the mainstream clubs and anywhere between. The higher keys give a nice melodo-percussive element, with the familiar future house style bassline. Desirée Dawson's vocals round out the track nicely.  Pat Lok was kind enough to put the track up in its entirety before release, so have a listen in the player below.

All In My Head will be released by Love & Other Records, but there is no set release date as of yet.  The UK iTunes store gives an expected release date of February 9th 2015

- KJ

NVOY - Going On

London deep house duo NVOY have done it again, putting out a fresh deep house track with their signature production style - deep synths with just the right percussion elements to still make the track bounce and slide simultaneously. This one was upped by XLR8R and is available for free download direct from their website.  Just hit the shopping cart icon in the player below to go to their post and pick it up.  This one has been out for about two weeks now, but it's the kind of track that will still be fresh for some time.

- KJ

Mark Johns - In Paris (Prod. Sable)

It's not often you hear a drastically different cover of Kanye West and Jay-Z that really makes you stop and say "Wow, what IS this?".  This is one of those rare tracks that makes you sit up and pay attention.  

An amazing cover by Mark Johns with production chops courtesy of Sable that is a drastic departure from the the original N***** In Paris by Kayne West and Jay-Z.  I hardly have words to describe this, other than amazing.  Have a listen for yourself, and pick it up for your collection, as this one is a completely free download! Hit the shopping cart in the player below to follow Mark Johns on Soundcloud to unlock the download.

- KJ

MORRT - All I Want

MORRT is an English producer that I have been watching for a while, and has put out some great music both free and paid. This is a great little disco-y house track, which isn't a huge surprise for a style given the vocal sample in his contribution to the Fat! Records compilation Fat! Tracks Vol. 1 1979 "In the beginning before house, before acid, techno, before all of that, we had disco". MORRT has obviously decided to bring back the disco vibe on his latest work All I Want, which is also available from his Soundcloud page as a free download.  If any doubt remains that MORRT is bringing the disco back, you may also want to check out his latest mix for Fat! Records right here - some great house and disco vibes.

Make sure to explore his Soundcloud here, which has several great tracks, as I said, both free and paid. Some of these have definitely made it into my DJ sets, but I can't do ALL the digital crate digging for you! In any case, check out his latest work, and pick up this disco house track for free by clicking the shopping cart icon on the player below.

- KJ

Kris Jones - Underground Sound Canada Guest Mix

If you're into listening to a DJ mix, I had a guest mix broadcast by Underground Sound Canada on their Mixlr channel this weekend.  Underground Sound has now published the mix to their Soundcloud page for streaming.  Big thanks to them for having me on the show!

Tracklist:

1. All I See (Pomo Remix) - Bondax
2. Golden (Royce Remix) - Jill Scott
3. I Loved You (Braxton Remix) - Blonde
4. Me, Myself & You (Cuthead Remix) - Detroit Swindle
5. We Own The Night (Hernene Remix) - Eric Sharp
6. Ghetto-Cash (Original Mix) - Joey Mccrilley
7. If You Can't (Original Mix) - Artifact
8. 1979 (Original Mix) - MORRT
9. Feels Like ft. Tom Tyler (Calippo Remix) - Don't Look Now
10. Rhythm Is A Dancer (Original Mix) - Joylon Petch, eSquire
11. It's On You (Ganzfeld Effect Remix) - Wasabi, Sugar Hill
12. Forget The Girl (Mandal & Forbes Remix) - Route 94
13. Real For You ft. Alice D (Original Mix) - Joey Mccrilley
14. U Again (Original Mix) - Elrose
15. Citrus (Original Mix) - Kry Wolf
16. The Panel (Original Mix) - Low Steppa
17. I Want It All (Loge21 Remix) - Karmin

Hope you enjoy!

- KJ

Sinead Harnett Ft. Snakehips - No Other Way

This one is a bit of a throwback, as it was released in August of 2014, but it is too fitting for a Mellow Monday post!  This soul gem from Sinead Harnett features some spectacular soothing and sexy vocals that play off the instrumental side of the track so well.  This is a joint collaboration with Snakehips, one of several that are available. The two acts work magic together, as evidenced by the spectacular music that comes from their multiple shared tracks.

The track is available from iTunes, so pick it up if you enjoy it!  And how couldn't you? 

This pairs well with the flip side collaboration, with Snakehips featuring Sinead Harnett - Days With You, which was also released back in August.  A little less mellow, but definitely not lacking in soul or quality.  Days with you is also available to pick up from iTunes here.

- KJ