Usmev feat. Camilla Luna - A Reason To Dance (Bogota Records)

On the latest Bogota Records release, longtime label collaborator Usmev joins forces with vocalist Camilla Luna for an evocative two-tracker that also features an upfront remix by none other than Johnny Fiasco. A conservatory-trained pianist and guitarist, Usmev is no stranger to Bogota having appeared on the imprint’s debut release, ‘Themes’. Uruguayan-Norwegian vocalist Camilla Luna is known as one-half of Luna & Bazis on WahWah45s and vocalist for Trulz & Robin’s releases on Eskimo and Dance Disorder’s “Metallic Italic” (Bpitch Control). With “You’ll Find Your Reason To Dance” Camilla is heard for the first time on Bogota, accompanying the warm, deep house tones found in Usmev’s production. The sound is underground and somewhat cavernous, imagining hazy late nights and dreamy excursions. Camilla’s vocals are layered and effected, simultaneously soulful and enigmatic. The b-side, “Maybe This Is Love”, is a comparatively uptempo affair with a more refined drum track and vocal line in the midst of shimmering chords. Camilla’s vocal performance is especially intoxicating here. As a bonus, Chicago legend Johnny Fiasco is on board with another in his stream of masterfully club-primed remixes (and his second for Bogota Records). “You’ll Find Your Reason To Dance” is given extra momentum, as the bass line is moved the fore and the rhythm track gets a dose of Chi-town floor funk. These three cuts continue Bogota Records’ run of distinctive high-quality singles.

Mr. V (Sole Channel Music) – “Johnny kills it!”
Lee Guthrie (Click Therapy / Wiggle) – “Johnny Fiasco Remix all the way for me here.”
Satoshi Fumi (Outerspace radio show / Klik Records) – “Massive!”
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart) – “The original of ‘You’ll Find The Reason’ is very tasty.”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “I’ll play this for sure.”
Sumsusch (Colour and Pitch) – “Johnny Fiasco remix is lovely.”
Hard Ton (Toy Tronics) – “The original version is the one for me.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Great release. Very fresh.”
DJ Nova (Nova Planet Radio Show) – “Camilla Luna’s soulful vocals are giving a mutli-dimensional sound to the release, making it far from just a typical underground release.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Real) – “Solid mixes right through here. I’m liking the B side a lot too … great voice and vibe on this one! Sweet, moody and soulful.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Various Artists - Discordian Dreaming 8 (Harmonious Discord)

The Harmonious Discord label ceremonially introduces each year with a new installment of its Discordian Dreaming series, previewing what the label has in store over the coming months. This eighth edition features an abstract collage of sounds fitting for an evening of mindful expansion and dance floor excursions. Included are label mainstays Dorian, Onium, Tobor Rellik, and Josiah Fontenot plus appearances by new artists Triptique and Joshua Davidson alongside the return of legacy legend Litex. This set will offer a shine of interest to every tech-house collector.

Onium begins the release with dub laden saxophone serenade. Crisp percussion and tense atmospheres collide with dense melodies. Dorian resets with an afro-cuban-inspired percussive techno journey. A beautiful mixture of celebration and energy, “Run Run Run” is a full narrative told in music. Joshua Davidson makes his debut on the label with a pensive, deep tech-house performance. Warm accents roll through this cut and Josh shows that his talent for creating complex moods is polished. Josiah Fontenot follows with a non-typical linear techno composition. With a strong focus on character and warmth this tracky bicep beat continues to deliver. Dallas native Tobor Rellik moves us onto the dance floor with a plucky tech-house tune with automation into filthy territories. Triptique then provides a nightclub-favored alternative with hypnotic sweeps and Moroder-esque bass lines. HD001 artist Litex returns with a heavy and driving track that flows into spacey progressive territory but stays crisp with technique.

Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance Records) – “I really like Joshua Davidson’s “Hue”. Deliciously different.”
Atish (Desert Hearts) – “Some really nice sounds in this package.”
lar3n (Noir Sessions) – “Solid EP with great tracks. It’s difficult to chow the best one, however Hue is the one that stands out for me.”
Dubinski (Opossum Recordings) – “Very nice and versatile package. I especially like the dubby vibe of Onium’s “Held Tight”, but will surely play others in here.”
Michael Sarafini (Gramaphone Records) – “Dorian – Run Run Run is a solid, melodic track.”
Al Mackenzie (Great Outdoors) – “Dorian’s track is ace!”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Impressive showing of variety and creative talent.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Very hot release. Every track is quality. Onium – Held Tight is particularly awesome.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Sounding brilliant!”
Jon Fugler (Fluke) – “Tricky to choose a favorite from a compilation of this quality. Loving all the techy tracks, and Inner Malfunction reminds me of a previous life … very cool. Held Tight is my immediate fave.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, AND Spotify.

Danced Til Midnight - She Can't Love You (Thylacine Sounds)

Led by producer and DJ Andy Anderson, the London-based outfit Danced Til Midnight unleashes their latest single “She Can’t Love You” via the Thylacine Sounds imprint. With a love of all things funky, Danced Til Midnight embark on a musical mission to create something truly unique: electronic sun-drenched grooves with clear undertones of eras gone past. “She Can’t Love You” delivers on the promise with smooth, soulful vocals from Iljeoma and an abundance of attitude, propelled by provocative, somewhat cheeky vocals sitting beautifully over tough, funky rhythms and retro Arp synth lines. The full length version of the song is especially tailor-made for the dance floor, as its inimitable groove is supercharged with a solid kick and tons of nightclub funk.

Speaking of ‘old school’, Danced Til Midnight are joined by the legendary Egyptian Lover who supplies a body-shaking remix that gives a bright nod to electro’s ’80s origins. The vocal sits comfortably in these new shoes, providing a classic-tinged alternative glance at this killer tune.

Danced Til Midnight host regular Friday night guest spots on the uber-cool Soho Radio, plus their summer 2016 release – “More of Love” – boasted a remix by kings of disco Faze Action and netted a solid 9/10 score from the mighty Mixmag and coveted approval from seminal online authority Data Transmission.

This is one outfit who will keep us dancing way past our bedtime into 2017.

DJ Icey (Sirius XM Radio Mix Show) – “I like the Maxx E tune, and Egyptian Love did his thang!”
Hollis P Monroe (Renaissance Infinity) – “Maxx E is quite cool.”
Scratch-D (Dynamix II) - “The Egyptian Lover Mix and edit are very nice! That guy is the real thing for sure!”
Enne (Electunes) – “Maxx E is for me.”
Graeme Park (The Graeme Park Radio Show) – “Highly appealing and utterly refreshing.”
DJ Craig C (Peace Bisquit) – “I love the vocal on this, and the Egyptian Lover mix is great!”
Pointbender (Harmonious Discord) – “Party Jam!”
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang) – “Outstanding and unique release, nice one.”
Tobin Ellsworth (Pink Mammoth) – “That’s a funky record!”
Jamie Topham (Summer Soulstice) – “Love it! Great to hear Ijeoma’s sweet tones on these tracks too.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Junodownload, iTunes, And Spotify.

Vinny Villbass - Moneymaker (Beatservice Records)

Vinny Villbass is one of the long time driving forces behind the Norwegian club scene. In addition to an extensive list of club nights and house parties on his conscience, he is 1/3 of the crew behind the renowned Oslo club night Sunkissed and initiator of the Norwegian web-portal OsloClubCast, building ties between the clubs, DJs, and producers of Oslo. As DJ, Vinny Villbass is known for his exceptional groove and timing as a result of 15 years behind the decks, mostly in Scandinavia, but also as a resident in German club capitol Berlin as well as New York City. His musical experience also reaches far beyond his DJ and vinyl junkie exploits. As guitar and synth player in diskJokkeBand and a master of acoustics, Vinny Villbass’s production skills front his very own trademark sound of house music. In addition to releases on labels such as Eskimo Recordings, Trunkfunk, and Afro Art, Villbass has a long history of remixing. Lately he has been remixing Norwegian bands as diversions from his daily studio focus, collected on the Diversions remix-compilation from last year.

“Moneymaker” was one of the standout tracks on Beatservice Records’recent Prima Norsk 4 compilation. This slinky house groover with vocals from the King Midas singer Ando is tailor-made for late night action, featuring shimmying synth melodies and a sublime touch of indie-dance appeal. An instrumental is provided for the DJs, as well as as Villbass’s own Fullt Askebeger Dub which is basically a headier, spacier rework of the original. The single closes with a deliciously meaty remix from Berlin’s Perel (Mile End Records), filled with pulsing bass motions and big, retro-style drums conspiring with the vocal to produce an underground dance treasure.

Vegard / Of Norway (Connaisseur Recordings) – “Vinny is cool as ice!”
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle) – “Love the quirky grooves!”
Makossa (Makossa & Megablast) – “Solid stuff.”
Tuomas Salmela (Phonogenic) (Moodmusic / Turbo) – “The Perel Remix is really sweet.”
Iain Rejekt (Rejekt Music / Sankeys) – “The original is ace!”
Simon Fknhndsm (Funkþátturinn + Partyzone Radio Shows – Reykjavík) - “I really love Vinny’s work. Full Support!”
Ulysses (Neurotic Drum Band) – “The original is catchy, but the Dub is my favorite.”
HighTower (JELEWA.de) – “For today the Dub Version is my favorite. Full support.”
Jon Wesley (Music Goes On Radio Show) – “This release is great! I love the indie/ new wave vibe and I hope to hear more music like this in the near future. I love the vocal and the alternate versions. I'll play all three of them together in a set - which is rare. I'll be playing these tunes for a long time.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show / Fluke) – “Lovely selection of mixes here. Fullt Askebeger only just pips the others into pole. Loving the hypnotic grooves on all of them, something for everyone style wise, will definitely support.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, And Spotify.