Summer has got here. Finally. That means we can now go back to listening to the music we actually like, rather than the dreaded ’12 Hour Long Mozart Revision Mix’ that got us through the exams. In this regard, this article provides a list of 10 songs to get your summer started. They are in no particular order and cover a range of genres from Deep House to Nu Disco. I suppose it is something of a tour de force of new house music and its various offshoots. Most importantly, they all have a similar up-beat summer vibe, and sound best played loudly, outside, in the sun.
1) Moi Je – Fais Rien (Shaparder & LRX Remix)
The Belgian duo Shaparder & LRX have been around for the last year and in the depths of wintery December they released this remix of Moi Je. In true house style, they’ve pushed up the BPM, provided a catchy piano riff and a saxophone on top. It’s the perfect summer remix to follow exactly what the song suggests and ‘do nothing’.
2) Kygo – Firestone ft. Conrad (Alex Brandt’s Remix)
Continuing the saxophone theme, you can’t really miss out Alex Brandt. His ‘Saxual Edits’ of songs, despite their slightly cringe-worthy title, provide the ideal summer sound. Added to that, this is the first remix of a Kygo song I’ve really properly enjoyed. So if you’re hosting a BBQ, you could do a lot worse than sticking on his Soundcloud, in particular his remixes of Stolen Dance and Four Five Seconds are fantastic.
Summer 2013 saw the proper breakthrough of this branch of house music pioneered by the likes of Bakermat, Flicflac and Klingande. For more like this the list goes on and on, but here are a few of my favourites: Hotel Garuda, Gamper & Dadoni, Max Liese, Matt DiMona, Sam Feldt, Naxxos, Bit Funk and Tez Cadey.
3) Dallas Cotton – Sometime (feat. Brasstracks)
Released last month, ‘Sometime’ is yet another example of Brasstracks providing us with their wonderous mix of trumpets and horns with funk basslines. In the words of a trumpet-playing fan, which Brasstracks published on Facebook, Brasstracks are “pushing the instrument in ways that few groups have done since Miles [Davis]”. If you like this, also have a listen to the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
4) Oliver Nelson Ft. Heir – Found Your Love
When writing about house music, you can’t avoid Nu Disco. This is another genre that has emerged over the last few years and mixes modern house with disco of the 70s and 80s. Oliver Nelson is a huge name in this world and last month he released his first original which definitely lives up to expectations. If you like this, then give Tobtok and Dimitri from Paris a listen.
5) Galantis – Peanut Butter Jelly
Shifting the sound in a dance direction, on April 20th, as if they knew the post-exams season was about to begin, Galantis released their new single, ‘Peanut Butter Jelly’. It’s a follow up to their hits ‘Runaway (U & I)’ and ‘Gold Dust’ which provided their international breakthrough. Technically speaking, the song is nothing remarkable and also features an infamous airhorn before the drop. That said, in terms of providing a big house track that makes you want to dance, they’ve hit the nail on the head.
6) Michael Calfan – Treasured Soul (Original Mix)
A second dance track definitively worth a listen is ‘Treasured Soul’. Released back in December, the vocals and piano riff make this a delightfully simple Soul House track. For more Soul House, his ‘Treasured Tape’ Episodes on Soundcloud are excellent. Michael Calfan has been around for a while now and on June 29th, he’s releasing his new single ‘Mercy’, which judging by its online snippet, sounds pretty good.
7) SAINT WKND – Positive Vibe
Moving on to the world of Deep House- like many people I can find a lot of it quite repetitive and uninteresting. That said, I was a big fan of this when I first heard it. The punchy kick and synth give it a great futuristic sound and, well, a definitively positive vibe.
8) Basement Jaxx – Mermaid of Salinas
This world famous Brixton duo need no introduction. Since their beginnings in the early ‘90s they’ve branched into a variety of genres. Their latest album, ‘Junto’, came out last year and shows off their continual experimentation. ‘Mermaid of Salinas’ is my favourite track off the album and is some of the best Latin House you can find. Its carnival feel harks back to their days of ‘Bingo Bango’ and ‘Samba Magic’.
9) Whitney Houston – Fine (LeMarquis & FAB Remix)
Finally, this wouldn’t be a selection of new house music if it didn’t include some remixes of a few classics. So here are two highlights from the world of rebooted old songs, which I tend to find are either really good, or terrible. Whitney is continually remixed, edited and sampled and this track is gold. The choppy beat and bassy synth make it a great rework of a classic.
10) Craig David – Fill Me In (KREAM Remix)
Craig David is another artist that receives his fair share of remixes. KREAM gives you the chance to relive this R&B classic but in the form of a bouncy piano house track. For more like this, have a listen to DJOKO and Thom Bold.
Here is a link to this list as a Soundcloud playlist: https://soundcloud.com/tommcgivan/sets/summer-2015