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Download: Beacon "Drive (No Regular Play Remix)"

First Listen

Brooklyn duo Beacon (pictured above) just released the melancholy The Ways We Separate album via Ghostly, and are following it up by sharing a pulsating house remix of album track "Drive" from fellow Brooklynites No Regular Play. This new version of the R&B-tinged tune leaves the original track's yearning vocals and minor-key atmospherics fairly intact, but the addition of a restrained and steady 4/4—not to mention a slick, understated sax melody—is welcome. 

Average: 7.5 (41 votes)
 
 

Download: Plaza "Fish Water"

First Listen

To celebrate the recent release of his debut record under the Plaza moniker, SF producer Johan Churchill has offered up a robust tune full of sweet synth licks, funky basslines, and fresh, evolving rhythms. Aptly self-described as "electro-lounge" music, the "Fish Water" groove showcases Churchill's production chops with his crafty synthesizer use, often creating crisp and interesting timbres despite relying on the aforementioned instrument for most of the recording's melodic sounds. The pace of Plaza's unreleased production is rather quick, and the fact that it's still danceable despite its sharp turns is a testament to Churchill's talents. Plaza's debut LP Flip Phone is out now via Sound Boutique.  

Average: 8 (23 votes)
 
 

Download: DakotaBones "Samurai"

Fractured boogie producer DakotaBones (a.k.a. Benjamin Christensen) is a Detroit-based newcomer whose "Samurai" tune is more than happy to makes its influences known. Holding a steady groove at the tune's outset and brandishing every corner with slowed-down disco touches and SoCal-touched synth swells, this isn't the deepest of cuts, but it's not meant to be. Christensen seems to approach "Samurai" with his tongue firmly in cheek—the obligatory samurai sample pops up for barely a second—building a lighthearted tune meant to be funky, make the listener smile, and that's about it. Still, DakotaBones' sounds go deeper: He recently released his first full-length effort, Ø (artwork above), via the MJ MJ imprint, which is a decidedly more experimental project than the playful chops heard on "Samurai." 

Average: 5.7 (14 votes)
 
 

Download: Heartbeat(s) "(We) Knew All Along"
Label: 1080p

Ex-LOL Boys member Markus Garcia has been drip-feeding new material via SoundCloud since the duo announced an indefinite hiatus over seven months ago, but now, the Vancouver-based producer has announced his first official solo release as Heartbeat(s), an album called Home Remedies. Lifted from that offering, "(We) Knew All Along" is a dancefloor-focused house number, with melancholy chords and hazy vocals (allegedly a duet of Garcia and a friend recording over Skype) balancing the hardware-driven track's emotive core. Heartbeat(s)'s debut release is out today via the brand-new, tape-only imprint 1080p. 

Average: 7.6 (43 votes)
 
 

Download: Deepchild "Modern Love"
Label: Adjunct

Sporting a moniker like Deepchild, the Berlin-based producer could have pitched himself into a tight corner, but as he so eloquently showed on last year's Neukölln Burning LP, the man has had no trouble finding new ways to explore the dark and dense side of techno. "Modern Love" only reinforces that point, pushing a mechanical rhythm through layers of textural synths and a bassline that sinks into subterranean territory. Deepchild's "Modern Love" is one of 10 new tracks which make up the new For Every Moment Of Triumph: Volume Three compilation, out on June 25 via Adjunct and mixed by the trustworthy hands of LA-based selctor [a]pendics.shuffle.  

Average: 8 (39 votes)
 
 

Download: Look Like "Radio Lova"

From his recently released, self-titled record, Swiss producer Look Like has shared a solid, instrumental groove that frequently forays into synthlines which reveal a taste for '80s-era pop sounds. The tune can also be heard as an homage to the radios which pushed that kind of bygone music, as the aptly titled "Radio Lova" is scattered with static hiss and what can be interpreted as interference from neighboring stations. While those FX could have easily been implemented just for novelty's sake, they work well here, and blend with the track's uplifting foundation to form a tune that will certainly induce plenty of nostalgia for those who remember when radio was a bigger influence on the music world. 

Average: 8.1 (37 votes)
 
 

Download: Saux "Show You The Light"

Bobby Caldwell's voice has been sampled quite a bit over the years—specifically, his track "Open Your Eyes" was given new life after Common implemented a piece of the recording for his Grammy-nominated "The Light." Following the release of his latest acclaimed EP, young Dutch producer Saux (a.k.a. Jurian van deer Hoeven) has sampled the same tune for "Show You the Light," albeit quite differently. In addition to layering Caldwell's vocals to create multiple pitched-shifted harmonies, Saux adds a heap of warm ambience, classic Rhodes piano, and slightly unconventional rhythms which work well with the distinct vocals. With "Show You the Light," van deer Hoeven has effectively proven the staying power of Caldwell's voice while simultaneously showing off his own tasteful production chops. 

Average: 7.8 (26 votes)
 
 

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