You Should Stay With Me

Last night was an odd night. I believe now that I was already getting sick because I woke up not feeling well and that feeling has deepened all day. I hope I'm okay because this is not following the usual trajectory of a cold or flu. I need to get in better health ASAP. God is really weighing this heavily on my heart. Anywho, while up unable to sleep last night, I found this amazing tech house gem by British DJ and producer Chris Lake with vocals by his wife Gita. It is titled "Stay With Me". It possesses an catchy beat and yet a haunting and longing quality and with very sexy and sexual lyrics. The backstory to this song is rather cool and deserves reading about HERE along with the lyrics which are mostly correct.

Kaleida is Killing Me

Last year while house-sitting for my friend Dennis Judd, I watched his premium TV and saw this movie called John Wick 2 which movie franchise was just below my radar. I probably at some point saw or heard mention of it but nothing registered and my interest was nil. I ended up watching this movie in rapt attention and was hooked. I have since watched the first installment, to wit John Wick, and own them both on disc. In a week's time from tonight John Wick 3 comes out in theaters. I already have plans to watch it the evening of May 20th with a friend. What I love about these movies is actor Keanu Reeves' realism as the eponymous in his gun play and martial arts which was developed through exhaustive dedication to training and practice on his part, not relying on stunt doubles. Also, I am struck by the visually-stunning stylism of the indoor sets and outdoor set pieces and club scenes and highly-stylized violence which at times almost possesses a certain beauty despite it's almost kabuki-like predictability at times.

Below is a good audio version of my favorite song from the movie franchise (and undoubtedly the most memorable song from the franchise) which is "Think" by British electropop band Kaleida in their first hit and from their first album. The song immediately grabbed my attention the first time I heard it during a sequence in John Wick 2 in which he cuts a swath of death through a night club filled with henchmen adversaries). The editors sequenced the beats of the song with kills by Wick with the implication being the singer is speaking the words as John Wick's late wife speaking to him as he greaves for her. Below this player are the lyrics and below that is another player featuring the song played in sequence with movie as it appears in the movie but with the song audio enhanced relative to how it sounded in the movie for easier listening here.

Go ahead, take me down now.

Give me what you don't know

Go ahead, take me all down now.

Get this, get this into your game.

You got me in a heading drop

I never wanna come off

You got me with your beat of love

I never wanna come out.

Think of me, I'll never break your heart.

Think of me, you're always in the dark.

I hate your love, your love, your love.

Think of me, you're never in the dark.

Now that I'm making this all up

Let me let me let me into your know.

You got me in your open hand

I never wanna come back

How do we let you never found?

You know it's gonna come out.

Think of me, I'll never break your heart.

Think of me, you're always in the dark.

I hate your love, your love, your love.

Think of me, you're never in the dark.

Think of me, I'll never break your heart.

Think of me, you're always in the dark.

I hate your love, your love, your love.

Think of me, you're never in the dark.

Think of me, I'll never break your heart.

Think of me, you're always in the dark.

I hate your love, your love, your love.

Think of me, you're never in the dark.

No Trace Is No Slouch

Late last year, while exploring Youtube for new electronica gems, I chanced upon this phenomenal Middle Eastern-steeped deep house track entitled "No Trace" by Brooklyn-based Bedouin. It was the second track in an equally remarkable deep house mix entitled "Cafe De Anatolia (Deep House Selection 4)" which in turn was compiled by Cafe De Anatolia. This makes for great chill-out background music as well as is best listened to nocturnally.

Snowflakes Is No Snowflake

Yesterday, quite by accident, I found this most aurally sumptuous, haunting, dreamy and atmospheric track that is an amazing example of apparently yet another subgenre of electronica that has heretofore never appeared on this blog until now, to wit, bass & drums. It is titled "Snowflakes" and was released in 2011 by Teutonic husband & wife dynamic duo Rawtekk. Youtube deejay Suicide Sheep, one of my all-time faves, posted it on his channel accompanied by scenes from the 2007 anime film 5 Centimeters Per Second to which is not in any way related and yet strangely fits well with.

Awakened To 6am

Tonight while taking a brief patrol stroll through just a tiny bit of Youtube in search of notable electronica tracks, I came upon this trance gem entitled "6am" by Cressida remixed by the German trance collaboration of Kyau & Albert. Pump up your speakers and enjoy!

Why Go? I Know!

I have loved Faithless since I first heard their eclectic electronica hybrid of house and trance back in 2001. Here is one of their gems I discovered only in recent years from their first compilation album back in 2005. They had previously released this song as sung by Boy George in 1998, but this version is better with vocals by Estelle. The theme/plot of the accompanying music is also rather charming to go along with the catchy tune this song is.

The Right Elements

Tonight I discovered this gem of progressive house and am happy to have something new with which to get my groove on. "Elements" by German progressive house artist Dinka was released on February 19, 2010, so I'm only 5-1/2 years late finding this simple but exquisite track.

I Can Fly With This

I'm not sure why I have not shared this here before but here is Daniel Kandi's "mashup"/remix of Oceanlab's "If I Could Fly On The Surface." This trance track really gets started at the 1:14 mark and goosebump central begins at the 2:42 mark. Enjoy your eargasms from this gem of aural sex.

I'm Nowhere Nowadays

I had heard "Nowhere" by Mango previously in a mix but lost track of it. Tonight I found it quite by accident and as a stand-alone track. Here is it in all its progressive trance glory...and excellent example of why progressive trance is my musical home at present as it best translates how I feel at this point in my life.

Lonely Tonight

I just discovered "Lonely Tonight" by Inva (released earlier this year) while goofing around on Youtube right before heading to bed. It's a great progressive house track combined with an amazing visual tour of Southeast Asia, Thailand in particular. I know nothing about Inva but according to the comments to this video on Youtube, it is derivative of Andy van Kayne's "In The Name of Love" HERE which is also goosebump-inducing although I'm unconvinced of the connection at this point.
*Note: updated 1/21/2018

Heaven in Sound - An Ending (Ascent)

One of my favorite music genres is that first coined by Brian Eno as ambient music. Indeed there is none other luminary in that genre brighter than Eno who did not invent it but arguably popularized it and helped bring it into the fold of electronica music. His most beautiful and perhaps most famous piece or as he called them, "treatments", is "An Ending (Ascent)" from his 1983 studio album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. To me this "treatment" comes closer to Heaven on Earth than any intentionally organized grouping of sounds I have ever heard to this point in my life. Upon hearing it I always am overwhelmed with such a complex rush of emotions from euphoria to melancholy, afterglow to loneliness, inspiration to desolation. Watch it and tell me what you think?