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.

Bidding Auf Wiedersehen

God it has been a long time since I shared any of my favorite music in this space! This haunting yet uplifting progressive house track "Auf Wiedersehen" by up & coming Zimbabwean progressive house master Alex Humberstone a.k.a. "Alex H." This music gives me hope for the future of electronica generally despite its growing commerical success and mainstream popularity as well as validates my shift of musical homes from progressive trance music to progressive house music.

A Great Last Breath

Two minutes into this 2014 modern progressive house gem by Polish deejay Matt Eray (Mateusz Szadziun) and Russian-Canadian Serei Kanev entitled "The Last Breath" comes alive.

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.

Flies Better Than A Pterodactyl

Last night at Schooners Wharf Restaurant & Bar near the end of their annual July 4th party, employee Kat acting as their in-house deejay played this tune which got the whole house dancing like no other track played all night. I was infected by it myself but managed to avoid dancing except inside my mind. I had to know what this track was called and by whom so I ascended to the second story and tracked down Kat who was on the roof which by this point acted as stage for Kat deejaying and periodic go-go dancing. I learned from her assistant who was playing it off his iPhone that it was "Flight Of The Pterodactyl" by Dirtybird BBQ-co-founder Christian Martin & Iranian-American producer Ardalan, this being the first sampling ever on this blog of yet another subgenre of electronica called "tech-house." I may need to check out more techno-house this summer and see how many more tracks of this quality can be found. A better audio sampling of this track can be heard HERE.

Criminally Good Vibes

I have not shared new music in this space in quite a number of weeks. I'm breaking that drought in grand fashion. I discovered this 2009 progressive house remix of Italian electonica duo Criminal Vibes' 2009 track "Caribe" remixed by Italian deejay Matteo Marini. It keeps growing on me to the point I am now currently obsessed with it. And yes, that unusual instrument you hear being used is an actual mandolin in an actual progressive house track... who knew that could work so well?!
Note: the image in the video is Natural Bridges State Beach near Santa Cruz, CA. 

Never Enough of Never Enough

Despite being rather long, this Chocolate Puma remix is most definitely the best version of German house music producer Boris Dlugosch's 2001 track "Never Enough." I rediscovered it today while out driving while running errands listening to an old compilation double cd Party Time 2002 Continues Mix By DJ Escape. It is a sumptuous example of house music from the early 2000s house some rather hauntingly beautiful sections and some of the lyrics are really nice, too. Róisín_Murphy adds her strong yet beautifully inflected vocals to complete the package.

I Choose To Be Free

Today on my way to visit Loved One who is currently not living free, and in some respects I'm not, either, I realized "Be Free" by Live Element was playing and then and there I rediscovered it 15 years after finding it in the early 2000s when it was released in 2001 and I first encountered it in the 2002 mix cd Party Time 2002 Continuous Mix by DJ Escape. Back then, I liked the repetitive house music sound. Today, I liked what it actually says which although limited in words, emphasis through repetition the idea of "Be Free..... In Your Life.... Be Free" and "Open your mind.... and Be Free." Although this song is secular, I find a very Christian message potentially contained therein as God has called us to be free through Him and to not be a slave to anything.

Sun Sun Sun

Tonight per chance I rediscovered this progressive house gem which originally some time ago caught my attention enough that I bookmarked it. However, I then proceeded to forget about it until tonight when I noticed it amongst my many music bookmarks and on a lark clicked on it. Lithuanian electronica DJ/producers Kastis Torrau and Arnas D a.k.a. Arnas Dambrauskas remixed Caribou's quirky 2010 electro-pop track "Sun" transforming it into a track with a memorably awesome breakdown at the 1:32 mark. About 11 months ago I posted another progressive house gem from Kastis Torrau in collaboration with another DJ/producer HERE.

This Star Shines Bright

This trance track strikes me as being superbly suited for play at or near the start of a deejay set in order get club guests/concert attendees warmly welcomed and in the mood. I love this track once it really gets rolling which is at about the 1:20 mark and a big drop hits at about the 2:20 mark. I've been listening to this track lately on my Volvo's CD player in which I have Blank & Jones' 2004 album Monument in which this trance track "Stars Shine Bright" appears. I would argue this track could also be described as having a house music sound with some electro-funk elements. It is worth noting that Monument was one of the last music CD's I ever purchased before I went broke in the Great Recession and imposed emergency fiscal martial law upon myself in order to survive. Anywho, crank up your sound system and play this!

Progressive House At Its Best

This is an aurally sumptuous feast of amazing progressive house tracks, as compiled by Collin McLoughlin a.k.a. Mr. Suicide Sheep. Many of these tracks have already been featured on this blog. By all means listen nocturnally (or diurnally as you may prefer) as I am at this very moment in the midnight hour. Be sure to crank up your sound system!

Seawatching and Waiting

I am haunted by the poem displayed during the moody and brooding prelude segment of this Danish DeejayValentin-remixed progressive house track "Seawatcher" by Canadian artist Lessov (Kevin MacInnis). I desperately want to know the title and author of this work, but I am unable to find this informatino anywhere on the Internet thus far. If anybody can help me please chime in. I find the story hauntingly heart-wrenching, yet beautiful. I feel like there is something from this story essential to my character. Am I waiting for something that will never come and will have my heart broken?
*UPDATE: by this evening, a friend directed me to the answer to my question as author and title. Please read "Watching A Sea Story."

She stood alone on the wild sea shore 

Her Lover far away. 

Yet she watched and waited for his return 

Patiently day by day. 

O'er brow so fair 

Her soft dark hair 

Was tossed by the wind so wild 

And, her eyes so blue 

Scanned the Ocean's blue 

The year passed by, her soft dark eye 

Grew dim with watching long. 

Yet her heart's pure will was constant still, 

And her maiden love as strong. 

But she faded fast, and she died at last, 

Her watching all in vain. 

From the distant strand of a foreign land 

Her lover never came again.

Found Superman Lost

I just found this aurally sumptuous, but all too short gem of progressive house titled "Superman Lost" by Jewish deejay Matt Zo from his 2013 debut album "Damage Control." The track title refers to his earlier single "Superman" for which this newer track features some elements at one point. If you have been following this blog long and closely enough you know how much I like air raid siren sounds and this track features them beautifully and hauntingly. There are also some haunting Indian vocals.

I Told You So Tonight

Earlier this evening I worked a wedding at Avila Beach Golf Resort for over seven hours. I heard a lot of music I did not care for with some exceptions. The stuff I liked I had heard before such as Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue" which I may not have ever heard before in a wedding music mix until tonight so props to the deejay. One track in particular struck a chord with me and really stood out from everything else. I loved its dance-inducing house sound and jazzy coolness so much I felt compelled to amble over to the deejay and inquire as to the name of the song and artist. Here it is in all its funky, jazzy, house glory: "I Told You So" from the Album Burning Bright by Cameo Culture a.k.a. Dave Robertson out of Brooklyn, New York.

I'm Letting It All Out

I have not posted much modern contemporary electronica lately but I have been keeping this one around for awhile having for a time forgotten it until I rediscovered a bookmarked link to it. Enjoy this nice little gem of progressive house by Kap Slap (American Jared Lucas) featuring vocals by Angelika Vee entitled "Let It All Out" (original version HERE) remixed by LTN (Indonesian progressive house and progressive trance DJ Louis Tan whose been posted on this blog previously HERE). By the way, the accompanying video is a video visit to Iceland and features some spectacular scenery. 

Not Out of Reach For Me

I recently rediscovered this progressive house gem amongst my bookmarks and enjoyed it last night. I finally realize it always belonged on this blog and somehow I forgot about it after initially discovering it some time ago. In 2013, Alle Wagt a.k.a. Allen Watts hailing out of the Netherlands, created this wonderful track "Out of Reach" which is remixed here by Aussie deejay Thomas Hayes.

Into The Fire ~ Hear You Now

A few days ago while looking for "Moments," I also rediscovered this haunting track couplet "Into The Fire" by Geert Huinink under the alias of Noa Assembly which seems to seamlessly transition into and naturally go with "Hear You Now" by Frank Tomiczek under the alias DJ Hooligan. This couplet appears in Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise 3 mix album. "Into The Fire" is more of an ambient and/or chillout track whereas "Hear You Now" definitely fits in the musical taxonomies of both progressive house and progressive trance.

A Feel Good Track

My obsession with progressive house music and in particular the progressive house sound of DJ Hazen Beltagui of Alexandria, Egypt, continues since last I discussed music here. Here is my next favorite track from Beltagui.... "Feel Good" by Dezza and remixed by Beltagui. It really gets going at about the 1:40 mark! Listen to nocturnally with the speakers cranked up and be ready to non-self-consciously dance!

An Aurally Sumptuous Sweet Disposition

After not finding much new amazing electronic music of note for a number of months I have hit a new mother lode.... it is Egyptian progressive house DJ Hazem Beltagui. Here he remixed Australian band Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" of which the video of the original track can be viewed HERE. I typically prefer a female voice to any vocals in my electronic dance music, but the falsetto of vocalist Dougi Mandagi can be goose bump-inducing sans remix but in Beltaqui's remix it sounds angelic. For those who foolishly believe all Arabs are Muslims or all Muslims are extremists, and thus cannot contribute anything to the collective civilization of the modern world, all I can say is this Arab DJ's sound is the bomb! He is in my view the most exciting DJ I have heard in quite some time and I will be following him closely. Play this track with the sound turned up and give yourself permission to dance even if you must be alone if you are self-conscious. Also, this kind of music being rather essentially nocturnal is best enjoyed after dark in my opinion. The accompanying breathtaking time-lapse videography is a most effective paring with this track. Enjoy!

Ice Rain Is Cool And Hot

As I stated in a previous post this week, I find my primary musical home to be in the electronica sub-genre of progressive house and deep house. However, that is not to say I do not still derive great pleasure from listening to trance music, especially progressive trance and old school trance from the Golden Age of trance music in the 1990's. Below is one such track is the Solid Sleeps Cyber Rain Mix of "Ice Rain" by Alex Whitcombe And Big C which I have been listening to lately on my car stereo while playing Tiesto's 1998 Magik Earth: Far From Earth album. I love the psychedelic water graphics of the accompanying music video which together really capture the culture of the time. I missed out on it apart from starting to listen to the music in early 2001. During that period I found this sort of music and this song in particular healing to my mind and soul.