Category: Music

[Trap] RL Grime – Reims


I first heard “Reims” when RL Grime performed it at Atlanta’s Shaky Beats Festival. Pounding rhythms, building bass and repeating harmonious screams compose this multi–from banger. “Reims” rests comfortably somewhere between trap, dance and IDM. Check it out above and check out more from RL Grime on his YouTube and SoundCloud.

[Dance/House:] Jauz & Crankdat – ID (I Hold Still) (Original Mix)

Jauz and Crankdat deliver a catchy dance/bass-house tune that energizes and uplifts with “ID (I Hold Still”


[Dance/House]

ID (I Hold Still) – Jauz & Crankdat

I (I, I –) I hold still, I hold still…

Jauz has been everywhere as of late. Dropping hits on Soundcloud, collaborating with many other DJs and producers and getting play from Rezz at Atlanta’s 2017 Shaky Beats Festival. 

Check out the dance-house collab between Jauz and producer Crankdat. “ID (I Hold Still)” is an energetic, yet chill ride through retro sped-up female vocal samples, a la “Retro City” of Adventure Club, but much more intricate and far less mainstream.

The bass and synths combine well for a charged dance-pop, almost trance single up until the drop where dirty and grimy bass combine rounding out the song’s trap/post-dubstep vibe. I may still be learning about boy-wonder DJ, Jauz, but I feel this is probably not the type of song he typically does, making I Hold Still all the more epic. I can only imagine hearing this live….

[Ambient Trap/Chill EDM] Lil Uzi Vert – XO TOUR Llif3 (Y2K Trap Remix) & Dysphoric Remix


XO Tour Llif3 (Y2K Trap Remix) – Lil’ Uzi Vert

Y2K delivers a great and satisfying remix of Lil’ Uzi Vert’s 2017 classic XO Tour Llif3. After attending the Shaky Beats Festival here in Atlanta, I had to search out and find the original song after The Chainsmokers dropped their own remix of it on Day 3 of the fest.

The original while deep and catchy, is not really dance-able, so naturally I had to find a remix that was. Y2K’s is the most noteworthy. 

Leaving most of the composition of the original intact, he adds a Western style riff in the beginning, a but more bass & trap snare, and hauntingly good effects over the chorus/hooks.

At Shaky Beats it was actually the Chainsmokers who dropped this song and remixed it. I will post it later and though their remix was epic it was more like a sample of the original over their own original trap production not a real remix like this one. Alas, this is the case in EDM often where you have remixes that fully incorporate the original with new sounds and remixes that “hint” at their source material but are basically an entirely new song.

Honorable Mention:

[Future House] Matthew Koma – Hard To Love (Tïesto Remix)

Tïesto delivers an absolutely stunning remix of Matthew Koma’s “Hard to Love.”


[Future House Pick]

Hard to Love (Tïesto Remix) – Matthew Koma

Tïesto does an amazing job remixing Matthew Koma‘s “Hard to Love” into quite the Future House banger. Adding to the feeling of the original Tïesto adds some nice futuristic synths and interesting bass lines creating a deep, reflective track.

Vocal effects accentuate powerful lyrics touching on themes of relationship anxiety. Koma absolutely delivers lyrically, as usual.

Tiësto’s remix of “Hard to Love” is a rather moving jam, ready for the hippest house lounges and dance clubs.

[Don’t Sleep:] [Hot Hip-Hop:] 6LACK (Black) – Free


6LACK – Free

Make sure you don’t sleep on this hot track from 6LACK. With a slow, tripped out beat and dark vocals the song is powerful, but calming. If you haven’t already, check out more from 6LACK, definitely one to look out for.

[Throwback] [Hip-Hop/Rap:] Cam’ron – Spend the Night (prod. Araabmuzik)


[Throwback Hip-Hop:]
Spend the Night by Cam’Ron
from Crime Pays (2009)

The clothes — from Italy
The coat — from Sicily
Im talkin’ — literally
(Woman): Come on now — stop kiddin’ me!!

One of my favorite tracks from the legendary Cam’Ron, one of the most unique and funniest rappers in the game.  In “Spend the Night” one of the bangers from his lowkey, underrated 2009 album, Crime Pays. Cam’Ron spits his signature flow, rhymes loaded with metaphors and puns over a Euro-trance / rave esque beat. Hark! To a time when things were better, when more music like this was coming out.

More throwback Cam’Ron:

[Throwback Jams] [Pop/Dance:] Utada Hikaru – Exodus ’04 (Double J Remix)

Today we are re-visiting an excellent remix of the iconic Utada Hikaru’s single “Exodus ’04”


Exodus ’04 (Double J Radio Mix)
Utada Hikaru

Through traffic jams and Tokyo
New music on the radio
We’ll say goodbye to the world we know…
this is our exodus, this is our exodus

Today’s throwback jam comes from Japanese American songstress, and Kingdom Hearts series soundtrack headliner, Utada Hikaru. This upbeat dance remix is a great re-work of her original “Exodus ’04,” a slow, but powerful pop ballad with Asian strings telling the story of Hikaru spending time living in both New York and Tokyo.

The lyrics are powerful and Utada is always an excellent vocalist. I recently blogged about a new remix of her most iconic song “Simple & Clean” the original theme song to Kingdom Hearts, that was released for the recent “2.8 Remake” on Playstation 4. Be sure to check out Utada’s Japanese and American albums for more.

Other notable songs:
Heart Station – Utada Hikaru [Japanese]
Hotel Lobby [English]
Kremlin Dusk [English]
Passion / Sanctuary [Passion is JPN, Sanctuary is ENG]
Easy Breezy [English]
Let Me Give You My Love (Prod. Timbaland) [English]