Electric Feels: Your Weekly Electronic Music Recap
The best of the electronic world in the past week, including ZHU, Elderbrook, and a new collaborational project between Diplo and Mark Ronson.
Calvin Harris x Dua Lipa - One Kiss (ZHU Remix)
Earlier this year, Scottish house don Calvin Harris unveiled his attempt at the 'sound of the summer' (if you're in the US/UK anyway) with One Kiss, a spurring, funk-driven collaboration with pop-star-in-the-making Dua Lipa. After leaving the 90s-house-inspired anthem to simmer for a minute, we're now being treated to a bunch of official remixes of the track from electronic's big heavyweights, and although Jauz's remix a week or two ago definitely had its target audience, mysterious producer ZHU has definitely knocked it out the park with his rendition. ZHU's remix of One Kiss turns the banger level up a notch, fleshing out the house roots of the single and amplifying it with his own trademark layers of thick bass and driving synth. It's an absolute thumper, and if Calvin's original is suited for sun-stroked pool-side hangs, ZHU's remix is definitely for the sweaty nightclubs later that evening.
MUTO - Tessellating
With the Australian market firmly under his belt, Sydney's MUTO has his eyes set on international waters. He was one of the most-played acts on triple j last year with singles like the Emerson Leif-featuring Say Nothing (which was remixed by the Australia-bound Camelphat), was hand-picked by ODESZA to support their European album tour, and many of his past works, from Wildfire and Through The Fog to Purple Heart and This Girl, have whipped up a storm in Australia and pushed his name amongst the big leagues at the top. His new single Tessellating, his first in 2018, continues on where he left off, combining the shining vocals of guest collaborator Oliver Dibley with a bending, synth-heavy production that warps and twists in his classic, slightly left-field taste. It's the first taste of a huge seven-track EP to come later in the year (July 6, to be exact), which is bound to push the Sydney beat-maker further into acclaim as he strengthens the skills he's teased on his work thus far.
Silk City (Mark Ronson x Diplo) - Only Can Get Better feat. Daniel Merriweather
It's no secret that Diplo is a bit of a collaboration fiend. The long-time producer and DJ often collaborates with singers, rappers, and other producers on his own solo work (MØ, Lil Yachty, DRAM, Goldlink, Starrah and even Craig David have featured on his tracks over the past few years), and in 2016, was one of the biggest acts on the planet alongside Skrillex with his Jack Ü project, which collaborated with people like Justin Bieber and AlunaGeorge. There's also - of course - Major Lazer (formed with Jillionaire and Switch), LSD (his recently formed project with Sia and Labrinth) and now, Silk City, and a brand-new project with Mark Ronson launched with Only Can Get Better. Featuring Daniel Merriweather on vocals, Only Can Get Better signals a slightly more house-inclined sound for his latest venture, with Ronson and Diplo crafting this infectious, disco-shaded production which is easily one of the most infectious this year.
Sampology - Mt Glorious
Fun Fact: Sampology was one of - if not the - first electronic act I ever saw live, back when I was about 16 and trekked my way to Big Day Out to see The Killers/Vampire Weekend. Anyway, in addition to having an absolutely sick live audio-visual show back in the day, the Brisbane-based act is also a fantastic producer, and Mt Glorious is a single that cements this claim. Following on from his 2016 Natural Selections EP (which featured the super sick, funk-driven single Thicker Than Water as well as collabs with vocalists like Noah Slee), Mt Glorious is a single a bit more subdued in its execution, channelling names like Bonobo by crafting a single thick with percussive sampling, which sort-of drives the rest of the song's melodies and guides it through the single's highs and lows. There's a piano line in there, plus a four-piece (and all-female, may I add) string section and the lush vocals of Hannah Macklin too, which just add to complexities going on in Mt Glorious. He's setting out on tour this June/July in support of the single, find the deets HERE.
Elderbrook - Sleepwalking
Chances are you've already come across Elderbrook already. The British singer-songwriter released a seven-track EP Talking last year, but more recently, his collaboration with Camelphat, Cola, has been absolutely tearing it up basically everywhere. Sleepwalking is his first solo original in 2018 and it's the first taste of an upcoming larger project due later this year, teasing us with a delectable, house-flavoured groove and Elderbrook's whispering vocals which subtly hum over the top. It was written alongside Empire Of The Sun's Nick Littlemore, and it comes from some pretty dark inspiration according to the British musician: "When I write, I have a music video in my head and this song inspired dark scenes of the world coming to an end,” he says on the single. “It’s about how the world has changed through human influence, but in the end, we’re insignificant because the world will win. It’s almost apocalyptic.” Catch him at Splendour In The Grass this July or supporting The Wombats in Sydney/Melbourne for official sideshows.