Dancing Astronaut’s Top 10 tracks of May 2014
Dancing Astronaut's Top 10 Tracks of May 2014
Want an easy way to make sure you’re up to date on all the latest, best music? Dancing Astronaut takes a look at the top 10 tracks officially released in May and ranks them based on a combination of reader feedback, track quality, editorial preference & critical reception.
Dancing Astronaut wraps up May for you with another edition of our top 10 tracks of the month. April’s list features massive tracks from reader favorites Nero, Porter Robinson, and Deadmau5. Not to be missed are also fantastic efforts from Joris Voorn, Chocolate Puma, and Sharam.
10. Sluggers - Courtesy (Original Mix)
Peddlers of the freshest club cuts in recent memory, Miami’s Sluggers join the Fool’s Gold Clubhouse for a two-track exercise is jacking house and ripping techno. Curators of a nearly indescribable sound, Sluggers have made a name for themselves by blurring genres like few before them. Funky enough for big rooms and gritty enough for dark warehouses, the duo’s latest pressing features “Courtesy,” a track that pairs a hip hop topline with sawblades of ripping techno and the morse-code squeaks of “HYPR,” another funk-focused cut that serves up it’s groove in a space-age soup of lasers and filter cuts.
9. Marcus Schossow & Arston - The Universe (Original Mix)
True to Schossow’s own practiced taste for the melodic and as premiered during his guest mix for Steve Angello’s Residency show on Radio One, “The Universe” is a new-meets-established arrangement of the highest caliber. Giving the big room sound an uplifting undercut and straddling hallmarks of the genre’s more progressive remits, the collaboration with Arston shows that Revealed isn’t just out to dominate the festival circuit here in 2014, spotlighting two European talents with more capacity to bring the emotional edge back to the modern market than anyone else on the beat right now.
8. Sharam - Tripi (feat. Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
Sharam and Dubfire resurrected a legacy this spring with the return of Deep Dish. Between an Essential Mix and a live reunion in Miami, even more unfolded for their respected territory. Take “Tripi” for instance, Sharam’s newest solo record. Making initial ripples in both the aforementioned BBC broadcast and WMC showcase, the longstanding veteran’s newest work shines in more areas than a few, coming as a unique collaboration with the British rock and jazz group of the 80s, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Lead by the legendary keyboard player Manfred Mann, the joint effort has the band’s soulful instrumentation seeping through tech house chapters written by Sharam.
7. Chocolate Puma - Rubberband Lazer (Original Mix)
For Chocolate Puma, a duo with more than 20-years as a duo under their belt, “Rubberband Lazer” plays with unconventional energy into the burgeoning appetite for house music without nodding to the conventions of the big room. Fierce bass maneuvers and those well-formed grooves spell another home run from the duo, one as infectious as that of earlier Mixmash offering “Step Back” and as indicative of their relentless stance on the modern industry as ever before.
6. Rina Mushonga - Eastern Highlands (Joris Voorn Remix)
For those needing a soothing melody to help ease May through, Joris Voorn had all bases covered with his extended remix for Rina Mushonga’s “Eastern Highlands.” The track progresses through nine minutes of breezy guitar riffs floating atop elegant vocals with a hint of tropical percussion. The Dutch producer is known for his intricate reworks of tracks like “Don’t You Worry Child” and “Video Games” which blend his unique musicality with the original production. Once again, Joris proves that authentic progressive house has not been lost within the dance music craze.
5. Third Party - Everyday Of My Life (Original Club Mix)
Sparing big room couplet Third Party have had no problem holding their corner in spite of a close-fisted studio output of late. The track cuts to the rare balance of melodic composure and emotive edge that has seen the duo rise with unparalleled consistency since their label debut “Release” back in 2010. Building around an immediately infectious vocal hook, the apex of “Everyday of my Life” shows one of Size’s most consistent contenders back in the drivers seat for an irreplaceable anthem to the summer season ahead.
4. Cazzette - Sleepless (feat. The High)
Cazzette have nearly trademarked a signature sound from their earliest production days through their three-part Eject album. That quirky, electro-dub, Cazzette sound is being put on hold for the Swedish duo’s newest single. “Sleepless” is a surprising effort from the AtNight militants, with their previously-usual antics ditched for an all new sound, one that hits a few notches deeper. Finding a perfect balance somewhere between a commercially-inclined deep house sound and vocals (both looped and sampled) reminiscent of something out of Daft Punk’s playbook, “Sleepless” is an instant favorite among listeners old and new, along with the modern dance audience.
3. Porter Robinson - Sad Machine (Original Mix)
Following “Sea Of Voices,” Porter Robinson has unveiled the second single from Worlds this month. “Sad Machine” begins with a blissful counterpoint melody, welcoming us into its depths with enchanting pads and non-overbearing drums. The breakdown that ensues creates a magical, fairytale-like ambience thanks to its bubbling arpeggio and euphony of voices. As the energy resurges, the vibe is once again celebratory, before taking a more mystical turn through a deftly executed bridge. By the time the fleeting arps and pads descend into silence, we’re left breathless and starry-eyed by the beauty of the composition
2. Nero - Satisfy (Original Mix)
Debuted on Zane Lowe’s BBC1 Radio Show, the first original release off Nero’s forthcoming sophomore effort re-introduces fans to Alana Watson’s gorgeous vocals and true unadulterated electronica. Reviving their old stylistic cues, “Satisfy” captures the true essence of the Nero aesthetic, propelling itself forward as a heaping mass of greyscale synthesis and wisp-like vocals that demolish anything unlucky enough to be in its path.
1. Deadmau5 - Seeya (feat. Colleen D'Agostino)
Just a few weeks away from the official release, Deadmau5 spoke with Zane Lowe in regards to his new album. “It’s a bit of a departure,” Joel explains about “Seeya,” moments before teasing his second song of his upcoming 25-track double LP release to come. For those familiar with the Mau5′s previous discography, a ‘departure’ it is indeed as “Seeya” blossoms with an atypical melodic touch in the form of Colleen D’Agostino’s vocal lifts. Simply put, Joel has found a sound and trend of the future with this single, and it is due to become of the year’s most celebrated hits.