Jai Paul – BTSTU

Even though the Wikipedia page identifies Jai Paul as a Pop artist, there is no doubt that he is an amazing electronic producer and instrumentalist. He has managed to set new benchmarks as to what an artist can do and the BTSTU track is no different. Benefiting from a sophisticated pulsating trance beat and lyrics that are easy on the ears.

Lorde x Flume – Tennis Court (Flume Remix)

This is such a good remix it’s no wonder it’s nearing 380,000 plays on soundcloud within 18 hours of being posted. The combination of Lorde’s crisp and controlled vocals with Flume’s wavering synths which build and fall throughout the duration of the track, makes for a remix which captivates you completely from start to finish.

Iggy Azalea – Fancy

Fancy is pretty much like every other Iggy Azalea song in that it’s got a relatively basic beat but it’s catchy as hell. On top of that it’s got a contagious hook featuring Charli XCX (who’s actually a home-grown artist) which some have highlighted the likeness to Gwen Stefani of, that’s got me reminding everyone around me just how fancy I am every five-minutes. Though a base synthesizer isn’t anything new musically it sets up a repetitive, simple and smooth bass line that is layered only by a fractured hip-hop drum beat, rhythmic claps and chants which makes it both an easy listen and available for the club-scene to manipulate and remix as many times as they’d like to. But it’s also dancey enough that the original would still get a room moving any day of the week. Iggy’s rhymes are confident and sassy but not arrogant enough to make you feel uncomfortable listening to, so it’s clear that 2014 could be Iggy’s year as she steps up her game and prepares for the release of her debut album ‘The New Classic’.

7.5/10

The Hood Internet – Higher Greens (Schoolboy Q x Just Blaze & Baauer)

The Hood Internet have been conjuring up some great new remixes recently, and this combination of ‘Collared Greens’ from Schoolboy Q and ‘Higher’, by Just Blaze, Baauer and Jay Z, is no exception. Taking the understated and subtle ‘Collared Greens’, featuring Kendrick Lamar, and turning it into a trap-rave style track, complete with ridiculously heavy synths and builds, in a trademark Just Blaze style, The Hood Internet manage to combine the two tracks perfectly, with the drops matching exactly to pauses in the verses, and the bass scrubbing over the hook emphasizing different parts of the track to the original. A much heavier version than the one featured on the recently released ‘Oxymoron’, but one that still highlights Schoolboy Q’s talent, never letting the production overshadow him.

8.5/10

Tinashe ft Schoolboy Q – 2 On (TOKiMONSTA remix)

The original version of ‘2 On’ is stripped back and focuses mainly on Tinashe’s vocals with a minimalistic beat and subtle violin accents, while the TOKiMONSTA remix twists the track into something thicker and more energised. The vocals remain the main element of the track, but these are complemented brilliantly by drums and piano riffs, as well as synths and a bassline which works brilliantly with the slicing up of the vocals at the chorus. Apart from this, the vocals are pretty much left alone (Schoolboy Q’s verse remains untouched, just with some added synths). The layering of the whole track is so spot on – building throughout and serving to morph the track into something which still sounds as sultry and polished as the original, but with a more uplifting twist.

9.5/10

Darius – Hot Hands

‘Hot Hands’ is taken from Darius’ EP “Romance” which came out in February of this year. The most notable thing about the track is the initial beat, which is simple enough that its not overpowering, but effective enough that its the driving force behind the track for its duration. The simple yet smouldering hook is repeated throughout the song, and seeing as the majority of it is made up of only two words, Darius manages to keep the track engaging by mixing up the synths, with moments which effectively break off the beat completely, combining just the ethreal vocals and the bassline. The entire track is understated and it never pushes the boundaries too far, instead remaining minimalistic and slick, but never at all boring.

9.5/10

Stromae- Merci

It’s not commonly known that our beloved Stromae was a rapper before becoming famous for his EDM-fuelled hip-hop tracks. However this one, as one of our favourite tracks, just goes to show the evolution of an artist. This track has an astonishing French House beat that can be compared to those of Kavinsky and Daft Punk, showing this 29 year old rapper has made a journey through rap, into rap with Eurodance influences and now admirable French House tracks. We love these little instrumentals in albums that just go to show the broad range of the artist’s abilities. The track sells itself and we don’t need to say much about it other than he perfects the fusion of Eurodance, French House and Ethereal Wave. He is truly the maeStro…

8.5/10