A Fresh Start To The Featured Music Of The Week Playlist

Our Featured Music Of The Week playlist our spotify coming back in full swing, but revamped and with a fresh new take! Updated weekly along with an article on the feature new songs, the vibe is for all of the people who like all of the music. The first 5 new songs being added to the playlist feature artists such as Ravyn Lenae, PENDANT, Karaboudjan, Djo, and Fred again.. Songs include sounds for dancing, reflecting deeply on life, daydreaming, and feeling sexy.

Xtasy (remix ft. Doechii) – Ravyn Lenae

Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae released a new version of her original song ‘Xtasy’ from critically acclaimed album Hypnos, one of the year’s most celebrated albums. Taking her album on the road to tour with Omar Apollo, it has a 23-date run kicking off October 22^nd. Hypnos earned her praise from Pitchfork who claimed the album as “revering the musical icons before her in ways that show just how ready she is for her own turn” when awarding it Best New Music. It features artists and producers such as Steve Lacy, KAYTRANADA, Smino, and more and remixes from artists like Doechii, up and coming pop culture pusher and multi-faceted entertainers.

Lenae’s soft and sultry angelic vocals create the perfect tone when paired with the suggestive romantic lyricism. It constructs the perfect dynamic that allows for the listener to be transported into an ethereal space full of loving, dancing, and all-around good energy. If you’re someone who’s love language is physical touch, then this song is for you. The mental imagery and energy this song gives off leaves a lot of room for the imagination to play with. Doechii’s verse adds the perfect break to switch the vibe up with a verse that gives off significant bad b*tch energy, energy that Doechii herself radiates.

Static Dream (BATHS remix) – PENDANT

Dj and Producer PENDANT drops a new EP with a fresh take of some of his personal classics – a remix EP if you will. The EP features remixes from artists like Jay Som, Air Ball, No Joy, ill peach, Contract, and more. Bath’s remix of popular song ‘Static Dream’, stands out among the rest. His original album that the remixes pull from is a blend of 90s house and rave sounds with hip-hop, shoegaze, and pop incorporations. Additionally, the original version of ‘Static Dream’ is one worth finding and adding to your playlist.

“I’ve been a Baths fan for well over a decade. I learned to program an MPD32 from watching dozens of videos of him performing live. Will has had a big impact on the way I make music, and this remix is no exception. I want to shake my ass and messy cry through this whole track.”

PENDANT

“PENDANT hits such a unique blend of sound in his music, I was drawn to it right when I first heard it. “Harp” has reference points I recognize but creates an entirely new cohesive whole. Had a thrill reworking one of my favorite tracks into a dirty, pushy dance number while holding onto all my favorite elements of the original.”

Baths

UPSIDE DOWN – Karaboudjan

“UPSIDE DOWN” is the second single to be released off Southern California based multi-instrumentalist Karaboudjan’s upcoming EP, due out later this year. After touring with artist Tycho for a few years, artist Billy Kim branched out to create his own musical ventures. After fully embracing the initial lockdown of the pandemic, Kim cranked out sound after sound, creating enough tracks for several different music projects in addition to Karaboudjan. Talk about gifted multitasking! This project, and the name Karaboudjan is a tribute to Kim’s late father who passed from Alzheimer’s during the midst of Kim’s career. In addition, it is a tribute to Kim’s youth, pulling influence from artist like Tame Impala, Radiohead, Animal Collective, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Beatles.

The single was self-produced by Karaboudjan and mixed/mastered by Stefan Mac (Young the Giant, Wallows). In the track the music is the star of the show. The electric soundscape of psychedelia and dreamy indie lay the perfect ground for melodic vocals to be softly folded and weaved into the song in perfect balance and harmony. When listening, you feel the embodiment of topics Karaboudjan touches on such as inner reflections, contemplation, and romanticizing life. Although the somber lyrics contrast the feel-good dance beat of the song, they feel as though they are exactly where they belong. They accurately capture the energy of the inside of the mind of the head-in-the-clouds daydreamer.

“I can’t ask myself

is this what I’m supposed to do

just hold me even closer

and bring me back to you”

Karaboudjan

Half Life – Djo

Djo (Joe Keery from Stranger Things) dropped their newest album ‘DECIDE’ shortly after dropping teaser single “Half Life”, and the responses were positively overwhelming. We already love Joe’s character (good ole Steve) in Stranger Things, so we already knew the talent was there. Now, he has just proved to the world that his talents aren’t limited to being behind a camera but extends to the stage as well. The triple threat holds the title of actor, producer, and singer/songwriter.

The genre of the song almost feels uncategorizable, as it has a multitude of breaks and beat switch ups every several chords, like the song is constantly evolving. Yet, rhythmically it still holds a consistent feeling of optimism and a fun theatrical energy. In contrast to the lyrics, while well written yes, but holding a much heavier weight of loneliness and longing that carry through well when really listening to the song. His psychedelic rock influence is apparent with each loop and layers of synth thematically present in this song and album. The technical innovations Djo is finding through playing with a multitude of electronic sounds brought out from many genres of music over the decades brings us a refreshing energy through sound. All while prompting us to reflect on deeply personal matters with high spirits.

Danielle (smile on my face) – Fred again..

A legend in the making in the underground electronic music scene, producer and artist Fred again.. dropped new single “Danielle (smile on my face)” as a precursor to his upcoming album ‘ACTUAL LIFE 3’ due out on October 28^th, the third piece to the autobiographical trilogy of music about Fred’s life. Fred describes his music as ‘Actual Life ‘, a trademarked sound that utilizes sound and vocal samples from moments in time in Fred’s real day to day life. These samples are pulled from a range of sounds like old voicemails, facetime calls, video snippets, and the random sounds in-between. Each album was created chronologically in 6-8 month increments of Fred’s life over the last couple of years. His ‘diary-esque’ approach to creating music heavily resonated with people in an extremely cathartic way as everyone has felt the heaviness of the world during these last few years. Debuting his song in clubs was the tip of the iceberg, as Fred’s career is reaching new heights after his recent live Boiler Room session went viral with over 5 million streams in just 4 weeks. Previous to that, while he was selling out shows across the UK and US, Fred was named Mixmag’s “Top 10 Live Acts of 2021”.

“Danielle (smile on my face)” rides along the lines of dancefloor-inspired trance euphoria with a subtle drum and bass sound that gives the song the perfect boost to move your feet to. The track samples 070 Shake’s ‘Nice To Have’ – his “most listened to track of the year and a song that has sound tracked his ‘actual life’”. Part of the title of the track ‘smile on my face’ is lyrics from the sampled track, an uplifting romance ballad by 070 Shake. The name ‘Danielle’ in the title of the track, however, comes from unknown whereabouts. At the end of the track there is a sample of a girl’s voice, seemingly from a personal video snippet of someone from Fred’s actual life, as his musical projects suggest. Fans are left piecing together clues as to who in Fred’s life this track might be dedicated to while dancing to an irresistible beat.

Check out the playlist to find these songs all in one place. Also, be sure to keep an out for weekly updates!