Author Archives: Michael Serratore

The snow is well and truly falling here at TMN through the festive season, and we’ve got the perfect edition of chill to complement the magical vibe we’re going for. Our first gift for your ears comes from Austrian producer filous, who has received support from Porter Robinson himself for his amazing remix of ‘Divinity’. One of the highlights of the Worlds album, the original is steeped in emotion, ready to be unleashed at the peak moment of his glorious set. The young talent does well to extract the powerful feeling the song evokes, while leaning on lighter chords to deliver the euphoric sentiment that underlies its purpose. French wonder Nebbra has been putting in plenty of work lately, and his latest melodic trap installment is a reflection of just how well he’s been mastering the craft throughout the year. ‘Nothing’ already offered a strong vocal base to play with, and now it’s been blessed with a slick beat to propel it into a proper future jam. SWEATER BEATS is no stranger to creating that effect in his music, and his recent redux of the killer Kimbra original demonstrates exactly what adept skills he has at his disposal. This refreshing take is so clean you’d imagine this was always how ‘Settle Down’ was meant to be played out. In any case, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing to this one for a long time to come.

Now the accusation of certain songs ‘sounding exactly like Flume’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but dubstep producer T-Mass is leaving no mystery to the main influence of his latest experiment. Sure it’s a bit of fun, but damn if he didn’t nail the perfect sound for this one. We’d be more than happy if he continues to dabble in this style a little longer. The incredible imagination of Galimatias never fails to surprise as well, and his ability to mold soulful vocals, smooth beats and crisp instrumentals continues to blow our minds on a regular basis. His fresh remix of ‘Jaigantic’ may just be one of the best tracks of the year, weaving playfulness and intricate emotion together into a seamless blend of blissful happiness. We cap off this week’s festivities with a newly wrapped EP from Australian beatmaker Real Slow. Just in time for Christmas, this is the present you’ve been waiting for, and we’ve filled your stocking with four of our favorites from Things That Remind Me of You.

There’s no better way to get into the spirit than with chill gems just made for the season of giving. Trade in those tired carols for something you’ll enjoy playing on heavy rotation. Peace out.

 

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As it gets to the end of the year, you’ll see plenty of lists floating around the internet as different music curators aim to voice their opinions on the top tracks of 2014. No doubt Cazzette’s highly popular ‘Sleepless’ is likely to feature on quite a few of them, with a seemingly endless supply of remixes surfacing since its release. While the year is almost out, it seems like one of the best was saved until last, thanks to a super polished rendition from Hotel Garuda and Thero. You may have thought you had heard them all, but this smooth summery effort packs enough freshness to make you fall in love with the catchy lyrics all over again. All that combined with a sweet sax melody and you have a winner. Yearly lists are always a pretty contentious topic though, so we’ll keep our focus on the hottest tracks of the week as always, and the recent release from Sydney’s Hayden James has definitely made waves in its short lifetime so far. It’s no surprise that Future Classic knows how to put out ridiculous grooves on a consistent basis, but ‘Something About You’ is pretty close to perfection. Forgoing grasping at dramatic words to try and describe this properly, it’s just a straight-up tune, no better way to put it.

Keeping on trend with incredibly smooth sounds, Finnish talent Lenno has served up a special dish in his latest Wake Up EP that fits in just perfectly into the vibe we’re starting with for this edition. He’s no stranger to the Dojo, but ‘No More’ is certainly on the mellow side of his usual upbeat disco jams, and we’re digging this new approach. It’s a kind of style that’s bread and butter for another favorite artist in Moon Boots, and sure enough we’re gifted with another bumpin’ addition to the playlist from the man himself. Funky basslines and bright percussion hero this dancefloor starter, so gear up for some sweat-inducing antics when this one comes on. Pomo ensures that feeling continues on seamlessly, courtesy of his sweltering take on ‘Supernatural’. So addictive we just had to post about it twice, rest-assured it will be spun on heavy rotation well beyond any New Year’s celebrations. Slowing the tempo but not the quality, we return to another title from Hayden James as fellow Sydney producer Oshan gives us a fresh take on ‘Permission To Love’. Top notch vocal work and generous layers of funk make for one satisfying experience. Usually things this good have some kind of guilt attached to them, but you’ll find no strings attached to your enjoyment as you hit that replay button over and over again.

It’s hard enough to cut down a list of weekly features let alone a year’s worth of collation. If you want to look back at the best of 2014, there are another 50 previous selections where this came from. Peace out.

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This is probably the most unconventional start to the Chill Dojo in any of its 110 editions past, but this creative take on the timeless Seinfeld theme is too good not to put front and center in kicking things off. Melbourne-based Abelard has crafted something truly unique here, bringing a smooth and funky interpretation to the theme song many hold dear to their hearts. Too often the value of remixes like this don’t extend too far beyond their novelty, but in this case ‘Seinwave’ offers both a melodic delight in its own right as well as a tasteful homage to the legendary 90’s series. Bravo.

It’s difficult to follow an act like that, but thankfully Brooklyn duo Chordashian have provided some smoothness which flows seamlessly onward into the playlist. The 100bpm format provides the perfect canvas for this bouncy version of Gambino’s ‘3005’, complete with nu-disco vibes and vocal sampling driving the groove from start to finish. It’s all about the funk this week, and Touch Sensitive are dishing up our next serving of sweet sounds that will prove too hard to resist. It takes some proper imagination to implement acapella chops like these, but the results are an overwhelmingly feel-good tune that will wash out all the negative in your day and replace it with an unbreakable desire to dance. The jive continues (albeit a little less intense) thanks to the latest from Penthouse Penthouse, who switch on some jazzy chords and a spacey vibe for ‘Can’t See Love’. This one makes butter seem difficult to cut, and yet has more layers than we could possibly count. Sebastian Carter has been a consistent contributor to the Dojo in recent times, with clean mellow mixes that make for the perfect chillout atmosphere. His latest remix of ‘Jupiter Grayscale’ may be his most polished to date, with a subtle touch of tropical ideal for those long summer nights with friends.

The list of fresh sounds extends far longer than that though, so make sure to sample everything we’ve prepared. Peace out.

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December 1st officially ushers in Summer for half of the world, and if you’re lucky enough to be soaking up the sweet sunshine this season brings, then we have the perfect playlist to kick-start the best time of the year. It all begins with a glorious tropical flip of Tegan and Sara courtesy of the ever-creative Manila Killa. It takes quite a bit of ingenuity to transform a track that is rock at its core into colorful electronica, but the young talent has proven himself worthy of official remix status, and a second mention in this week’s playlist. Perhaps a little less of a challenge was bringing the same vibe to Felix Jaehn’s ‘Shine’, however the result from Matoma’s handiwork is no less spectacular in its results. The combination of flute, sax and signature melodies is about as close as you can get to your own personal island paradise in your ears, and it’s a destination we have no intention of leaving anytime soon. Once you’re ready to leave though, the next feature switches things up completely as we get a little deeper and darker with Justin Martin. It’s certainly a staple vibe of the dirtybird label, but as heavy as this VIP rendition of ‘Don’t Go’ can be, there is something undeniably chill about the entire production. Underlying all the change-ups and moments of flair is an addictive beat that takes hold and never lets go for the whole six minute ride.

Our week was made that much better with the news of the latest compilation from our favorite collective Moving Castle. The much anticipated Volume 003 released a few days ago, starring some of the best in the future game. We’ve picked out the chillest material of the bunch, with familiar names like WRLD, Bamf, Jailo, AObeats, Kappa Kavi and Hunt For The Breeze all putting their individual brilliance and unique sounds on display. Though not a part of the collective, Tasmanian producer Akouo has plenty of that on his side as well, which you’ll have no time hearing in his official remix of Gorgon City. The vocal work and catchy beat are so on point in this take on ‘Unmissable’, with the bass implemented to absolute perfection from start to finish. Rounding out the write-up for #110 are a couple of ace bootlegs from DJ AA. It’s been a little while since his last additions to the playlist, but these two will serve as a timely reminder for why we dig his blending abilities each and every time.

Even if the warmer months are half a year away on your side on the globe, we’ll make sure we’re turning the heat up in every week until you get there again. Peace out.

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Beats and funk will kick off the 109th edition of the Chill Dojo, and we have two of the best in the electronic game to thank for that. We’re a little late to the party, but the latest album from Manic Focus, Cerebral Eclipse, is chock full of soulful rhythms to put on repeat for days. Teaming up with another smooth operator in GRiZ, ‘Life Goes On’ is as groovy as you can get, just what you’d expect from this collab between masters of their craft. That’s not the only funky release to be celebrating lately, because another favorite beat-maker in Pomo has just come out with his debut EP, The Other Day, and it’s absolute fire. We’ve featured the 3 tracks which rocked the Dojo the hardest and got our bodies moving in an uncontrollable state, a condition that’s sure to be contagious to whoever hits that play button. For real though, this stuff is dangerously addictive. Now Cashmere Cat’s iconic ‘Rice Rain’ has seen its fair share of remixes over its time, but trust the ever-eclectic ABSRDST to take it in a direction no one had ever conceived before. Waves of hypnotic beats and wonks welcome you aboard this magical ride, until his familiar 8-bit vibes and signature melodic breakout take you to the peak of musical ecstasy. This dude continues to blow us away with every new release, and he’s proved that yet again with a Cashy Cat bootleg that stands apart from all the rest.

Branchez is another artist who has made a name for himself with remixes that have catapulted themselves into the million-view count and into festival sets all over the globe. His latest take on Alesso’s big single ‘Heroes’ is certain to share a similar destiny, but it’s won its way on TMN and into this playlist with a chill trap breakdown and vocal control executed to perfection. We’re also keeping a close eye on the talented Jerry Folk, and his most recent funky concoction is a fresh spin on an RnB classic. As the sampling from the famous Sergeant Doakes quote suggests, this is one surprisingly catchy jam that you’ll need on repeat for a few more times to come. It’s only been a minute since our last shout-out to jackLNDN, but this time it’s a bumpin’ new original which has got us under his spell once again. Blending a bouncy house beat with deep vibes makes for one formidable combo, and it’s one that is sure to cause waves and finally score him the recognition he deserves. You know we’ll be the first to advocate it.

We love a solid edition of funk anytime we can get it, but the feelings go way beyond what we’ve got time to write about. Make sure to dive down into the entire list and soak it all up. Peace out.

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