Jordan Rakei

This week’s playlist is designed with the fact that it’s getting colder, so you will want to dance to warm up in mind. A fantastic all Aussie collab with Luke Million and Jesse Davidson, some UK loving in the form of XO, Kwabs and Billie Black, a bit of local rock from Brisbane’s The Jensens and the same city’s most exciting soul export in Jordan Rakei, as well as a perfectly devastating song by MT Warning, the experimental wonders of BUOY, a fantastic debut single by Yuma X and of course, some Total Giovanni to wrap things up. Enjoy!

Luke Million – Fear The Night (Ft. Jesse Davidson)

The coming together of Luke Million and Jesse Davidson at first struck me as odd, unlikely and a little confusing. However, whatever doubt I had quickly vanished when I began listening to Fear The Night, as I realised they make one hell of a dream team. Davidson’s almost haunting vocals echo over the dark disco Million has cooked up, creating a futuristic whirlwind of pulsing, heart racing electronica. Not bloody bad!

XO – Flames of a Phoenix

Funk laden vibes and soulful vocals are the order of the day for the UK’s XO and his new track, Flames of a Phoenix. Receiving nods from Annie Mac and Diplo, XO puts his own spin on whatever you think “future RnB” is, and makes something new altogether. It’s unpredictable, and quickly deviates as it works it’s way along, but it’s so much fun you barely notice. Taken from a new EP dropping this June, I dare you to try and not groove to this bad boy.

The Jensens – A New Hope

Brisbane legends The Jensens have been kicking around for a little while now, but something tells me they’re on the precipice of something very exciting. My proof of such a speculation lies in their latest song, A New Hope. What a scorcher! Frontman Joe White‘s voice wails over the harmonies and classic rock riff, and you KNOW this would be a ripper live. Classic Brisbane rock – is there anything better?

MT Warning – Petrified Heart

Taken from his new EP of the same name, MT Warning’s newbie Petrified Heart has already received some remix love from Brisbane’s JOY., and when you hear the song you’ll know why. The intimate fragility and vulnerability in his voice, the stark arrangements of piano first heard until it rolls into something much greater, the forlorn lyrics; MT Warning is onto something seriously good right now, and we won’t be complaining at all hear more stuff like this!

Kwabs – Fight For Love

With a voice like no other, Kwabs is one of my favourite UK male artists. He is well and truly back with Fight For Love, a track that grips you within seconds. Passionate as hell, Kwabs is giving it his all here; his voice soaring with emphatic lyrics over upbeat, dance production. It all fits so well together, it feels like home when you listen to it (again and again and again and..)

Billie Black – Going Under

19 year old UK songstress Billie Black sung her way onto my radar late last year, with her stellar EP 000 100. Now, on the eve of her tour supporting Jack Garrett, Black dropped this number to let people know “they could come along and dance.” Well, now they definitely know with Going Under. This is a track that creeps up on you, and catches you by surprise. Stay with it til about 1:40, and get your dancing shoes ready *emoji winky face*

Yuma X – Swimming Pool

It’s a risky move to release a cover as your debut single, but this one has paid off ten-fold for mysterious Sydney newcomers, Yuma X. In only a matter of days, they have managed to take out the #1 spot on Hype Machine, and have received nods from all corners of the globe. Sticking to a relatively simplistic formula, Yuma X have turned Ghoul‘s 2008 track into a shifting, swelling soundscape you can’t help but get lost in. Total bliss.

BUOY – Don’t Want To See You

Experiment in the best possible way, there are only good things to come from BUOY. Refusing to be pigeonholed, she has kept her head down to craft her own unique sound, and we are just fortunate to hear the results. Don’t Want To See You could easily be described to FKA twigs, but it really is something different, something special. Her serene voice glides effortlessly over the bed of glitchy noises, erratic beats, bass drops that could shake bones, and a variety of other sounds that would rival any other genre-pushing act. BUOY is heading into a league entirely of her own, and it’s going to be very exciting indeed to watch!

Jordan Rakei x Kiran Kai – Maya

Jordan Rakei is one of the most exciting acts in Brisbane, and Australia right now. All you have to do is hear him sing to know why. This time around, he has the added help of Kiran Kai on production, and the pair have proved to be a match made in heaven. Seductive, relaxed and dreamy in the way that some of the sounds going on here don’t sound like something you’d hear in real life (those warped, almost under-water like samples), Maya continues to prove that Rakei is one to watch, but also has me desperate for more Rakei x Kai works. Hopefully this isn’t a one-off…

Total Giovanni – When We Break

This one unfortunately isn’t on SoundCloud, so it has it’s own separate entry. Melbourne disco lords Total Giovanni return once more with a dancefloor burner with When We Break, featuring some typically impassioned vocals from frontman Vachel Spirason (who I recently interviewed), and some of TG’s most danceable sounds yet. Guitarist Vinnie Del, aka Frankie Topaz said of the track, “This story is true heartbreak house. A sad boy can’t work out whether love is coming or going. He walks the streets late at night singing a maudlin chorus to himself. Then he gets on a yacht that once belonged to the Bee Gees and sails it all the way to guitar solo island where the George Baker Selection are waiting with a bottle of champagne. Enter his true love. Happy endings.” Because of course it does.