Friday means one thing and one thing only here at Howl & Echoes – playlist day! We have spent all week compiling this week’s best releases and narrowing it down to just 10 songs we think you need to hear. This week, there’s a lot going on. We’ve got Canberra’s Safia, the tragically beautiful track from Szymon, and a Cyril Hahn take on a Caribou classic, as well as a bit of hip hop from JayCee, MIA, Bon Voyage, and another Notorious BIG mashup. In between all that you can be taken away to a dreamier place with Genghar or Sofi de la Torre, and get down to an amazing cover by Winter Islands. Enjoy!

1. Safia – Counting Sheep

This track is a bit strange, as is to be expected with Safia. Dramatic, dynamic and infectious, these three guys know how to make a good dance track, and Counting Sheep is no exception! Following along similar lines from their eerie Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds, this track is a little spooky but so groovy and fun it doesn’t matter!

2. Szymon – Golden

This is a special track. Szymon wrote a series of tracks in his bedroom in 2008, but it wasn’t until his tragic loss in his battle with depression that they were to see the light of day. Eloper Music and his family joined forces to release his beautiful songs, and so they should. Golden is lovely, smooth and definitely deserves your time.

3. JayCee – Vibe

This is one of the smoothest hip hop tracks I’ve heard in a while.The sparse, relaxed production allows the lyrics to take centrestage, with the beautiful vocals of Naomi Lee paired with the chilled out rhymes of JayCee. This has sunny afternoons written all over it.

4. Gengahr – Haunter

Gengahr have just supported Alt-J and Wolf Alice, so already you know they must be good. Haunter is a beautifully delicate track; hazy and emotive with fragile vocals and acoustic guitars. Keep an eye out for these guys, as they continue to capture hearts at SXSW, then support Circa Waves and The Strokes – definitely ones to watch!

5. Sofi de la Torre – That Isn’t You

Alternative R&B is quickly becoming one of the most popular genres in music at the moment, meaning it takes something extra special to standout. Spanish singer-songwriter Sofi de la Torre is exactly this. That Isn’t You is lifted from her forthcoming EP out next month, and I cannot wait for that to drop. This sultry, emotional track features powerful production full of skittering percussion, swirling lasers, whistles and swelling synths. Sublime.

6. Winter Islands – Don’t Let Go (En Vogue Rework)

This En Vogue track is definitely a guilty pleasure/go to karaoke tune for me, so to hear it reworked by Winter Islands in such a way makes me very happy indeed! They’ve made it explosive, with booming drums and soaring guitars, as well as vocals delivered with almost as much passion as me during my karaoke performance.

7. Caribou – Second Chance (Cyril Hahn Edit)

Caribou had one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2014, with each track on his Our Love album an example of bar raising electronica. It takes a brave soul to step up to the plate to remix this legend, but Cyril Hahn took it upon himself, and spun Second Chance into a slowed down and more soulful, sweeping number. He’s definitely done it justice.

8. Bon Voyage – Booshie

This track is so much fun. Lots of bass, cheeky lyrics and light synths make for a seriously contagious track from this fresh new three piece. “Booshie” is to consider oneself to be above everyone else, and if Bon Voyage are making tracks like this I would say that belief is justified. I’ve had “She way too good for that” stuck in my head for two days now.

9. MIA – CanSeeCanDo

I fucking love MIA, and I’m so glad she is back to her good old angry as hell self. CanSeeCanDo marks the return of her politically charged dance tracks, where her messages of global politics are thinly veiled by immediately likeable and accessible dance music. There was a brief stage where, with the release of her 2013 release Matangi, she was told her music was too dark. This surprise track was accompanied by the SoundCloud description, “DEMOCRACY CONVERSATIONS ! TAMILS ARE STILL WAITING! AND NO MY BEATS ARE NOT BETTER WITHOUT MY POLITICX” so it’s safe to say she’s back, and ready to tear the world a new one!

10. Terry Urban – Who Shot Papi (Prod. Chi Duly) Notorious B.I.G x FKA twigs mashup

We’ve covered the first release of this mashup series, as well as the whole damn album Terry Urban dropped this week, so this track is included merely as an indicator of what has been on repeat for me for the past 5 days. Who would have thought Papi Pacify would be so well suited to Who Shot Ya? The whole album is a dream I didn’t know I’d had come true, and this little number is a definite stand out.

 

This week’s playlist was particularly hard because we skipped last week, so we’ve had to smash the best of TWO weeks together into one playlist. I’d go so far as to say this is my favourite playlist yet. We start and end on two entirely different but phenomenal, epic tracks, with a banger, smooth funk, chilled electro-R&B and hip hop in the middle of it all. Enjoy!

  • Tonik Ensemble, Imprints 
    Opening on a stunner. There’s something incredibly magical in Icelandic water. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never found an Icelandic artist I didn’t love. Opening with deep, subtle synths that slowly trickle their way upwards, the eerie indie vocal melody comes in and absolutely captivates me. There’s strings, effects, flutes and more. I have listened to this song maybe 20 times in the past two days and I have a feeling I won’t be the only one.
  • Alison Wonderland: U Don’t Know ft. Wayne Coyne
    Lets take it up a notch for a few minutes. Listen to this one here, it’s not on Soundcloud. The Australian producer has been blowing the hell up recently, with her knack for huge beats, dark bass and rhythmic gymnastics that keep each phrase as interesting as the last. Teaming up with The Flaming Lips‘ Wayne Coyne for her new track, it’s sultry, it’s deep and it’s ready for a sweaty, sweaty dance floor.
  • Argonaut&Wasp, When You Came Into My Life
    Definitely my favourite song of the week. This track blew me away the first time I heard it, and it continued to do so for the next 15 or so times too. Unbelievably smooth, sexy, understated groove with an incredible melody and a wicked guitar solo. Read my full song review here. “One for the bedroom playlist, one for the dirty-martinis-on-a-rooftop playlist.”
  • Slum Sociable, Anyway
    The debut track from new duo Slum Sociable absolutely caught my ear on first listen. The lo-fi vibe gives it a bluesy, vintage vibe, while the gorgeous melody dances with piano licks and shuffling hip hop percussion. All in all this is a seriously cool track. I can’t wait to hear more from these guys.
  • ZAPED, Eyes Collide ft. Groszek
    Once again proving that Australian producers have a hell of a lot to offer, this is a really nice track, with a bubbly bass, rich vocals and an airy, enchanting soundscape. The laid back beats lay the foundation for a beautiful atmosphere, topped off by a soft, yet attention-grabbing soulful melody.
  • Terry Urban, Video Girl Dreams
    Okay so I’ve never posted a mash-up into a playlist, but this one is too good to pass up. It’s only one minute long, bu tluckily it’s a teaser for a full album, FKA Biggie, a blissfully, surprisingly perfect combination of Laneway headliner FKA Twigs and Notorious B.I.G. I don’t need to even say anything else, just give it a listen.
  • Kaytranada, Drive Me Crazy ft. Vic Mensa
    I freaking love Kaytranada, and I’ve recently started getting really into Laneway performer Vic Mensa. This is a match made in heaven. Kay’s plinky synth rhythms and a deep, dark bass complement Mensa’s spat-out flow to perfection, the ultimate contrast between chilled electronica and utterly cool hip hop verses.
  • Flower Drums, Don’t Wait ft. South
    Another totally smooth lo-fi track, with sensual syncopation and gentle, husky vocals. One of my favourite things is R&B-infused low key electronic music with light vocals, and, well, this hits the nail on it’s very sexy head. Guitar plucks and echoed vocal loops add tantalising colour to the already sumptuous layers.
  • Seekae, The Stars Below (LUCIANBLOMKAMP remix)
    I can’t explain how much I love this remix. I’m a big fan of both artists and this is something else. Adding so much murky, industrial, weird darkness to the original track – one of my favourites off Seekae’s 2014 album The Worry – it’s strange and glitchy and perfect, it’s left me both totally on edge and totally satisfied. Read my full single review here.
  • Shlohmo, Buried
    Ending on a particularly dark note. There’s something so fucking eerie and disconcerting about this track. My friend described it as the kind of song you might hear on the Blade Runner soundtrack, and that’s the exact perfect way to explain it. As the track unfolds it booms and crashes around a wailing synth, the atmosphere just blossoms into something so phenomenally dark. Listen from start to end, at full volume, with headphones.