Hello all my incredible music aficionados! You already know what it is, another mix of fine tunes to keep your blood flowin’ and your body moving. In wake of Valentine’s Day, I’m taking a queue from every grocery store out there and gearing up for spring time.
That means getting all my ducks – and tracks – in order to prepare for spending maximum chill time under the sweet rays of the sun. This includes building my mandatory spring break playlist, and so I’ve included a handful of songs below which I would recommend you check out.
Now, on your mark, get set, play.
1. Devon Baldwin – Knock You Down feat. Skizzy Mars
You might recognize her name if you listen to G-Eazy as Ms. Baldwin, who also happens to be G’s longtime girlfriend. She’s that female voice in about 99% of his songs. Well, we can all thank the dear lord that at last, this mermaid/most beautiful woman on earth has finally released her own EP and it’s absolutely delicious. “Knock You Down” was my favorite song out of the whole thing, but to be honest I’ve been listening to it all on replay ever since it came out. You killed it Dev, this is perfect.
2. Drake – Legend
In case you missed it, Drake dropped his mixtape out of seemingly no where this past weekend (that is, if you overlook the fact he released the video for “Jungle” to tease it). This has been called a mixtape “for contemplation,” meaning it shows off more of Drake’s serious and dark side, so to speak. Expect to hear the same kind of vibes from NWTS songs like “Too Much,” “Wu Tang Forever,” “Poundcake,” and the like. I included “Legend” on my list just because that Ginuwine sample at the start hooks you and keeps you listening for the rest of the mixtape.
3. Shuko – Allow Me feat. Pete Philly, Evidence, 20syl
You’ve probably seen 20syl on one of my lists before, and that’s because the beats the French producer turns out are explosive and addicting. This track is pretty dope, but don’t get caught off guard when the French rhymes come in toward the end. Just go with it. Maybe even challenge yourself to learn a line or two. Magnifique!
4. Chet Faker – No Diggity
This one is just an oldy that I was listening to the other day and remebered that I wanted to share it with every soul on Earth (or at least on campus) that hasn’t heard it. Aussie singer, Chet Faker, with his raspy yet sweet as honey voice, covers Blackstreet’s old school one hit wonder. Sidenote, this one fits well under the “Bedroom Songs” category… ; )
5. Snoh – Emotional
THIS. SONG. THOUGH. I was blown away the first time I heard it, and maybe you won’t feel as moved as I did but hopefully you will. Snoh Aalegra’s vocals are stunning, and if that wasn’t enough to win me over, then the old school, Amy Winehouse/ Mark Ronson backtrack definitely sealed the deal. Oh and she’s Swedish… and happens to look like the love child of Jessica Biel and Lana del Rey so, she’s kind of perfect. Second only to Devon Baldwin.
6. Moses – Dwell in the Dark
This is another old one, but was only recently brought to my attention by one of my trusted music advisers up in Boulder. I don’t really know anything about this “Moses” guy, and he seems to be pretty inactive on Soundcloud lately, but this track is gorgeous and if it didn’t get attention when it first came out, it should now. His voice is so sweet, carried away so gently by the quiet guitar strums. A must for fans of John Legend, Lorde, and Adele.
7. J-Louis – I Can’t Explain It (The Way That I Feel)
J-Louis is the first of two Soulection artists I’ll be featuring this month, and one of my favorites off the roster. His vibes are very deep, funky and hypnotizing. This is song for easy listening, or maybe something to get lost to. Shoutout to the flute ditty at the intro, courtesy of “some man I met off the streets,” according to the song’s credits. Lol.
8. OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
Calling all tropical house fans! This one is your jam! The melody sounds so familiar and fits so perfectly together with the summery, tropical notes. Make this the first song you listen to when you get to the beach during spring break, or maybe even blast it the next time we have 75 degree weather and you’re playing frisbee outside Dallas Hall? Yes.
9. Sam Gellaitry – To earth and back
Sam Gellaitry is kind of the shining star of Soulection of the moment, due in part to his recent release of his first official EP, “Short Stories”. This dude is 18 years old, and in the past year his music has made waves across the Internet. Now I’m over here struggling to be a 22-year-old, and relentlessly listening to his music in hopes of catching a spark of his talent. Let me know if any of y’all see results.
10. Rodriguez – Sugar Man (The Goldfish Remix)
UGH THIS SONG. Listen up y’all, low key, this one is the best song out of the lot, but I put it towards the end to serve as a treat for all those who made it this far (thank you). The Goldfish, an iconic electronic producing duo from South Africa, put their deep house spin on Rodriguez, another South Africa star by way of Detroit, and the result is dopeeeee. Download this *fo free* and listen to it always.
11. MÖWE – Crystalized (Cover)
Oh shit, I forgot about how amazing this one is too… UGH SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC. So MÖWE, a Viennese producing duo, has settled quite comfortably into my top few favorite artists of all time. Their remix of “Sonnenkind” honestly changed my life. So naturally when I saw they covered one of the best songs The XX ever made, it was destined to be a success. And it was. Try not to cry.
12. Ryan Hemsworth – BENNY LAVA
And now to just change things up completely… I bring you, a Ryan Hemsworth remix of Benny Lava. Like WHAT? Do you guys remember that video? Seriously what a throwback. Couldn’t help but burst out laughing when I first heard this. Expect to see me busting out some of these Bollywood moves at Home Bar soon… OoOoOoOo, I love you inside meeee!
13. Synchronice x Kasum – Glorious (Chet Porter Remix)
This one is soooo nice… Here, let me paint a picture for you to give you an idea as you listen. Take Zedd-style vocals and pair them with Odesza, Porter Robinson and Cashmere Cat having a jam sesh on a beach – with harps. There you go. Oh and, maybe when your friend on your spring break trip with the GoPro gets around to editing his recap video of you all doing backflips into pools or lakes or whatever, recommend this song to him.
14. Lido x BrassTracks – Four Five Seconds
This one is one of those remix inceptions that I tend to throw in my mixes from time to time. Start with Rihanna, Kanye and Paul McCartney’s “fourfiveseconds,” which was then remixed by Lido, but due to copyright laws (boooooo), was pulled from Soundcloud in less than five, or even four seconds. But it’s all good because we can still relive it in full fledge funky feel goodness, thanks to the boys over at BrassTracks. I picture myself being at the SNL 40 thing the other night and hearing their studio band bumping this ish, and everything is right in the world.
15. Drake – Know Yourself
If you know me, you’ll know I loveeee Drizzy, baby! Which justifies why I don’t feel bad putting two songs off his mixtape on here, because let’s be honest, you’ll be hearing these wherever you go for a while. And I picked this one because it sounded like the right song to ride around dirty to. Swerve.
Mattioli, out.
