Dan Bodan
“Aaron”
DP/Aaron Single (DFA)

Canadian-bed, Berlin-based Dan Bodan is the most exciting new DFA signing in recent memory, and his recently-released single features two romantic, graceful slabs of 80’s electro-lounge that have more than a hint of Bryan Ferry, Spandau Ballet, and Paul Weller’s group the Style Council. “Aaron” is a slick, lovelorn ballad that highlights Bodan’s easy, yet passionate delivery and provocative lyrics. It’ll be interesting to watch where Bodan goes from here, but he’s certainly off to a good start.

Here’s the A-side, “DP.”

How to Dress Well
“Cold Nites” (Koreless Remix)
Digital Single

I’ve written thousands of words about the admiration that I have for How to Dress Well’s fractured, lo-fi bedroom R&B, so I thought I’d focus a little on the Scottish teenager behind this remix. The 19 year-old Glaswegian burst on the scene with his pensive neo-dubstep meditation, “Lost in Tokyo” and a release on buzzy UK label, Pictures. His ability to craft emotive, drippy compositions makes him a natural partner for the perpetual heart-on-sleeve HTDW (né Tom Krell), and Koreless handles the delicate original with the utmost care. The single note melody sounds like falling rain and frames Krell’s crushing vocal beautifully. When the Chicago-based singer lets out “I pray for myself again,” it’s impossible not to feel it. Stunning.

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Bonus Track: Check out Jacques Greene’s sumptuous remix of “Lost in Tokyo” below.

Holy Other
“Inpouring”
Held (Tri Angle, out 8/28)

Who would have known that r&b and new age would have made such exquisite bedfellows? Listening to Holy Other makes me realize that I wasn’t totally insane for digging Enya and Boyz II Men in middle school. The Manchester-based producer’s debut EP was amongst my favorites of 2011, and his debut LP is shaping up as one of the releases of the year. Holy Other is a master of mood, consistently crafting tracks that are sensual and evocative, but what really sets him apart is his use of vocals. Instead of using words to convey meaning, he merely relies on vocal tonality. He rarely lets his vocal samples get out complete words (“Love Some1” and “With U” are notable examples), but that never gets in the way of his ability to tell affecting stories. More than anything, he’s created a sound that is all his own, and it’s definitely one of the most fascinating in electronic music at the moment.

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Stream the whole album, here.

Chad Valley
“Fall 4 U” (f. Glasser)
Young Hunger (Cascine, out 10/30) 

Oxford-based producer Chad Valley has always been one of the standouts of the Balearic pop/chillwave scene that peaked a couple years ago, and it’s kind of amazing that he’s still yet to release a proper LP. That wait is nearing its end, and based on “Fall 4 U,” its breathtaking debut single, Young Hunger is going to be well worth the wait. Valley (né Hugo Manuel) enlists the ultra-smooth vocal stylings of the talented, mercurial Cameron Mesirow, and the duo effortlessly glide over a characteristically evocative, beachy soundscape. Think of it as the chillwave “You Don’t Send Me Flowers” with less eyebrows. This is gonna soundtrack some serious late summer, skinny-on-skinny dry humping, and I’m not mad about it.

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Gang Colours
“Fill Me In”
Digital Single

Great covers come in many forms. That said, they generally are at their best and most enduring when an artist so stamps their authority and style on the original that it almost comes off as an entirely new track. Such is British down-tempo producer Gang Colours’ take on Craig David’s seminal middle-school slow jam. Over a moody keyboard line, drippy percussion, and ambient filigree, the Southampton native (né Will Ozanne) retells David’s classic story of hooking up with the girl next door in his delicate, alluring tenor. It’s so good that even if you hated the original, you still might like this. However, if you are like me and already love the original, you’ll dig this and end up falling back in love with Craig’s version: the ultimate sign of a great cover.

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