Gken-E

I celebration of getting my tickets to Lightning In A Bottle, I wanted to post a very relevant artist who brings that same great vibe to the table up on Audible Twilight. A friend of mine introduced me to Gken-E and after listening to his music for a couple days I had to post about him. This guy needs more attention! There should be more people like Gken-E in this world.

This is a direct quote from his SoundCloud bio:

"I have such an overwhelming feeling of love and joy inside my heart, I can't stop myself from smiling. My goal is to share this feeling with you through my music!"

I mean come on... how nice is that!? It helps that this guy makes such beautiful music. It is so tranquil, yet really groovy at the same time. You can tell he pours his heart and soul into every single track, and the end product is amazing. This music won't be for everyone, but if you ever need a moment to just chill and reflect or meditate while doing yoga to, this is your guy.

Here is one of his newest tracks, titled Thank You For My Friends, that really allows your mind to let go of whatever it is that is bothering you or holding you back and just relax. I love this one. So peaceful and soothing. Vibe out to it with me below



His SoundCloud page is full of amazing tracks like this one. Some other ones to check out are Radiant, weART or Leveling.

He also has released a seven track album back in 2012 that is equally as great. It has that great mellow vibe, but includes some more live instrumentation, like a drum kit and guitars, as well as his signature bongos throughout. The first track off the album really sets the mood and puts you in the right place to carry through the rest of the tracks. Check out Can't Stop Smiling below.



I love how throughout the album, like on the song Ocean Calm, he throws in some samples of what sounds like clips from an educational/documentary movie about finding yourself and navigating your way through life. It adds a nice depth to his music's overall message and really gets you thinking as you sit there listening to the beautiful sounds. You can tell all Gken-E really wants is for you to be happy just being you. His passion for life spills out through the speakers and is completely infectious.

Here is one last track of his that I love. It's called Take a Minute. It has more of a bouncy, upbeat sound and has some vocals that bring even more life to the track. This one is great to listen to in the morning as your getting ready to face the day. Check it out and more on the Audible Twilight Spotify Playlist!

Like him on Facebook to see if he will be blessing your city with his presence anytime soon.

Enjoy! <3

Estiva

It has been a while since I have been on any level of my trance game, so I thought I would attempt to step that up a notch by sharing with you all this awesome Dutch producer known as Estiva.

Trance has always been a fickle genre for me. It is hard for me to find artists that I really like and that always put out good tracks. However, I do seem to think Estiva is one of those artists. I can go onto his SoundCloud or Spotify and not have to skip a single song. That is impressive to me because he has songs up from 2008. Electronic music has changed dramatically since then, yet his old tracks still sound very current. He also does a great job at not having songs that all the sound the same while also not having any weird tracks that make you raise an eyebrow in question of his producing ability.

First lets start with one of his most recent original works. Hippodrop is the Estiva song that first caught my eye. I have always liked when trance producers incorporate some ragey elements into their music. This track has a solid trance sound, but then morphs into a peak-time party song when the drop comes in to get the crowd moving. Check it out below!

Here is one of his older tracks that I can't stop listening too. This one's called Festival. I love the massively euphoric synths that remind me of sunrise at EDC Las Vegas. Such a good song to come down to. Take a listen to this one below.

Lastly I wanted to show off his remixing ability. Over the years he has put his spin on many different tracks, but I don't think he has done a better job on any of them as he did on Change The World by Daniel Kandi and Sarah Russell. This song has it all. It has those super uplifting trance chords that make you wanna scream how much you love life at the top of your lungs, then.. right as your panting for breath from all the screaming, out of nowhere comes the rage-tastic second wind that will get you GOING! Check out this excellent remix below.

It's fun to be a trance-vestite every now and then! Now go and enjoy it! <3

Prides - The Seeds You Sow EP

I have been waiting very patiently for this EP to drop. Even though it is only available in the UK, it is still up on SoundCloud for all of us to enjoy. Prides is definitely an artist to keep on your radar.

Prides is a band from Glasgow that has been generating buzz around the UK by performing at tons of radio stations doing tons of amazing covers of pop songs. Finally, we have access to their first original release The title track from the EP, The Seeds You Sow is an excellent indie/pop song that reminds me of Pompeii by Bastille. It has an infectious sing along chant in the chorus that is incredibly catchy and i love the driving percussion that goes along with it. Check out the track below!

My other favorite track from the EP is Cold Blooded. I love the more mellow intro section with the light instrumentation and the gang vocal section when the music cuts out. Then the track amps up halfway through and brings back that uplifting Prides sound that they are known for. Check it out below



Check out the rest of their music on their SoundCloud and Facebook pages. They have covers galore!

Enjoy! <3

Mar - Form EP

Hot off of the success of his last single, Man x Woman, Mar is back with his new Form EP and he does not disappoint!

The first track off the EP is the smooth Ode to Her. The laid back beat allows Mar's excellent vocals to shine throughout the entire track. This new wave soul music has been coming up in a huge way over the past couple years and Mar keeps that wonderful train chugging along. Check it out below!

The other track on the EP, A Simple Go, carries the same tone and vibe as the first song, but is slightly more of a love ballad. I could see this track being a really cool thing to see in a live setting with the guitars and some vocal improvisation going on. Hopefully that will someday be a reality, but he is based out of the Netherlands so it might not be for a while.. Either way, get down to A Simple Go below!



Enjoy! <3

Coachella Spotlight #19: Flight Facilities

You know their music, but you probably don't know their name. Get familiar with Flight Facilities before Coachella!

This Australian DJ duo burst onto the scene in a big way back in 2010. Their first track was the beautiful Crave You, which you may know from Adventure Club's dubstep remix of the track which catapulted Flight Facilities into the limelight. I don't know a person that hasn't heard that remix. It was massive. So, to shed some light on a different version, I wanted to share with you all the Cassian remix of Crave You. It keeps the same tempo but has a much more funky vibe. I prefer it to the original and the Adventure Club remix. Check it out below!

My favorite track of theirs though has to be I Don't Believe featuring Elizabeth Rose. I love the production on this track. The quick guitar strumming and the constant hi-hats make this a dancefloor filler. It just makes you want to move! Check it out below.



Lastly I wanted to leave you with a cool new remix of their latest track, Stand Still, by a new producer I recently discovered called Wave Racer. This track has a very unique sound that I think is really fresh. I love the way they used the whistling over the choppy electro synths. The two sounds create a nice contrast that makes the song that much cooler. Check it out for yourself below!



Happy Coachella! <3

Rio Rio

There are few things more satisfying to me than finding a quality band. It is even sweeter when they have only released one EP and have just over 1000 fans on Facebook. Everyone, say hello to Rio Rio!

Rio Rio is an indie rock band from San Francisco, CA that has been tearing up dance floors since 2012. Their electronically influenced, uptempo sound can put some pep in your step no matter what you have going on in your life that day. They released their Light Parade EP a few months back with their track The Bashful and The Brave being the first single. Check it out below!

Every other track on their EP is equally as good and equally as fun! I recommend Gorilla Gorilla and Antoinette. They released their EP for free, which you can grab by clicking here! If you want to hear more, check out their entire EP on their SoundCloud page and don't forget to throw them a 'Like' on Facebook too.

Enjoy! <3

Coasts - A Rush Of Blood

Out of nowhere I find that Coasts released a new song!? Oh, happy day!

These boys can do no wrong. They must be making good progress on their debut album if they are beginning to release more music, which makes me a very happy camper. I cannot wait to get this song on repeat all day long. Jam out to their new track A Rush Of Blood with me right now!

Also, for more Coasts, check out their last release I posted about, called Stay! Throw the boys a like on Facebook while you're at it too!

Enjoy! <3