TOP CHILL MUSIC – WEEK 18

Happy May, chillheads! Summer is almost here! Are you hyped? Me too! But wait! Summer isn't summer without music! My advice? Start compiling your playlists as early as possible, so that by the time that your pool party, barbecue or beach trip comes around, you can focus all of your energy on having fun as opposed to pulling songs together last minute from your crappy iTunes library! So where to begin? BitCandy's Top Chill Music, of course! Featuring 6LACK, James Blake, Gorgon City and more, these songs are the perfect addition to any summer mixtape in the making!

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TSÖRF – KNOW THE LIGHT – CURATOR BECA ARREDONDO

Prepare to be put under the spell of Tsörf. The mysterious New Zealand singer, who comes to us courtesy of Curator Beca Arredondo, spreads magic on her second single “Know The Light.” A sparse, minimal, electronic-infused R&B reverie about reaching enlightenment (“You will only know the light, if you open your eyes/You will only see it rise, if you wait through the night”), Tsörf is nothing short of enchanting.

6LACK – PRBLMS

Introducing the next big rapper to watch. Having impressed us in April with his debut single “Bless Me,” Atlanta native and LoveRenaissance signee 6LACK returns this month with “PRBLMS.” Produced by Nova, the eerie, melancholic “I'm over you, kind of” anthem is all chiller, no filler – not to mention a perfect navel-gazing alternative to Drake's VIEWS.

KM – ALL THE SAME – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

This is my first time featuring km, but something tells me that it won't be the last. To say that I'm completely smitten with the Australian singer-songwriter, who was introduced to me by Curator Robert Duffy, would be an understatement. Featured on her EP More Me Than You, “All The Same” is an intimate, mellifluous acoustic ballad that has a calming affect akin to sunlight dappling through treetops in summer.

JAMES BLAKE (FEAT. BON IVER) – I NEED A FOREST FIRE – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

At the time of writing, James Blake's much-anticipated third album, The Colour In Anything, is due to be unveiled in exactly one hour. To say that I'm excited doesn't cover it. In the meantime, the London producer has released his long-rumoured duet with Bon Iver. A cavernous, emotive piece of electronic soul permeated by some pitch-perfect harmonizing from Blake and Bon Iver, “I Need A Forest Fire” is everything that I hoped it'd be and more.

GRACE LIGHTMAN – FAULTLESS – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

A year after releasing her debut single “Vapour Trails,” Grace Lightman returns to bless our ears this 2016 with “Faultless.” The London singer, who I previously compared to British icon Kate Bush, continues to have the voice of an angel on her latest offering. Built around an elegant, ambitious orchestral production, over which her fasletto dulcet tones glide, “Faultless” truly makes it seem as though the gates of heaven are opening before you.

MIESA – TOO BAD FOR YOU – CURATOR ROBER DUFFY

TIDAL endorsed Miesa taps into an emotion that most of us can relate to on her latest single “Too Bad For You” – heartache. “I can't love you/I can't need you” pines the 24-year-old New Jersey songstress on the old-school R&B piano ballad, channelling Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton as she goes. “I don't want your love around anymore.” Pass the Kleenex.

LOYAL – HOUSE FOR YOU

After bringing the vibes last year with “Blue & The Green,” enigmatic London six-piece LOYAL return this 2016 with “House For You.” Building on the house atmospherics of their debut single and anchored by a thumping, four-to-the-floor beat, the melancholic, propulsive banger is the perfect addition to any post-club playlist.

YUNA (FEAT. USHER) – CRUSH

Ahead of the release of her third album Chapters, Malaysian native Yuna sets hearts aflutter this May with her latest single, “Crush.” Featuring the one and only Usher, the song is an affectionate love letter to old-school R&B that recalls Sade and Aaliyah. “When I was recording my new album, I had this one song and I had an idea” revealed Yuna. “We sent it over to him and we didn't hear anything back for like two months. And then I got an email from him and it was a recorded song of him on the song already, all mixed, all done.”

GORGON CITY (FEAT. TINK & MIKKY EKKO) – IMPAIRED VISION

Having teamed up with BitCandy favorites Vaults on “All Four Walls” in March, Gorgon City return this month with another must-hear collaboration. The latest installment from their upcoming album Kingdom, “Impaired Vision” features Timbaland protégé Tink and Rihanna associate Mikky Ekko and is a cinematic, atmospheric deep house anthem that yet again proves Gorgon City are the most eclectic, unpredictable producers in the game.

RJD2 – THE SHEBOYGAN LEFT

Philadelphia producer RJD2 celebrates the release of Dame Fortune with a video for soulful album highlight “The Sheboygan Left.” Directed by Keenan Parry and Danny Rogers, the clip finds dancers Anna Sekan and Adam Dickerson running through the New York City Subway, chasing a colorful burst of gas. As life-affirming as the instrumental itself, this is sure to put a smile on your face this Friday morning.

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Thanks for listening, chillheads! Until next time! x

“Photo” by Mike Giles is licensed under CC0 1.0 (cropped and resized).

About Jess Grant

When Jess Grant isn't writing on music, she can be found playing it – on her guitar, on her ukulele, and on her recently acquired mandolin. Playing it hideously, she ought to add. Jess also studies. She studies the English language, to be precise. Jess is currently on her way to a degree in the subject, and enjoys starting and never finishing novels, screenplays, and poetry in her spare time. She also likes dogs. Lots of dogs.