Stormby - I Can't Stop (Loving You)

Restraint.  That's the first thing that comes to mind when listening to this track.  The restraint and patience that Stormby had creating this track is Herculean.  The slow, deliberate pace of the song pulses and throbs until the end never feeling like he wanted to get ahead of himself or the track.  You never feel rushed or like you're being forced to finish.  You just take your time and savor and luxuriate in every second of the song.  Much like how you feel when you're in love.  When you're wrapped up in it with everything you have, you never want it to end.

You're immediately my friend when you throw a sax into any track and his use of that glorious horn in this song elevates it to new heights because of how it punctuates the beats and rhythm.  The song has a very 90s club feel to it and I think that era of music produced some stellar tracks so if he was paying homage to those producers and divas of the time, he hit it right on the mark.  This is a track that would slow the dance floor down into a sweaty, sexy mass of bodies just living for the moment.

Stormby is a favorite of ours around here and a good friend so it's incredible to hear great tracks from him as often as possible.

Daniel Oliver - Dj Blow My Speakers (Stormby Don't Stop Mix)

Elevation.  That's what Stormby does.  He takes an already amazing song and takes it to a higher place.  He has this way with manipulation of beats and synth and all the parts and pieces in between to make a song even greater.  In his latest mix, he takes Daniel Oliver's "DJ Blow My Speakers" from a super catchy dance pop song and creates a serious club banger.  He's pumped up the bassline with the equivalent of audio steroids and has fleshed out the backing track while making Daniel sound even better.  I think he could remix anything and create something new and fresh.  I hate to be this guy because normally I find myself on the side of the original source material, but I think that what Stormby has done here trumps the original.  Check it out and give me your thoughts.

Ninthwave Records - Kiss My Lipstick Off (Track-by-Track)

This album does something incredible.  It takes these 11 songs that shouldn't work together and by the sheer nature of the project they all come together into this amazing compilation of anthemic empowering songs that will have you bouncing along before you know it.  This album could easily be imagined as a fall fashion line.  All the tracks have their own individual style and work great on their own but bring them all together and you have something more powerful and the individual parts.  I am a fan of everything about this album; the songs, the track order, the selection of artists... all of it.  I don't think a better album could have been created.



1.  "Kiss My Lipstick Off"
Georgia Haege of Liquid Diet kicks off this incredible compilation with the scorching title track, "Kiss My Lipstick Off".  It's an incredibly cheeky single and the perfect way to let you know what's to come in the next  40 minutes.

2.  "You Can Always Come Home"
England's Synthpop duo, Spray pick up the reins next with "You Can Always Come Home", an awesome reminder that no matter where you are in your journey there will always be a place for you.  The song kind of lampoons itself with a bit of sarcastic wit and self deprecation that adds a sense of honesty and it doesn't matter if things are the way they should be or if life has just given you the boot, there is a place for you.

3.  "Twisted"
Producer extraordinaire Stormby is up with "Twisted" featuring the vocals of Roz.  This is his second release with Roz and it's brilliant.  Much like "In Dreams" both producer and vocalist use their amazing talents to produce a track that for lack of better words, leaves you twisted.

4.  "XTC"
Liz Primo takes the album up a notch with this track.  The bass line throbs and pulsates behind her super sexy voice.  There's no way you're not moving along with this track.  It's a helluva dance track that adds a sense of danger to the album.  I have come to believe that's Liz's middle name, Danger, because she has a quality to her music that is a bit unsafe, like a bit of rough trade.

5.  "Next To Me"
The song that I want to play for the person I decide to spend the rest of my life with brings the album back from being dangerous follows Liz and reminds us that even a 20 year hiatus can't stop the magic that is Nathalie Archangel.  Her voice is as solid today as it was in the 80s and I feel as critically acclaimed as ever. This song is the musical equivalent of sitting on a porch swing with your love drinking coffee on a Sunday monrning.

6.  "Make You Sorry"
In what starts as a ballad-y type of track, Swedish rocker Teresia quickly throws that notion away and cranks up the revenge machine.  Karma is a bitch and now so am I because you pushed me to it.  The lyrics are as sharp as the blade she used to pop your tires and you better just back away slowly before you make it worse.

7.  "Baby, Run! Run!"
Another entry into the "Get the hell out of here" section of the album, Carina Lirola  is just giving you a friendly piece of advice and it's to your benefit to just run.  The amount of synth in this song is incredible.  It's Dale Bozzio meets Julie Brown and it's gorgeous.  Probably one of my favorite tracks on the album.

8.  "Rise of Venus"
Girl power reigns supreme on this track.  It's one part new age meets one part synth with a bit of astrology wrapped up in a neat little package.  This is Chelsea Chavis' first commercial release and if she continues this way, it shouldn't be her last.  With artists like Sky Ferreria, Grimes and Charlie XCX paving the way, Chelsea has an awesome place waiting for her. I could easily see her sharing the stage with Neon Hitch, in a very gypsy style concert like Nomads across America.

9.  "Frozen People"
We'll take a bit of gypsy pop and throw some glitch and wub in it to create something new with Doomsday Affair's addition to the album.  It's a bit dub and it's brings a bit of darkness with.  I am a fan of Darkwave and Olivia has a bit of Ellie Goulding to her voice that is totally set off by the strings and the electronica.  I am a fast fan of this group.

10. "Yesterday's Tomorrows"
My favorite chanteuse is up next and it's gorgeous.  I love Jane Badler and this mix, "Stormby's Drama Mix" takes a brilliant single and amps it up to Alexis and Crystal levels of drama.  Jane has such a presence to her that just draws you in and demands your attention.  When she takes the stage, you will watch her because she is dazzling.

11.  "Bubblegum"
The album comes to a close with Jamie Lovett's ode to being done wrong.  But it's not a cry in your drink song.  It's empowered and it's a bit angry and it's a great way to close things out.  I really dig her voice and want to hear more from her.

Kiss My Lipstick Off is available at all major music outlets or you can pick up the individual singles on Amazon or iTunes.  I say get the whole damn thing because you will be entertained from start to finish.  This is probably going to go into heavy rotation in my library because it all just works together in an incredible way.

Stormby (feat. Roz) - In Dreams

I was totally asleep when this dropped.  Stormby just has this ability to take anything he touches and turns it into something amazing.  This song sounds great small and I am betting it sounds amazing being pumped through a huge system.  Roz's voice is amazing and the production is brilliant.  It never feels heavy or over worked.  It is just light and bobs along while keeping you totally interested.  That's one of my biggest issues with a lot of dance music, it is so repetitive that I just lose focus and don't care.  Stormy has yet to lose me yet.  He is working non-stop right now creating new music every day and I can't wait until we get to hear what comes next from him.

Lauren Ray - I'd Lie

Lauren Ray has gone country! This girl can do anything at all. Her voice is so strong and sultry malleable quality to it. She has seamlessly and flawlessly transitioned from darkwave to country and she sells it without any issue. You'd think she'd been singing this genre for years but from what I understand, this is her very first foray into country. I think that makes this song so much more incredible because this is such a new experience and you would never know otherwise. The production is brilliant thanks to Stormby's deft hands behind the boards. You really need to get on board with this girl so that when she is a mega star, you can say you knew her when. If she continues in country, there is no way that she couldn't easily stand up beside Miranda, Carrie or Taylor because she's that good.

Jane Badler - Yesterday's Tomorrows (Stormby's Drama Mix)

What happens when you take an amazing song and give it to an amazing producer to remix it?  You get something brand new and super exciting.  I have talked about how Stormby has an uncanny knack of knowing how to accentuate a voice or even a nuance in a song.  What he's done in this mix is take the preexisting level of drama the song already had in droves and send it soaring through the roof.  There isn't a moment where he overshines Jane and everything he's added cradles her voice and opens the song up to a whole new audience.  The addition of the strings and the rapid fire percussion just take the song to a whole new level.  It's an amazing mix and I can't stop listening to it.

Lauren Ray - You Just Don't Know

What we have here is the emergence of a new artist and you are on the verge of her rise. Trust me, the combination of Lauren Ray and Stormby are going to take the music scene by storm (No pun intended). Her voice is so strong and has such a depth of character that keeps Stormby on his toes. She absolutely kills this track. When the chorus breaks in, I was like...whoa, settle down there. She increases the power in her voice and just entices you that much more. There is a smoky-ness to her voice that adds a level of maturity that I think makes her capable of sharing the stage with Cheryl or Alexandra Burke. I know that she is just coming up in the clubs but if she keeps putting out tracks like this, I think she has a great future in store. It's also another notch in Stormby's ever growing belt of successes. I think the production on this song allows Lauren to shine and doesn't hamper her in the least. There are some producers that have a habit of wanting more of the limelight than the artists singing on their tracks and I think that is more detrimental to the song than a bad mix. If this cut of the song is this good, I can't wait to see if he releases any dance mixes of it. I am ever becoming a bigger and bigger fan of his work because he knows what he's doing.

Lauren Ray - Say Goodbye

If the sum is greater than the parts, what happens when the parts are just stellar.  Lauren Ray is a new artist from the UK and she is currently working with some of the most creative producers in the business right now.  In a stunning new genre being called folktronica ("A bit melancholic with electronic influences" - says producer Stormby), Lauren has a command over the elements like someone that's been singing for years.  "Say Goodbye" is atmospheric, melodic and a bit noir.  It's got a darkness to it spun together with an ambient chill that just wraps around you and holds you as the song unfolds.  Lauren's voice is the perfect compliment to the melody and the beats and I don't think this song would do nearly what it has the power of doing with someone else's vocals.  She has a very strong command of her instrument that is paired equally with Stormby's track.  Without the slow melodic course he lays down, this track would have no direction.  It would simply spin out of control.

In the world of producers, he has quickly become someone that I look for to make incredible music and I have yet to hear a misstep from him.  He has an understanding of how things need to fit together musically and it is clear he can see what's coming because he has a manner of changing and shifting whenever he needs to.  I have more that I am going to be posting about him in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.

So yes, the sum may be greater than the parts, but these parts live in such harmony with each other there couldn't be one without the other.