TOP TRAX | 14th June
Yes!! It's my favourite part of the week where I get to showcase some tunes that Forged in Neon could NOT get enough of over the passed few days. As always it's eclectic and driven by taste and whilst that is subjective I'm sure you'll find something to your liking!
Forged in Neon's ethos is to support the Artists, if you like a track buy it, stream it, share it! As we start to see slivers of daylight poke through this cavernous mess of the last 12 months Artists still need your invaluable help so lets give it to em!
So...who made the top dawg spot this week? Let's dive right on in and find out!
Absolute Valentine & Powernerd
Cyber Ravage | You've no choice but to lay down and let this track take you lets be honest. It's Cyberpunk with a side of beefy beats. 2 minutes in it takes you on an altogether different route before you're invariably slapped again, genius!! They say its "the beginning of a very dark and beautiful relationship" and I don't disagree! Full EP out via Lazerdiscs on the 23rd July be sure to pump it up.
Shades of Thunder
How loud is your love (with Jan Johnson) | Retrowave realness for your stereos. It skips and weaves around your eardrums and it very pleasant to listen to for sure. Hard to believe but this is only their 2nd single with the outfit having signed to Outland Recordings within the last year. Jan herself is a legendary songwriter and collaborator and is best known for her work with the world’s top trance music DJs and producers like Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk and Tiesto.
Released on the 11th June you can own it NOW
PYLOT
Brawl | The UK Maestro excels again in this absolute masterclass of production prowess. Every track tells a story and this one is no different as it develops a narrative, a moment in time relative to his leading character and his fight for survival!
I urge you all to stream/buy it, I'm sure you'll love it just as I do!
LAU with Zak Vortex
True Colours | A moodier re-imagining of Cyndi Lauper's original hit of the 80's. We seem to be in an age recently where cover is king and when done great it can breath new life into a track we thought lost though to be fair it's a fine line. LAU's vocal delivery is as always powerful and the pulsating synths and guitars from Zak Vortex add the perfect Synthwave elements to reinvent this classic for new audiences. If you know the original or not this deserves a play!
INEXEDRA
ALIVE | Masterfully weaving together elements of cyberpunk, psytrance, and synthwave with nuanced, progressive song writing, Inexedra sets a new standard for retro-futuristic electronic music. It's not the first time he's appeared on my Top Trax lists and I dare say it wont be the last either. I could have chosen any one of the tracks of this phenomenal album 'Retrohack' but I chose this vocal piece as his voice though not heard quite as often is beautiful and suits the mood perfectly.
Honeybeard
The Shores of Acherusia | Appearing on an Album just released by Retro Reverb Records this track is a new offering for this Retro Reverb Compilation only. The track was arranged and composed by Tom Bell one half of the powerful duo and it's a soaring instrumental effort that deserves a play. Fans of Honeybeard would expect the lead Gary Conlon to punctuate the soaring synths with his melodic vocal but he's taken a back seat on this one and why not! The Synths sing in this one and with Tom as the conductor thats fine by me!
Listen/Buy here
㊘ FORGED SINGLE OF THE WEEK ㊘
⇩ ⇩ ⇩
ROXI DRIVE
Dancing with me (with Laser Club) | Roxy Drive pulls up to your bumper with an 80's fused energetic dance floor number that will make you shake that booty or your money back! It more than harks back to that Golden Age we love were the air was scented with V05 Hairspray and all your drinks came with teeny tiny parasols. It's boundless energy coupled with the beautiful retro sounding stylings of Roxi's vocal make this an undoubted fav and worthy of my Forged Single of the week!
⚡CONGRATULATIONS ROXI⚡
Support your favourite Artists and share their work. YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Curated Spotify playlist all my favourite Top Trax this quarter at the end of June.
Vol 1 - Jan to Mar 2021
Brand New Podcast Episode now live: