What I've Been Listening To This Week: 30/06/13

Whereas last week was a whirlwind comedown from the madness of Download Festival, going through a little selection of chillout tracks after the shock and awe of Rammstein and Slipknot, this week I've been rocking out to stuff that's a little more upbeat! With songs coming from our wonderful 'Glastonbury In The Office' playlist, alongside rediscovered favourites, pop hits and a sparkly new gem, here are 5 songs that have snagged my ear this past week. As much as its possible of trying to accuse myself of deliberately picking out 'trendy' songs, given my eclectic tastes that's probably not that likely to happen and so if I plug it, I love it, simples! Enjoy!

Danny Byrd - Planet Earth
Mr Byrd's latest album came out to much acclaim and aplomb this week and having given it a listen, I'd have to say that its fairly excellent, a heady mix of influences and styles wrapped in his trademark party style Drum & Bass. But since Spotify doesn't help on my commute, I've been cracking out some of his previous efforts from Rave Digger and I realised quite how much I love this track. With all the bells and whistles of a proper 90's banger, sped up and fed over an acid influenced bassline, the tune is the aural equivalent of a day-glo coloured cocktail, set on fire and downed. Mental, but brilliant!

Enter Shikari - Sssnakepit (Hamilton Remix)
Standing on the Piccadily Line trundling across the city I chucked on Hamilton's reworking of the monster original and was instantly reminded why I love it so much. Shikari themselves do a live version of this before their standard version of Sssnakepit when they play and the song bristles with dark, menacing energy that gets you thrashing around the pit at festivals, (while subtly shaking those hips on the tube!) Not afraid to deliver the angry vocals and shouts of the original, the end result is heavy, but laced with groove at everyturn and is definitely worth a little love.

Icona Pop Feat. Charli XCX - I Love It
From dark bass to the most unashamed dance hit of this Summer, I Love It is a perfect anecdote to the stodgy RnB that inhabits much of the UK's top 10 spots. A beautiful, lyrical cry for individual expression and self worth amongst the blandness of much of the charts, wickedly infectious bassline and electro tinged glamour make this a wonderful feel good hit. But unlike a lot of mainstream music, Icona Pop have captured something lacking elsewhere.For them it's not about the celebrity driven, media fuelled hype of showbusiness you should aspire to, or the VIP passes and champagne. I Love It is for the wierd kids, the ones who can't 'dance sexy', the real geeks, and it encourages you simply not to give a fuck. For that, it's brilliant.

DJ Marky & S.P.Y - Yellow Shoes (Calibre Remix)
Sometimes, I do try and find at least a smidgen of class in my music, and luckily this tune, both in its original form and the deep soulful remix come with bucketloads. Slowly rising on the cautious, catchy piano riff that lures you in, the track then drops into a delicate, precise beat over which the soft toned synths and variating riffs can interweave and tangle. The song even sounds rather 'yellow' to me, though I'd love the opinion of anyone with synesthesia on this subject, it evokes warmth and softness in my mind,a  comforting streetlight glow. Check it out, it's rather gorgeous

Ellie Goulding & Madeon - Stay Awake
The reason I finally got myself a Beatport account, this song is a departure from most things that either artist has really done so far, yet manages to draw on their signature flourishes throughout the song. Ellie's vocals soar above a lucid, elegant introduction before the song goes full electro party mode, with an oh so slightly slowed DnB beat supporting a full range of Madeonesque synths. Where Goulding is able to develop this even further is by bringing her classic emotional pull even in her simplest melodies and drawing you into the heart of this song, in wonderful style.