BEST CHILL SONGS – WEEK 10

With everyone right down to our so-called “President” running their mouths on social media, it can often do us good to step away from our screens and focus our energies elsewhere. As March brings with it warmer temperatures, why not put your news feed to one side and instead remind yourself of the stuff that really matters in life, like spending time with friends, family and, of course, top music?! If you need help with that final part, then We Are: The Guard has, as ever, got you covered. Featuring Nicolas Haelg, HOWLING, Chrome Sparks and more, we hope that the following edition of Best Chill Songs helps you to pack in the positive vibes this weekend!

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LINCOLN JESSER – RIGHT BY YOU

If Justin Bieber was to write a deep house song, it'd probably sound something like “Right by You” by Lincoln Jesser. And we mean that as a compliment! The dance-inducing latest offering from the La Quinta producer undeniably carries that same vibe as The Biebs circa Purpose, with its upbeat spread of summer-ready beats accompanied by a crystal clear vocal performance from Jesser.

GANGLY – WHOLE AGAIN

GANGLY, the Icelandic trio comprising of Jófríður Ákadóttir, Úlfur Alexander Einarsson and Sindri Már Sigfússon, return with yet another slow-burning slice of electronica. “Whole Again” is an ethereal ballad-of-sorts that hears Ákadóttir's Björk-esque vocal lilt set against a backdrop of haunting chimes and rolling basslines. “I interpret the song as being about sheltering a loved one who has a broken wing,” says Einarsson of “Whole Again,” which comes paired with a video directed by Máni Sigfússon. “Just trying to help them survive.”

NICOLAS HAELG – SEDUCTION MAGNET

Okay, so we're two years late to the party, but that doesn't make Nicolas Haelg's “Seduction Magnet” any less, ahem, seductive or magnetic. The Swiss producer sets temperatures rising with the deep house instrumental, which hears Haelg pair almost funky guitars with the kind of beats that are made for summer nights spent getting hot and sticky with the one that you love. Oh, the only catch?! To listen to the full thing, you need to head over to Spotify, but trust us when we say that it's totally worth it!

LIDO – DYE (MOSSY. REMIX)

Having recently impressed us with his debut single “Warpaint,” enigmatic producer Mossy. continues to build on his promise with his reworking of Lido's “Dye.” Featured on Lido's recent album Everything Remixed, it's an experimental, beat-driven interpretation that's almost unrecognizable from the original, with Mossy. – who describes his music as “the sound of trees melting” – managing to deliver a version that's at once vibrant and ambient.

DENM – GREEN (NIKLAS IBACH REMIX)

“Green” by We Are: The Guard favorite DENM gets a deep house makeover courtesy of German producer Niklas Ibach. It's no secret that we're big fans of the original (we did release it on our label, after all!), but Ibach's groovy, melodic take on the Dreamhouse love song has totally won us over, with his intricate guitar lines making for a perfect accompaniment to DENM's husky vocals. P.S. For more DENM remixes, check out Dreamhouse (The Remixes) on Spotify!

POOLSIDE – EVERYTHING GOES

Los Angeles duo Poolside return with their first single of 2017, and it's completely beautiful. Entitled “Everything Goes,” the uplifting number finds Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise teaming up with a cellist to deliver a five-minute slice of so-called “daytime disco” that leaves you smiling from the inside out – a feeling that we could all do with in this current political climate! “If you've seen us DJ the last few years you've heard 'Everything Goes' – we play it every set,” write Poolside on SoundCloud. “We worked with a cellist on the song and it was fun trying something different.”

HOWLING – PHASES

Stop everything that you're doing for the next eight-and-a-half minutes because HOWLING – the supergroup-of-sorts comprising of Âme's Frank Wiedemann and The Acid's RY X – return this 2017 with “Phases.” The first single to be unveiled from their forthcoming second album, it's an immersive, dynamic electronic masterpiece that finds RY X's aching vocal chops paired with Wiedemann's throbbing production, resulting in a veritable banger that makes for a perfect addition to any post-club playlist!

CHROME SPARKS – WAKE

Ahead of his appearance at SXSW next week, Brooklyn producer Jeremy Malvin, aka Chrome Sparks, has shared “Wake.” Opening with a sparkling synth line before exploding into something that can only be described as euphoric, Malvin tells THUMP that he wrote the blissful electronic instrumental in a secluded cabin in Upstate New York (Bon Iver who?!): “Not having the usual outlets for my pent up social and physical energy was a welcome challenge. The ecstatic synth stabs at the climax embody this need to get out and flail my arms around and scream, a therapeutic move I often employ when I see fit.”

BROOKER – PATIENCE

In November, Brooker stole our heart with “Secret,” and this month, the British songstress returns with her second offering, “Patience.” Combining the soulful vocals of Brooker with an understated set of beats, “Patience” is an old-school pop-meets-R&B ballad (does anyone else hear Christina Aguilera?!) that once again has us totally head over heels <3. “The track is about an experience I had starting something with someone I kept being told not to, and the back and forth that goes on,” Brooker tells The Line of Best Fit. “I am a very impatient person and can be very spontaneous in everything I do, including relationships.”

LAINA – HERE'S TO YOU

Are you ready to hear something completely breathtaking?! Introducing German chanteuse Laina, who's rendered us almost speechless with her latest single “Here's to You.” A simplistic folk ballad that finds Laina resting her gentle dulcet tones against a bed of fingerpicked acoustic guitars and very little else, “Here's to You” is songwriting in its purest, most delicate of forms, and we can't get enough.

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Have the best weekend ever! x

“Photo” by Cory Bouthillette 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.