Hania Rani – F Major

Hania Rani

Polish pianist, composer and singer Hania Rani just released her second album, Home, of soothing melodies, with its centrepiece being the relaxing F Major. Although not very famous –yet–, her first album, Esja, was widely successful and won her several awards in her home country.

F Major is a great piece but equally great is its accompanying music video, which you can watch below, in which Hania plays the piano against a stunning Icelandic backdrop.

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Gareth Emery – Long Way Home

Gareth Emery

Gareth Emery is a British Trance producer and DJ who has won prestigious awards and released multiple studio albums. Within the DJ/Trance world, he’s as well-known as somebody could get, but not necessarily outside of it. Besides, even if you had heard of him before, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss Long Way Home, because it is so good, that I simply had to add it to the Electronic Mixtape even though it was released six years ago. No doubt about it.

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Marga Sol – What I Long For

Marga Sol

Marga Sol is the official resident DJ at Buddha Bar, Santorini and her music has been featured in thousands of compilation albums, including Buddha Bar and Ministry of Sound. In spite of all that, I wasn’t aware of her existence until I heard this track –What I Long For, from her 2019 album: Coastline– on an AI-generated playlist from one of the two major streaming services. It is possible something similar is happening to you now.

This is a great chill out tune that I would love to hear while sipping a cocktail in Santorini or the Balearic Islands. Sadly, we’ll have to settle for listening to this song at home during the Covid-19 quarantine. Thank you, 2020.

@margasolmusic #margasol #chillout

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All Time Low – Glitter & Crimson

All Time Low - Glitter & Crimson

All Time Low is as popular as a punk rock band can be nowadays. I’m posting this well aware that most people will know who they are. That being said, the track from their new album (Wake Up, Sunshine) I’m recommending here is not even being mentioned –let alone promoted– as a potential future single and is, in my opinion, the best one on the record. It would be a shame if the band’s casual listeners didn’t get a chance to hear it. Give it a listen.

For a review of their 2023 single Tell Me I’m Alive, click here.

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Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles

Yosi Horikawa

*Drawing made by Okamura Yuta.

Yosi Horikawa‘s Bubbles has been featured on the popular series of Chill Out compilations: Café del Mar, so it isn’t exactly unknown. However, most people have probably never heard of either this track nor the Japanese composer, which is a shame because Yosi Horikawa is one of the most original artists out there. Just listen to Bubbles below to see why I honestly believe that.

Also, do yourself a favor and listen to it using headphones or some good speakers. It takes the experience to a whole new level because of something called stereo imaging.

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Sheppard – Come Back

Sheppard - Come Back

Sheppard is an Australian band that reached an international audience in 2014 with their hit Geronimo (highly recommended if you haven’t heard it). So far, they have been unable to match that success with their subsequent releases, but they got a good candidate in “Come Back”, which is part of their attempt in 2020 to release one new song each month.

Give it a try below (and of course, it has been added to the Indie and Pop Mixtapes already) but be warned: this track could cause Last Song Syndrome. Listen to it at your own risk.

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The Mowgli’s – Wasting Time

The Mowgli's - Wasting Time

I’m going to kick things off with this cool new song from The Mowgli’s, released earlier this year.

Although the Californian band, which is named after a former band member’s dog that was, in turn, named after the character from the famous Rudyard Kipling’s novel The Jungle Book, cannot be considered an unknown act, they’re certainly not mainstream yet. If “Wasting Time” is any indication of where the direction they are heading to, then that’s likely to change soon. The song’s chorus cannot be any catchier.

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