Tinashe & Ekali and Charlie Puth

Today I have some music for you by a DJ who played a wicked set at SXSW. This song is originally a cover by an R&B artist, however, has been remixed by the one and only Ekali. The R&B vocalist is one who really knows her own voice and style, and makes for such a good piece to remix.Tinashe is a fantastic singer who definitely captures the more seductive elements of R&B music. But what she does with this cover is take a rap song and turn it into something that is more on the slow jam side of things. I know it is more common to have rap songs turn into slow jams, but Tinashe does a really good job of remaking this Drake song. What is more, is that her rendition of the song makes for a fantastic remix as well. Which is why today I have an incredible remix of the song by Ekali. This remix is one of those that can take a slow jam and exponentially change how seductive the song is. Ekali is the kind of DJ who likes to stick with more chillstep vibes, the kind of electronic music that is not really considered EDM, but still falls within the realm of electronic music. With this song we get the low bass and slow beats that add that chilled out vibe to the song. I really like how Ekali added this trombone or brass blast as part of the percussion. That's something that you don't really expect from music like this, but it sounds really great added in. Now Tinashe has a good voice for a mix like this. She sings with more vulnerability and emotion thrown in there, with moments of explosiveness which taper off to gentler and softer vocals. The buildups are sculpted around those more intense vocal moments, the ones where we hear Tinashe really belt out the words. This is a totally different feel from the original song, but I really like the way this one sounds and feels. It is incredibly smooth and washes over you. This is a song that I love jamming out to when it is dark outside or while driving at night. It just has that unique sound that makes it perfect for when the sky is gloomy or gives way to the moon and stars. Tinashe and Ekali turned Drake's song into something incredible sensual and seductive, but I love this version so much! I really do want to hear more collaborations with Tinashe. Her voice is absolutely great for chillstep vibes and of course I highly recommend that you all check out Ekali's other work because it is fantastic. Today's instrumental song is by Charlie Puth, one of my favorite vocalists of recent times. This song is one that is not typical of a pop singer in terms of musicality. But I really like the way Charlie Puth produces music outside the box of what is deemed "radio" worthy. This is actually one of my favorites from his album for a few reasons. But the main reason is the sheer musicality of the piece. The opening is very acoustic guitar heavy, as are most of the remaining versus. But the smooth transition into something that has this interesting twist on tropical sounds is absolutely phenomenal. I love the way Charlie Puth wasn't afraid to combine more acoustic beach sounds with something that is what everyone thinks the beach already sounds like. I also love the particular musical line during the second chorus when this higher pitched melody swoops in. I think this is a synthesized version of Charlie Puth singing the notes, but either way I love the way it makes the song more soulful. And that is what really makes this a powerful instrumental. There is so much longing and soulfulness from the music alone. Even without the words I get this understanding of hopeful longing and that is just beautiful I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!