Stuck In My Skull 566 -- "Telephone Banking"

Song: "Telephone Banking" || Artist: Clean Bandit feat. Nikki B || http://youtu.be/GeynVBZjls8 ||

Comments: Hello, everyone! For today I've got an incredibly catchy song by Clean Bandit. This song was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning, and it's unlikely to be going anywhere. I can't get enough of the main synth line, and the rest of the song is just the perfect accompaniment for that beat. As usual for a Clean Bandit song, this track makes really great use of strings to bring the rest of the song together. Definitely give this song a listen if you haven't heard it, and be sure to like us on Facebook! Enjoy the day!

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Stuck In My Skull 565 -- "Miami Showdown"

Song: "Miami Showdown" || Artist: Digitalism || http://youtu.be/jfMdV-SE2bs ||

Comments: Hello and happy Monday, everyone! After a lovely week off, Stuck In My Skull is back and at it again! Today's song comes from German duo Digitalism, and may be familiar if you follow the American TV show Person of Interest. It's got all the hallmarks of a down-tempo chill track except the feel, in which it's much harder than I usually associate with chill tracks. It's got a really excellent synth bass line driving the song that's incredibly catchy, and the rest of the song hits all the right notes to play off that bass. The song is short and sweet and excellent. Give it a listen, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 563 -- "Adagio for Strings"

Song: "Adagio for Strings" || Artist: Tiesto || http://youtu.be/8tIgN7eICn4 ||

Comments: Hello, everyone! To all of you who, like me, had trouble getting out of bed this morning, this track is for you. It's a fast-paced, pulse-pounding, day-starting nine seven-and-a-half minutes of awesome. This song is on of my favourites from what I think of as 'old' Tiesto, the tracks that I listened to when I was first getting into electronic music, and the songs that really made me fall in love with trance in general and Tiesto and particular. It also was one of the first songs I heard that showed me how much fun you can have remixing classical music -- Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" in this case. All these years later, I still think it holds up. Apparently I'm not the only one -- in early 2013, readers of Mixmag voted this track the second-best dance song of all time. Give this song a listen, and you'll know why.

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Stuck In My Skull 558 -- "Begin Again"

Song: "Begin Again" || Artist: Knife Party || http://youtu.be/MQPK4q488c0 ||

Comments: (This entry is going up early, as I missed Wednesday and I will be exceptionally busy tomorrow. I think this track is worth it, though.) Hello, everyone, and happy Halloween for those of you who celebrate it! Holiday or no, strap yourselves in, because today's song is amazing. Seriously, it's been a very, very long time since I've been dancing in my chair at a song. I'm hoping just as hard as I can that this song ends up getting radio play, because it deserves to be sitting at the top of the charts. I can't say enough good things about this track. It's got a fantastic beat that's closer to house than dubstep, It's got just enough vocals to weave the song together. It's got a bridge that blows me away. Knife Party has not just scored, but knocked this one out of the park. Give this song a listen, and you won't be sorry. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 556 -- "Toothless Hawkins (And His Robot Jazz Band)"

Song: "Toothless Hawkins (And His Robot Jazz Band)" || Artist: Varien and Razihel || http://youtu.be/zG28TM7rKOs ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday, everyone! For today, I've got a song that I can only describe as 'funky.' The minute I heard of this, I immediately thought of DJ Abso-Newt-ly. Since this track was released off the Monstercat label -- a personal favourite of his and mine -- chances are good he's already heard it, but it's still a song I know I need to write about. Honestly, it's just that good. It's as funky as funky can be, with an excellent beat that makes you really want to dance, and some entertaining lyrics to keep you smiling. It's got more than just a rhythm, it has a groove. Check this song out, folks, you won't be disappointed. Have a fantastic weekend, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 555 -- "Surrender"

Song: "Surrender" || Artist: Cash Cash feat. Julia Michaels || http://youtu.be/K22v4xolOsc || 

Comments: Hello, everyone! I've got a shiny new track by Cash Cash for today's entry, and let me tell you now, this one is epic. I heard this song on the radio driving into work yesterday, and new that I absolutely had to share this. I stumbled upon Cash Cash when I saw their remix of Krewella's "Alive," but they've been doing plenty of work since that time. They've co-written Krewella's track "Live for the Night" and remixed for the likes of Capital Cities, Clean Bandit, Nicky Romero, Icona Pop, Hardwell, and even Katy Perry. With a record like that, perhaps it's not surprising that this song is excellent. It's nearest to the labels 'electrohouse' and 'progressive house,' and I'll be shocked if it doesn't chart fairly soon. The song has some really excellent beats that drive the energy, and unbelievably catchy vocals by an uncredited singer -- Wikipedia lists this excellent voice as Julia Michaels. Definitely check this song out, it's fantastic.

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Stuck In My Skull 550 -- "Self Destruct"

Song: "Self Destruct" || Artist: Pegboard Nerds || http://youtu.be/lWDnwTsdtaw ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone! Today's song is one of those tracks that I keep hearing crop up in mixes and sets and never quite pin down which song it is. It's got one of those tunes I always recognize but never identify. Thankfully, that period of wondering is over! I was listening to some insanely long mix on YouTube yesterday and found a very excellent tracklist in the description, and was finally able to put a name to a tune. This song is exceptionally upbeat and uptempo, alternating between a cheerful electro-influenced chorus and some very clean drops that really complement each other. Pegboard Nerds is a name I keep hearing, and deservedly so -- this song is really excellent. The Scandinavian duo has a few songs for download on their Facebook page, Speaking of Facebook pages, make sure you like ours, and enjoy the song!

Edit: I finally figured out what song of theirs I've heard before. Their song "Bassline Kickin" was on Expedition, the album that their label Monstercat was giving out some time ago. That's why I keep thinking I know Pegboard Nerds, because I do! Definitely worth checking out.

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Stuck In My Skull 549 -- "Rise and Fall"

Song: "Rise and Fall" || Artist: Adventure Club & Krewella || http://youtu.be/_y8p6uQDH4s ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone! Today's song is a collaboration between two of my favourite artists, and it's double the awesome. From the sound of it, the vocals on this track are Krewella while the instrumentation was provided by Adventure Club. It's got the signature noise of Adventure Club, at least, and there's no doubt that the vocals are the Yousaf sisters. This song is amazing, from it's calm start through to the chorus and the absolutely amazing drops. If you haven't heard this, you're missing out. Go listen, now. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 548 -- "Mozart's House"

Song: "Mozart's House" || Artist: Clean Bandit || http://youtu.be/rd0cT7Dnpt8 ||

Comments: Hello everyone! Today I've decided to put the dubstep on the shelf and talk about what fun you can have when you mess with classical music. One of the first electronic music songs I really fell in love was Tiesto's "Adagio for Strings," the trance remix of the string classic by Samuel Barber. Fast forward a few years and I still enjoy classical remixes. This one in particular is excellent, fusing Mozart's "String Quartet No. 21" with some funky electronic goodness that reminds me strongly of Royksopp. The vocals here are provided by friend of the band Ssegawa Ssekintu, who does a really excellent job of delivering the words and wordplay that make this song really pop. I nearly used this song for Entry 529 but decided to focus first on the Clean Bandit song that was then getting radio play, and so it's long overdue that I mention this song. Give this song a listen -- I think you'll love it. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 546 -- "Begin Again"

Song: "Begin Again" || Artist: Knife Party || https://soundcloud.com/steve_0h/knife-party-begin-again ||

 Comments: Good morning everyone! Today I've got a leaked track from Knife Party's upcoming album. Giving credit where credit is due, I out about it via Facebook on this site. This track is definitely different than the Knife Party I'm used to, but I have to say that I'm really enjoying it so far. It's much lighter and less aggressive than most KP tracks, and the vocals are really the driving force behind this song. It feels much more electro and much less dub to me, but that's okay! All in all I think it's a great song, and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming album. Give it a listen, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 542 -- "Shatter Me"

Song: "Shatter Me" || Artist: Lindsey Stirling feat. Lzzy Hale || http://youtu.be/49tpIMDy9BE ||

Comments: Hello, everyone, and happy Wednesday! If you live in the US, hopefully your Labor Day went well. I know mine did! I rather unexpectedly slept in until nearly 11 AM -- a rare treat in my life. To make up for missing Monday, I'm hoping to blow you away with a really excellent song. I'm a bit behind the times with this one so some of you have probably heard it, but I think it's still worth posting. For today, I'd like to talk about the title track and second single from Lindsey Stirling's second album, Shatter Me. It features vocals from Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, and I have to say that they're fantastic. I'd never heard of Halestorm before this, but after seeing this video and watching the behind the scenes videos (yes, plural -- one for the studio and one for the video set), I have to say that I'm definitely agreeing with Lindsey and becoming sort of an "instant fan" of her work. This song is slightly less violin-focused than some of Lindsey Stirling's other hits, but more than makes up for it by putting just the right amount of instrumentation and emphasis in all the right places. I mean, seriously, a violin dubstep drop? I just can't get enough! The lyrics are excellently written -- there's no evidence at all that this is Lindsey's first time writing lyrics. While the drop is definitely Lindsey Stirling's take on dubstep, the rest of the song carries strong pop overtones, and to my ears what is a strong rock feeling, no doubt complements of Lzzy Hale's influence. Call it whatever you want, the song is fantastic and the video is just as good. Go watch it, and remember to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 540 -- "Resistance" [Free Download!]

Song: "Resistance" || Artist: Knife Party || https://soundcloud.com/knifepartyinc/reistance ||



Comments: Hello wonderful readers! I hadn't originally intended to do two entries in a row of free music, but I discovered this song yesterday and absolutely couldn't let this opportunity pass. I've been a fan of Knife Party for awhile now, both their studio work and their live sets. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've put their Ultra 2013 set on and gotten a solid hour of work done. With that in mind, I was ecstatic to hear that their newest song is out and available download from the Knife Party website for a limited time. It's an excellent track, with some really amazing drops and some fade effects that remind me of trance for some reason. It's got Knife Party's signature aggressive bass and beats but feels like "LRAD" in that it's not as aggressive of a track as some of their other songs like "Destroy Them with Lasers" or "Power Glove." Either way, I absolutely love it. Give it a listen and download it while you can! Don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 539 -- "Youth (Adventure Club Remix)" [Free Download]

Song: "Youth" || Artist: Foxes || Remixing Artist: Adventure Club || http://youtu.be/2XG_0iV2B40 ||

Comments: Hello everyone! Let's get your week started off right with an amazing remix of an amazing song. Foxes -- mostly recently famous for being the vocalist on Zedd's track "Clarity" -- put together a pretty excellent song that Adventure Club got ahold of and somehow managed to make better. This song sits somewhere between dubstep and chillstep, being slow and calm but not quite as mellow as what I would normally call chillstep. It's got Foxes' eerily good vocals perfectly complementing an excellent drop and some truly gripping instrumentation. I originally stumbled onto this song when I saw it on this a popular YouTube channel known for its excellent taste in free music. There's currently no download link to the song by either Foxes or Adventure Club so I don't feel comfortable providing a possibly dangerous link to a download site from here, but I will say that it's fairly easy to find a download if you just Google the song. (Do this at your own risk. Again, I can't find an official download so it may or may not be piracy at this point.) Whether you want to download it or not, definitely give this track a listen. It's amazing.

Update: Nevermind, there is an official download link. Click here! You'll have to like Adventure Club on Facebook to unlock the download, but it's official and it exists! Speaking of Facebook, make sure to Like us on Facebook as well!

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Stuck In My Skull 538 -- "Wasted"

Song: "Wasted" || Artist: Tiesto feat. Matthew Koma || http://youtu.be/AmEIemQfk34 ||

Comments: Good morning everyone and congratulations! It's Friday and the week is almost over! Today's song has been a recent favourite of mine, and been stuck in my head since someone mentioned it in conversation last night (I have the most interesting conversations sometimes...) I've been a huge Tiesto fan for years -- I can honestly say that while Tiesto wasn't the first electronic artist I found, he was by far the one I liked the most in my early days of exploring EDM. To this day, I still absolutely love trance, and I think Tiesto has done an excellent job of diversifying into house and other genres of EDM. Matthew Koma is another favourite of mine -- I've really enjoyed listening to songs he's been involved in since I first heard him in "Years" by Alesso. He's been really active in the last two years. Glancing at his Wikipedia page, he's been working with big names like Zedd, Hardwell, and Afrojack in addition to Tiesto and Alesso. Putting these two artists together on one song is bound to have excellent results, and it does. "Wasted" is an upbeat ear-worm that'll get stuck in your head and stay there, with a fantastic beat and lyrics I can't stop singing. Give it a listen and enjoy this song kick-starting your weekend.

Have you liked us on Facebook yet? If not, you should like us on Facebook. And here's that link one more time: Our Facebook page.

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Stuck In My Skull 536 -- "Apollo"

Song: "Apollo" || Artist: Hardwell feat. Amba Shepherd || http://youtu.be/q8kUckZ15fE ||

Comments: Good morning and happy Monday, everyone! I don't know about you, but I was not ready for the weekend to end. So if you're like me and need a pick-me-up to get the week started on a high note, turn up the volume! Today's song is from Dutch producer Hardwell featuring vocals by Amba Shepherd. If that name rings a bell to you, it's probably because her career has been full of huge songs. She first gained major recognition for being the vocalist on Porter Robinson's breakout song "Vandalism," a long-time favourite of mine featured back in Entry 181. This track is an upbeat masterpiece that took my crappy Monday and turned it around, and I think it can save yours too. Give it a listen!

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Stuck In My Skull 534 -- "Beam Me Up"

Song: "Beam Me Up" || Artist: Cazzette || http://youtu.be/mp-IZEFqrG0 (official video) || http://youtu.be/8pwv3g5D3b4 (lyrics) ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone! I've gotten a handle on last week's crazy computer problems, at least to the point that I have a stable working environment, so it's high time to jump back into the music! For today, I nearly wrote a duplicate entry. I was going to write on "The Hardest Mistakes" by I See Stars, before remembering that Amanda covered it last April. No wonder it sounded familiar! Instead, I've got the breakout track of Swedish EDM duo Cazzette. To borrow a term from DJ Abso-Newt-ly, this track is a banger. Stupidly popular and absolutely fantastic, this song is epic. It's got a blistering house beat complemented by a really excellent dubstep bridge, and the whole song is glued together by an exquisite vocal performance. Try as I might, though, I could not manage to find the identity of the vocalist. If any of you readers know, pretty please chime in here or on Facebook and let us hear it, I'm absolutely dying to know. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 533 -- "Buzz"

Song: "Buzz" || Artist: Above & Beyond Presents Tranquility Base || http://youtu.be/eprS9GmNzMg ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday, everyone! To get the weekend off right, I've got a truly excellent trance track for you. "Buzz" is an up-tempo number with pulsing bass and a catchy synth line that really makes you want to get up and dance, and I could listen to this all day. The artist here -- as best I can tell from the Wikipedia article -- is a side project of the well-known electronic group Above & Beyond, famous for producing a long list of singles and a particularly excellent remix of Motorcycle's "As the Rush Comes." There are numerous versions and mixes of this track, including the 'Buzztalk Mix' released a year after the original. Listen to a few and see what your favourite is. Be sure to like us on Facebook, and have a great weekend!

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Stuck In My Skull 531 -- Unrelease Zedd Track "Scorpion Move" and Krewella Vocal Edit (Downloads inside!)

Song: "Scorpion Move" || Artist: Zedd || Vocal Edit Artist: Krewella || Original: https://soundcloud.com/dubstep/scorpion-move-by-zedd || Vocal Edit: https://soundcloud.com/krewella-media-music/scorpion-move-zedd-krewella ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday everyone! Hopefully you've all had a lovely week, I know mine has been a little crazy. I'm still on a dubstep kick, but I found out last night that Linkin Park dropped a new album while I wasn't paying attention last month, so my dubstep kick will be coming to an end shortly. Check back next week and I'll dish the dirt on the new album.

To wrap up this week, let's jump into it with some excellent music. Today's track is one that I've been holding onto for far too long. To put a scale on just how long I've had this song in reserve, it came out on Krewella's Troll Mix Volume 2 (hour long amazing mix, free download here), and Krewella just released Troll Mix Volume 13 a month ago. Back on Troll Mix Volume 2, they dropped an unreleased track by Zedd called "Scorpion Move" (top soundcloud player, free download). It's an amazing track, full of all the right synths and wubs. It's really, really great, and it's going straight to my workout playlist. I'm shocked I didn't think to look this up before now.

Not satisfied with just dropping an unreleased track by another major artist, Krewella did us one better, and dropped their own vocal edit. Oh man, is this edit something else. I'm insanely sad that this isn't a free download as well, but I'll get over it for the sake of how good this song is. Krewella's vocals and edits are the perfect accompaniment to Zedd's fantastic instrumentals, and come together to make a truly exceptional track. Give this a try, be sure to download the original Zedd track, and check out the Troll Mix that I linked while you're at it -- all of these are amazing, and you won't be disappointed. Be sure to like Stuck In My kull on Facebook, and I'll see you next week!

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Stuck In My Skull 530 -- "Faded" [Free Download!] and an update!

Song: "Faded" || Artist: Mt. Eden || https://soundcloud.com/mtedenofficial/faded ||


Comments: Hello everyone! I was originally going to write this entry on Mt. Eden's "Silence" remix, before realizing that I'd covered that song back in Entry 432, which I've updated with a download link. Lately I've been on a pretty massive dubstep kick. For me, that means I'll create a new playlist in my media player of choice (currently Foobar2000 or Clementine on Windows, and Clementine on Linux -- what can I say? I like opensource) and drag all of the artists I think of as 'dubstep' from my library into the playlist. Among those artists is Mt. Eden. Every time I drag them into a playlist, I'm pleasantly surprised when a drum and bass song slips in -- "Faded." Somehow, I never remember that Mt. Eden does more than just dubstep. And that's a shame, because they do it well. Both this song and it's later "2009" version are excellent tracks, full to the brim with adrenaline. Seriously, if you have a work out or a pump up playlist, this belongs in it. And best of all, like most of Mt. Eden's tracks from their days before signing to Ultra, both versions are free downloads! Enjoy!

Make sure to like us on Facebook, and let me know what you think of me posting so many Soundcloud/download links!

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Stuck In My Skull 529 -- "Rather Be"

Song: "Rather Be" || Artist: Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne || http://youtu.be/m-M1AtrxztU ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday everyone! Let's talk about Clean Bandit. I heard this song on the radio not long ago, and knew the moment I heard it that this was a fresh sound that I was absolutely in love with, and I absolutely had to look this song up. After I did, I spent multiple hours listening to a playlist of Clean Bandit on repeat, and I had really, really hard time picking which song I wanted to use for today. In the end it was a toss-up between this track and "Mozart's House." "Rather Be" won, but just barely, and both songs are excellent. For that matter, I've yet to encounter a Clean Bandit song I haven't liked, but I'll restrict my focus to this track for the sake of writing this entry. As of the time of writing, this song has been on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for five weeks, and is sitting at #32 after making a pretty huge jump up from #51. At the risk of sounding like a pop station, I really think this could be the song of the summer. It's a light, refreshing track with an addictively-funky sound, and it's nothing but awesome. The British electronic music quarter has put together a truly amazing track with some of the best instrumentation I've heard lately, mixing dance-inspired rhythms with classical strings and a floating, whimsical keyboard that really makes the track click. Fellow Brit Jess Glynne brings the song together with beautiful, soulful vocals. Honestly, this is one of the best songs I've heard in awhile, and I can't get enough. If you haven't heard it, check it out! If you have heard it, listen again, and enjoy! Have a good weekend!

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