Slackin Beats is from Malmö, Sweden, and has evidently ingested whatever it is that’s added to the water in Sweden that seems to give an inordinate percentage of its music-makers an unexplainable grasp for perfect pop sensibility. Raghd, who lends vocals to Slackin’s production here, is also from Sweden, and clearly also has the Swedish gift. “With Me” borrows elements of 2-step, breakbeat, house, 2000s electro, and whatever else works — woven together effortlessly to create a perfect piece of hybrid dance pop.

A song like this reminds me just how much good music still flies under the radar without ever garnering the attention it deserves. In another configuration of the world, songs like this would get sustained promo, proper radio push, placement, etc., but instead, it’s up to outlets like mine to contribute a tiny bit towards spreading the word. It’s out now on streaming platforms, and on bandcamp.

Slackin Beats & Raghd – “With Me” (sc)

PAPA Sound, the Swedish duo composed of Teddybears’ Patrik Arve and songwriter Paulo Albo, have been steadily releasing dancehall collaborations with the likes Wayne J, Prince Icomstan, Royal Payne, among others. For “Money” the duo teams up with the legendary Macka Diamond (aka Lady Charm/Mackerel, of “Tek Con” fame), to great effect. Nice to see Macka on a collaboration like this–and I hope the lyrics have the intended manifesting effect–Macka has always deserved plenty more shine, especially internationally.

“Money” is available to stream now anywhere you do that sort of thing.

PAPA Sound x Macka Diamond – “Money” (sc)

A sweet slice of pop from former Smooth Ends frontman, Franco-Argentinian and London-based Kevin Erlicher, aka Loverground. Consistent with his background in cognitive neuroscience, “How U Feel” asks us to think about what we really have to worry about when we’re preoccupied with a new object of affection. It’s a great song to distract you from the kind of circular thinking that obsessive desire can create. It reminds us we have more than we could ask for–that sometimes we just need to take a moment to chill and let ourselves feel our feelings.

“How U Feel” is out now on Nice Guys. You can grab it on bandcamp, or stream it wherever.

Loverground – “How U Feel” (sc)

Sometimes the simplest expressions of love are the most enduring. When my wife scratches my back without my asking, the way my dog looks at me inquisitively when he’s wondering if I’m ready to play, the texts I get from my oldest friend fearful of the latest impending world catastrophe, when my father-in-law makes sure we have the right coffee in the house when my mother-in-law is coming to visit.

Lyrah‘s “Hold Me” feels like it’s about two people waiting for the point when they can trust in those seemingly minor expressions of trust in one another. That point in a relationship when there’s already a real familiarity, and each is gently testing the other to feel them out a little more carefully than they bothered to initially. In and of itself, the song gets close to encapsulating the tenderness of a moment like that.

Lyrah – “Hold Me” (sc)

Next in our submissions series is Berlin-based producer, CEE. Best known for his work with Berlin dub mainstay Al Haca Soundsystem, his latest solo effort features vocals from Shrii and Rider Shafique (whose name you may recognize from a prolific string of collaborations with the likes of Sam Binga and The Bug). “Watch” is a slow-roller, evocative of mid-era Massive Attack, or perhaps more fittingly, Modeselektor. The latter comes as no surprise, as CEE has previously released on Monkeytown and has collaborated on releases on 50weapons with Phon.o. The single is out now, and can be picked up on bandcamp.

CEE – “Watch” ft. Rider Shafique & Shrii (bc)

I’ve also included two songs from one of CEE’s side projects, Bass Sekolah, both recorded as a part of a series of collaborative sessions that took place while CEE was living in the Berembun jungle in Malaysia.

Skinnerbox & Bass Sekolah – “Where The Rivers” (bc)

Housemeister & Bass Sekolah – “Die Zirpe und der Frosch” (bc)

As I’ve been resurrecting this old gal, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the fact that I continue to get a lot of really high quality submissions. Even after only a few months of writing here again, I’m already a bit flooded. So I thought it would be a good idea to start a new feature that highlights some of the best submissions I receive in my mailbox. If you’d like to submit music, you can still reach me by the old methods, but if you want to make sure I manage to listen to your music, a better way to go is to reach out via Submithub, where I will listen to everything that gets sent my way.

To start things off, I recently received this song from Athlymn. With a sound that is both metropolitan and natural, it’s fitting that Athlymn turns out to be a British expat now living in the Catalonian mountains. This song nods at 90’s euphoric brain dance and lofi techno, while also maintaining a friendly and approachable sound of its own. It reminds me of being antsy to get outside the house without having anywhere particular to go. It would probably work just as well for those walks to the corner store as it would for taking a hike in the beech forests of el Hayedo de Jordá.

Athlymn’s other work flirts more with rave, breakbeat, and dub techno, but this is the one that grabbed me most. Have a listen to the rest of his catalog on bandcamp. He tells me he’s got new music coming out this summer, so keep an ear out for new things from him if you enjoyed this.

Athlymn – “Contextual Dub” (bc)