The Sounds of Summer, Pt. 2: Faves From Snails, Wax Motif, Klingande and More
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As badly as we don’t want to admit it, the spicy summer season is coming to a close. While you don’t have to deflate your pool toys just yet, it might be time to put a cork in what was truly an epic few months in the sun. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite DJs in the field to see what their top three tracks have been this summer. With lists from artists like Snails, Wax Motif and Klingande, dive headfirst into this second installment of our comprehensive summer soundtrack from the world’s top selectors.
Snails
Snails Excision & Space Laces “Bounce” (Destroid 7 VIP)
I use this track to transition from dubstep to D&B. This is such a massive song that gets the crowd going every time.
Yogi ft. Pusha T “Burial” (Skrillex & Trollphace Remix)
This is a really bouncy track that’s already become a classic. I’ve been playing it every single show, and the crowd reaction is always nuts.
NGHTMRE “Street”
This is just a crazy song that kills whenever I play it. It’s like the 2.0 version of my track “Wild.” I love NGHTMRE. He’s an amazing producer, and everything he does is on point. Big ups for this one, Tyler!
Wax Motif
Ghastly “Bitch You Ghastly
It’s such a banger. Using the OG Maco track “Bitch You Guessed it,” Ghastly combined it with a nasty-as-F drop perfect for giving the crowd a boost of fresh energy.
Tchami “Afterlife”
Been playing this every set since it came out. Its brooding intro section is really good at resetting the vibe and injecting that euphoric moment into the set.
Cause & Affect “Get to the Chopper”
It’s a weird song the first time you hear it, but it grew on me so much it ended up becoming a staple of my set. It’s so unique in the sound design and can be easily mixed in and out of. I’m also a huge Chris Lorenzo fan.
Klingande
Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ “Lean On”
This track is, of course, the anthem of the summer everywhere. The structure of this song makes it unique and really powerful!
Michael Calfan “Treasured Soul”
Michael Calfan came back with something between progressive house and the deep melodic vibe, which is a mix between genres I played everywhere this summer. Love it!
Sam Feldt ft. Kimberly Anne “Show Me Love”
A great re-edit of this song by my mate Sam Feldt. I heard it everywhere, and it brings so much energy. Great track!
Alex Metric
Groove Armada “Love Sweet Sound” (Kolsch Remix)
This has definitely been my guaranteed dancefloor dynamite record over the summer. Absolutely never fails!
Kane West “Mexicans”
One of those tunes that stands out a mile from everything else. I was kinda nervous the first time I played it, as it’s such a unique-sounding track and could have gone either way. But again, it’s never failed and will be in my box for a long time yet!
Everything Everything “Distant Past” (Alex Metric Remix)
This has been a staple part of my sets all summer, and I always look forward to dropping it. Works great at festivals and clubs. I’m really proud of this remix!
MaRLo
MaRLo ft. Jano “The Dreamers”
It’s my latest track with my wife Jano, which has been a big highlight moment in all my sets lately. It’s got that subtle, melancholic vibe with a sense of hope. It’s especially meaningful to me because my wife and I wrote the song together. I know that we are the dreamers.
Menno de Jong “Abhyasa” (Alex di Stefano Remix)
This one has sort of been growing on me. I started playing it out and am noticing now that it somehow manages to fit into every set, no matter the set time. It’s the type of techy trance I really like: driving beats with heavy bassline and clean production, but still with a super epic melody in the breakdown. The big, swooping LFO synth before the climax of the track is also a great moment to interact with the crowd.
W&W & MOTi “Spack Jarrow”
Great festival party track! It’s got that typical, super clean and super loud W&W production quality to it with that summer festival MOTi influence—all done with a Pirates of the Caribbean-style, dramatic film score-like melody to it. It’s one of those tracks that just works at a festival to get the crowd jumping. This is not one for the armchair at home whilst sipping a cup of tea. This is a raw, jump-around-and-go-crazy-with-your-friends type of track.
Vicetone
Vicetone ft. Kat Nestel “Nothing Stopping Me” (Oli Hanson Remix)
This remix of our track “Nothing Stopping Me” won the remix competition. We love the feel-good melody and good vibes in this one!
Little Boots “No Pressure” (Vicetone remix)
We loved working with the vocals of Little Boots. This track is made with the summer and beach in mind!
Zedd ft. Jon Bellion “Beautiful Now”
Love the happy vibe of this one, and Jon sounds amazing on this record!
Ookay
Moksi “The Dopest” (Cesqeaux Remix)
This song has become a staple in my sets as of late. It’s hard not to move when you hear it.
Justin Jay “Hit It”
I got a chance to play this in Ibiza, and it got the floor moving hard! Such a tough beat!
Boaz Van de Beatz ft. Ronnie Flex & Mr. Polska “Partymad”
This entire song is just awesome. My dad called me just to ask me what it was because he loved it. This song is dad-approved.
AK1200
Drumsound & Bassline Smith “Sunset Boulevard (Don’t Make Me Wait)”
I don’t get to play many lush tunes in my sets, but this one was too good to ignore. Proper ‘70s vibes here and everything you want in a summer tune. The horn riff is as infectious as they come, with rolling beats and a little old-school vocal rounding this one out perfectly.
Noisia & the Upbeats “Dead Limit”
This one is nothing short of explosive and crushes the floor every time I have played it. What else would you expect when you pair up two of the biggest crews in modern D&B? This tune is pure adrenaline from start to finish, and should come with a health warning to those with a weak heart.
Break ft. Singing Fats “Free Your Mind”
It goes without saying that Break is one of the most consistent producers in the history of drum & bass music, and this tune is no exception. Enlisting help from the legendary Fats, this one is perfect for summertime. The catchy intro with a ragga vibe makes it a nice, easy mix; then Break unleashes a full-fledged assault on the sound system with beats so sharp and bass so heavy you just may have to tap out.
Nora En Pure
Given that my own sound is always quite summery, I had most sets filled with my own music. Following are some of those that have had the best response from the audience and fit in so well with various sunset set times.
RÜFÜS “You Were Right” (Nora En Pure Remix)
Robin Schulz “Sugar” (EDX Remix)
Nora En Pure “Saltwater”
MOGUAI
Few Nolder “IF”
It’s been in my playlist for a while now, and it’s always guaranteed to work. When that bassline strikes, the crowd goes absolutely insane every time!
MOGUAI ft. Cheat Codes “Hold On”
For me, this is the best mixture between deep house and indie dance, and it works great in clubs and at festivals.
Watermät & MOGUAI “Portland”
Already an evergreen in all my sets, and a crowd-pleaser in every way. Club or festival—it doesn’t matter. “Portland” is one of those tracks that makes me feel like summer!
Dash Berlin
Martin Garrix ft. Usher “Don’t Look Down” (Dash Berlin Remix)
Such a feel-good tune by Garrix & Usher, so I gave it a Dashy twist in the rework, and man, did it rock the shows this summer.
Dash Berlin & Ellie Goulding “Take Me to Church” (Hozier Cover)
Still undiscovered by many people, but this is actually the sensational Ellie Goulding singing this fan-tas-tic cover of “Take Me to Church.” It brought people to tears on the dancefloors this summer.
Lost Frequencies “Are You With Me” (Dash Berlin Remix)
The original was and still is a huge worldwide hit this summer for Lost Frequencies from Belgium. I injected it with some Dash horsepower and bam, the rest is history, as they say. 🙂
Tony Quattro
Alina “Puta Que?”
Dembow reigns supreme in the NY streets, especially during the sweltering summer months, blaring out of cars and ghetto-blasters. I can’t remember how I came across this one, but it’s been on repeat ever since.
Branko ft. MC Bin Laden & Marginal Men “Louca”
Baile funk just sounds better in warmer weather! Branko dropped this one for free ahead of his new album, Atlas, and I’ve also been listening to this on repeat ever since. Super-funky, hard-hitting vibes with some seriously inspired percussion.
Falcons ft. A-1 “Boss Mackin’”
This tune and the whole EP have been on heavy rotation for me all summer. I worked closely behind the scenes on it (won’t divulge, but rest assured—it was NOT in any ghostwriting capacity), but regardless, I definitely would’ve gravitated toward it and played it as much as I currently am now. Squaaad!
Curbi
HI-LO “Wappy Flirt”
The groove in this track is awesome. I specifically love the old-school elements and how he has worked with the acid-style synth and transformed it into the classic HI-LO style. Big favourite track of this summer!
Jauz & Ephwurd “Rock the Party”
There’s so much energy in this track, which is what I really love. I really like the synths they have used, as well. They cover a wide range of different harmonics, which is really special.
Pep & Rash “Red Roses”
Insanely groovy and heavy track at the same time. It’s a club-smasher and an overall very good production!
W&W
W&W “The One”
This is one of our favorite summer songs because it captures the vibe and essence of the summertime. It is a great peak-time melody that crowds immediately recognize, and it just gets everybody moving as soon as the song kicks in. This is absolutely a mainstay in all of our sets. The way the melody and vocals build into the drop never fails to get people chanting along and enjoying the vibes all around them.
Andy Moor & Somna ft. Amy Kirkpatrick “One Thing About You”
Two of our favorite producers in dance music right now are Andy Moor and Somna. They both brought it in big for this AVA 100 release. There is no surprise the song was supported by every top DJ in the industry and topped the charts when it was released. Amy’s vocals float beautifully over the textures Andy and Somna created on this one. When the lead melody kicks in, it just carries you somewhere euphoric. We love playing this one during our sets and watching how it just draws people in. Andy’s Eco-Mix [is] a great club alternative of the song as well.
Antillas ft. Anki “If I Run” (Venom One Remix)
There is no surprise why Armin van Buuren featured this song in his ASOT at Ushuaïa, Ibiza 2015 compilation and gave it so much support during his shows there. Venom One took this amazing production by Antillas & Anki to another level. The song captures you with Anki’s powerful and catchy vocals, while the melody builds up into a huge drop with a powerful and beautifully crafted lead. This song has been a feature in our summertime sets and is the one song we go to when we want to pick up the pace and the energy of the crowd. All of the ASOT listeners recognize it and get so excited. It is definitely a great feeling that this song invokes.
Gina Turner
Gina Turner & Tony Quattro ft. Keeon “Top Cat”
This exudes “summer fun in the sun” to me! When I close my eyes, I imagine myself DJing this track on a beach, drinking a mojito.
DJ T “All Night”
I have been bumping this track ALL SUMMER LONG! We all know how summer nights get!
Sam Smith “Latch” (Acoustic Live)
This isn’t exactly new, and of course I love the Disclosure version too, but it has absolutely been my track of the summer. It’s so nice acoustic! It evokes an emotion in me that I have been missing for a bit. It lifts up my heart!
Redondo
Format B “Chunky”
We’ve been playing this tune since the start of this year, but we happened to continue that process during the summer, simply because this track works magic on the dancefloor.
CamelPhat “Constellations”
This is an old-school-sounding track with a massive melody and is great to play at any moment during a club night or at a festival. We have a collab track called “Paths” coming up with these guys in November, so good times ahead!
Eats Everything, Tiga & Audion “Dancing” (Again!)
Eats Everything always delivers the greatest beats, and this one is just like that. Awesome vocal with a massive buildup and drop. Loving this one a lot.
Autoerotique
Jack Ü & Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now”
Everyone loves to hate on this song. I, too, hate the Justin Bieber of yesteryear that we all were forced to digest, but what we have here is the good stuff from Skrillex and Diplo with a garnishing of Bieber that is so catchy, your dog already fetched it twice and is sitting at your feet, looking up asking, “Please throw it again!”
Valentino Khan “Deep Down Low”
I’ve been supporting Valentino since before radar was invented. We’ve always stayed close with each other and consistently trade music back and forth for months (sometimes years) before release dates. When he sent me “Deep Down Low” way back when, I simply replied, “I’m jealous.” I still am.
The Weeknd “I Can’t Feel My Face”
The Weeknd has come leaps and bounds in the last 16 months. He’s gone from writing ideas that sound sexy to formulating proper songs that are perfectly crafted and tightly refined. I think it’s undeniable to suggest that he hasn’t put a pin in 2015 for everyone else while he goes ahead and debuts at #1 on Billboard.
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