Dreams

"Up is the only way out."

Photo by Ahermin

A little over a year ago a friend of mine changed my life. During a music-sharing Skype session he sent me a handful of beautifully uplifting, synth-heavy electro songs that sounded unlike anything I had ever heard. He told me they were examples of a genre called Dreamwave, and that he had found nearly all of them from a blog called Binary. Binary quickly became my favorite music blog, while the music it featured ultimately became the soundtrack to all my sunny days. What resonated most with me—how Binary spoke to me—was the blog’s acknowledgment of and attention to the emotional nature of music. That is, how music makes you feel. I had never seen a blog present music in such an intimate way; I was used to reviews that spoke a little of the artists and the technical aspects of the song at hand. Never had I seen a review concerned more with emotional interpretation than technical aesthetics. Finally, the girl who had always been a little over-enthusiastic about her latest favorite song had found someone else who really got it. Eventually by virtue of chance, luck, or perhaps fate, I found myself a part of the Binary family. But even though I work closely with the label today, I am first and foremost a fan, and consequently still feel the same sense of excitement and inherent camaraderie I felt in the early days following my introduction. Essentially, it’s a music love affair.

Futurecop! - Dreams (ft. Keenhouse) by Binary Records

I therefore find it only appropriate that today, Valentine’s Day, I can share my love of Binary with you. Binary Records have given us quite the present, considerably more enduring than chocolate or flowers. Today Binary has given us the label’s first release in six months. Ushering in the grand resurgence of the label/collective’s publishing department is the Dreams EP, brought to us by Binary cornerstone Keenhouse, as well as London's Futurecop!, making their first appearance on the label. Both acts are major players on the feel-good-electronica scene, and their combined talents have produced one of the most anthemic, joyous pieces of music I’ve heard of late. The production, melody, and structure are top-notch; they mark a new level of maturity for the artists, as well as the label itself. Dreams, with it's infectious chorus, seems destined to be my, your, our new favorite song. I think it’s impossible to listen to without feeling amazing. And after all, that’s what music should be about: feeling amazing. So, on this Valentines Day, whether you are with a lover or alone, put this on and I guarantee you’re going to walk a little taller. After all, up is the only way.

Stream the original mix above, and buy it for yourself on iTunes.
Look below for a free remix (in 320 kbs) by SoCal's Ride the Universe, courtesy of the generous guys at Binary.

Dreams (Ride the Universe Remix)--Futurecop! (ft. Keenhouse) *320



*Thank you to photographer BJ Enright for the introduction to what is now not only my favorite label, but also more or less a way of life. BJ is getting married this summer, and I would like to wish him and his beuaituful fiancée that absolute best Valentine’s Day imaginable.