It’s that time of the year when everyone is slowly finishing exams and summer is fast approaching! As we all shake off the weary shackles of education and work for a few months (for us students anyway) there’s always those few songs that have you winding down the windows in your car and blasting them out as your soundtrack to the summer. Previous entries into this sun drenched hall of fame include MGMT’s massive ‘Kids’ (especially the genius soulwax remix), hands in the air dance classic ‘Show Me Love’ by Steve Angello and Laidback Luke and last years main contender Skreams remix of ‘In For The Kill’ by La Roux; the track that allowed dubstep to explode onto the scene that year. So without further ado I give you the tracks that will be rocking Flip! BBQ’s this summer:

1. Tame Impala – It’s Not Meant To Be

What better way to start than with a flashback to the 60′s. Describing themselves as trance/physcedelic/big beat and hailing from the most laid back of land masses; Australia, these guys have summer tattooed across their faces. They first came to light last year with their track ‘Half Glass Full of Wine’ which appeared on the last Soulwax cover CD for Mixmag. After that they sat in the dark, waiting for the sun to return and writing their debut album; ‘Innerspeaker’ which you can grab right now! The first single to be released is a track called ‘Solitude Is Bliss’ but for me ‘It’s Not Meant To Be’ is the stand out track and will hopefully get a release soon. Combining dreamy pop vocals and a lo fi production that makes it sound like it was recorded in their back garden, I’m finding it hard to keep my head in the naughties. Check it out on their MySpace here and join me in a bit of “happy soul wandering” as the band themselves put it.

2. Example – Kickstarts

Next up in this sunny soiree of artists is UK rapper come Electro Pop artist Example, with his latest offering; Kickstarts. Produced by Sub Focus and going straight to number 3 in the UK singles chart, Example has clearly stumbled across the formula for a cracking summer anthem. Funnily enough it has a similar synth lead line to  MGMT’s kids, one that you can “du du du” at the top of your lungs with all your mates around you. If that’s not enough to get this track downloaded straight away, or you’re more of a serious dance head then check out the amazing remixes by Bar 9, Fenech Soler and Afrojack which will meet the needs of anyone into Dubstep or a bit of Jump up House. The Bar 9 remix even comes with it’s own official video which is just as good as the original and shot in a similar style to Romain Gavras music videos (think Justice and the shocking new MIA video). The single is out now, so head over to Example’s MySpace here for info on where to get it, tour dates and all sorts of goodies.

3. Rusko – Hold On

For those of you who crave another bass infused track to sing along to at those summer parties this year never fear, Dubstep giant Rusko has come along and made this beauty of a song. Featuring Amber Coffman on the vocals it’s a step down from the Leeds born producers normal hyped up party anthems (search ‘lick the lizard’ in youtube for a great example of how crazy he can be). Yet with some gentle breezy synths combined with the vocals and garage style rhythm it’s gonna be great to take it down a notch and relax to whilst you wait eagerly for a sausage or a burger. If you can’t get enough from just the single his debut album; ‘O.M.G!’ is available from all the usuals and if he’s playing at a venue near you soon, get there at all costs, he puts on one hell of a show.

4. Fake Blood – I Think I Like It

Take a track from the height of the disco era (this one to be exact), chop it up, then put it back together in an order that makes everyone on the dance floor perform the craziest sing along ever. That’s the exact formula that Fake Blood must have followed when creating this slice of modern day disco. No stranger to making summer smashers Fake Blood tore apart festivals in 2008 with his massive track ‘Mars’, ‘I Think I Like It’ is set to be just as successful. The track was released last year and after working up a storm across in the Netherlands, it got an official re-release along with the ‘Fix Your Accent’ EP that it’s taken from, via Herve’s ‘Cheap Thrills’ Label. The whole EP is definitely worth a buy as all three songs on it are massive! Head over to his MySpace to keep up to date with all bloody happenings.

5. Swedish House Mafia – ONE

So the sun is setting on your chosen festival/party and it’s time to set the music off epic style and rave the night away. If you find yourself in this situation across the summer I can guarantee that at least one DJ will let this banger end the night in style. Consisting of House renegades Steve Angello (of ‘show me love’ fame), Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell, the Swedish House Mafia have crafted a track that might muster an audience reaction similar to that of Adagio for Strings by Tiesto. Despite DJ’ing together and hosting arenas and nights for several years, ONE is the first official release from the guys and if they carry on this way then we can expect huge things. The track starts with a techno vibe, a pulsing kick drum and simple lead riff and then suddenly … hands in the air moment … the trance chords kick in and you can almost see the lazers! Clearly produced for arenas and not laptop speakers it needs to be heard live to be fully appreciated, so wherever you’re sunning it up over the next few months make sure this is played at some point and play it loud.

So there you have it, five tracks to grab and blast out throughout the summer whilst you cram your face with burnt sausages and drink plenty of alcohol