Illyus & Barrientos Get Glamorous With Their Top 10 Diva House Tracks

Illyus & Barrientos

Feb 6, 2020

Glasgow-based duo Illyus & Barrientos dive into 10 of their favourite diva house tracks — anthemic, loud and unapologetically feel-good.

Today, we’re delving into the world of vocal-laden dance music. It sometimes feels like the DJs of today still have this innate fear of playing tracks with big vocals in the clubs. We, on the other hand, absolutely love it. Vocals have always been such an essential part of the house music history, so what changed? For us, it gives our sets the energy lift, gets people singing, and, more importantly, it feels like fun! We’ve picked out 10 amazing vocal-based club tracks that will help you get over your fear of the voice.

Illyus & Barrientos’ new single “Promise” is out now via Toolroom Recordings.

Illyus & Barrientos – Promise

Okay, so we had to include in our track, but only because we absolutely ADORE this vocal! Our singer Sian-Lee did so so well with this, and we’re proud of the energy she created for this song.

Riva Starr – Feel It

This is undeniably one of our favourite tracks to play out in the club! The beats are hard, and the vocals are the highest of energy. What else do you need?

Oliver Dollar – Soundcheck Feat. Seven Davis Jr.

SDJ’s voice is so unique, and I love the way Oliver worked his vocals on this record. Scattered with some FX, it really works with the instrumental.

The Vision – Heaven Feat. Andreya Triana (Mousse T. Remix)

Andreya’s voice has always blown us away ever since we heard her on a Bonobo track years ago. In this disco context, she fits PERFECTLY!

Cele – 1,2,3

This isn’t quite ‘DIVA’ vocal – but the vocal is the driving force of this track. It’s sleazy, sexy and keeps you grooving.

Dennis Quin – So Far

Circus always put out these absolute gems tracks with really unique vocals (think Nasser Baker, Say Something) that are irresistible, and work supremely well on the dance floor. This is our go-to track right now.

David Penn – The Power Feat. Roland Clark

We know for a fact David is a vocals lover! He’s just like us. Ha! He’s created such a beautiful groove in this track using a real nostalgic house feel. Plus, he’s got a legendary vocalist, Roland Clark, to do his thing – and it works tremendously well.

Illyus & Barrientos – Red

This is our surprise underground hit ‘Red’ for Mother Recordings – it’s amazing to see how many people request to hear this record wherever we DJ! Some RnB heads may recognize that vocal, but we got this sung by a fantastic jazz singer from Glasgow called Georgia Cecille.

Alaia & Gallo – Call Your Name Feat. Love

More of a progressive vibe than usual from A&G, but they worked this vocal so well, that it’s still a style of track we play out all the time.