More versatile than even the trusty roller, love bangers are universal.

They can be found in any genre from any era. They’re the tunes that make you swoon or smile. Tunes that fire you up with the power of a thousand fuck-offs. Tunes that remind you of a special person or place.

Tunes like the ones we’ve asked 12 bangersmiths from the heavier and darker end of the bass spectrum to pick as we mark this novelty romance day.

From Benny L and Mefjus to Aweminus and Funtcase via Current Value, Stompz, Teddy Killerz and The Upbeats, Forbidden Society and a bunch more, here are 12 completely different takes on the universal power of a love banger. German hip-hop, 50s soul, Dillinja bangers. This list has it all…

 

Aweminus

Netsky – I Refuse

“After careful consideration I’m going to say Netsky – I Refuse. I’m only saying this because I’ve probably listened to it more than all the other songs I was thinking of putting. Also, it reminds me of being a teenager and how awesome and new electronic music sounded to me at the time. Another runner up is The Growlers – Someday. There are just too many romantic bangers out there man.”

 

Benny L

Dinah Washington – What A Difference A Day Makes

“I really like the 50s sound, the timbre of the vocals and the way it glides over the music and the gaps and delivery in the start. It’s just beautiful. Propper classic, this. Definitely one for the aisle.”

 

Conrank

Kove – Searching

“I remember playing a D&B night called Syndicate at Dada Bar in Beijing quite a few years back, the place was absolutely rammed and the vibe was just insane. My mate Alex Blackie (DJ Blackie) and I were absolutely in love with this track and I think we did a lil back-to-back at the end of my set, he dropped Searching and the place absolutely erupted. It’s one of those insanely beautiful but heavy tracks that fills your soul. I kinda feel the same about all the tracks I picked, you can’t help but smile while also dancing like a lunatic, and probably trying to hug someone in the process. It’s just good old bassy love in a nutshell.”

 

Current Value

Dillinja – Feel My Pain

“Truly carries the heartfelt pain of a broken relationship, yet when it drops it has the fire to never give up!”

 

Franky Nuts

Nasko – Vibes

“I chose this track, because the ambience and chords of the song are so uplifting. The vocal hits the right spot as well! The ‘story’ of the track is really well written, it starts off with a smooth intro, then fades into a very euphoric drop, it goes back into a deep and emotional quiet moment to eventually drop into a house drop. To me, this is the perfect love banger!”

 

Forbidden Society

Roosavelt – Falling Back

“This isn’t really a love song but I somehow really like this project. I first heard it while driving to a gig in my car on the radio FM4. It’s a kinda relaxed and nice. I could imagine to play this song, or maybe the whole album on a nice dinner with my girl on Valentine’s Day. Maybe after dinner too…”

 

FuntCase

 SubFocus & Dimension – Desire

“If you’re talking emotional and feeling in music then look no further than Dimension and Sub Focus. Both have released an ensemble of music you can REALLY get into. Desire is not only a track you can feel but you can also relate to, when there’s that special someone you want to give your all to, your soul and everything about you, this track can really represent it. Not only that, it’s probably one of the best D&B tracks in recent years and catchy as hell!”

 

Magnetude

Robert Glasper Experiment – Calls (feat. Jill Scott)

“We picked Calls as Jill Scott is one of our all-time favourite singers and Robert Glasper is one of our all-time favourite RnB, neo-soul musicians so this coming together is like fireworks to hear and so therapeutic to the ears and makes us smile. We absolutely love the beauty, harmony and the simplicity of this track so much. We have debated the meaning of this song and who, or what, it is about ever since we heard it. That is another beauty that is so hard to achieve. A song whose meaning can be interpreted differently in so many different shapes and forms.”

 

Mefjus

Beginner – Liebeslied

“This literally means love song. It’s from my all-time favourite German hip-hop band. The track is from their second studio album Bambule, released in 1998. and is a homage to major record labels which get involved in the creative process of artists and say “hey you guys should put a love song on your album!” So they did exactly that, the hook literally says “you want a love song? You’ll get a love song, a song that you’ll love.” Funnily enough that track was their highest charting song of that album.” 

 

Stompz

dBridge & Vegas – True Romance

“It’s just got the perfect vibe for me, it’s a great all-rounder, it’s always puts a smile on my face and gets me moving, but it’s a proper listener too. It’s one of those ones I can listen to when I’m down, when I’m out for a skate, in the car en-route to a gig. It’s an important tune and a gorgeous tune for me. Still gets rammed in my sets all the time.”

 

Teddy Killerz

Chase & Status – All Goes Wrong

“This one is Oleg’s choice. But Anton picked Wilkinson’s Afterglow and my choice is Pieces by Chase & Status. We think they all are a bit sad. They don’t really describe happy love feelings, but they’re more about being broken hearted. The dark side of love stirs up unique emotions you can’t experience in normal daily life. Especially when you are young, all these love torments give you super strong emotions which you remember with a smile when you are not teenager anymore.”

 

The Upbeats

Outkast – Prototype

“This is the song Dylan would serenade me with before every show. He’s such a romantic xx”