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Reviews 30 Approval 78%
Soundoffs 21 Album Ratings 4508 Objectivity 76%
Last Active 07-13-22 3:27 am Joined 11-02-13
Review Comments 37,885
| 20s dance music
Some recently released stuff that makes me want to groove | 1 | | Livity Sound Molten Mirrors: A Decade of Livity Sound
021, Livity Sound – Bristol's Livity Sound label has been at the forefront of UK club music for the last decade. This compilation is a victory lap for them as they cement themselves as one of the best dance music labels around. The whole roster brings the heat, basically.
Best tunes: Big Style by Two Shell, Exhale by Pev and Kotwon, Lost Signal by Forest Drive West | 2 | | DJ Life Quantum Travel
2021, Distant Horizons – Only became aware of this EP when it got released with a bonus track by the terrific label Lobster Theremin. This is a super fun techno/house release with some electro influence. It's summery and bouncy as hell with a retrofuturistic tint. Check it
Best tunes: Zweop, Gnagnag | 3 | | RP Boo Established!
2021, Planet Mu – If you're into footwork, the man needs no introduction. One of the kings of the genre, RP Boo, comes with his best full-length to date in my opinion. His samples are sharper than ever, with some amusing ones including Phil Collins. Infinitely danceable with insane rhythms.
Best tunes: All My Life, Haters Increase The Heat!, Finally Here | 4 | | Ayesha Potential Energy
2021, Scuffed Recordings – Here's a label that I just discovered but fell in love with instantly, and Ayesha's "Potential Energy" is probably the strongest release on the entire label. Her best quality is the variety of synths–they rumble, squeak, and buzz in a million ways over the four tracks.
Best tunes: Potential Energy, Ecstatic Descent | 5 | | Joy Orbison still slipping vol. 1
2021, XL – I love Joy Orbison's 2010s output, and "The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow" might be my favorite song period to come out of the UK club scene. This long-awaited release is perhaps slightly more subtle than I would have expected, but Joy Orbison's dance music is still vibrant and colorful.
Best tunes: layer 6, froth sipping, swag w/ kav | 6 | | Samurai Breaks TURBO RAVE ARTILLERY
2021, Hooversound – Read the review y'all. This smacks
Best tunes: TURBO RAVE ARTILLERY, JITTERBUG (COCO BRYCE REMIX) | 7 | | Basic Rhythm Electronic Labyrinth
2021, Planet Mu – This was a pretty under-the-radar release from Planet Mu that I think deserves a bit more attention than it got. I think this is a pretty unique entry in the UK bass music catalog, with some glitchy IDM-influenced synths. It may be pretty bereft of melody, but it's interesting enough to warrant a listen.
Best tunes: Techno, Hayward Road, Acid Track | 8 | | Skee Mask Pool
2021, Ilian Tape – Skee Mask might be my favorite producer working today after his 2021 masterpiece "Pool." He dabbles in so many different subgenres over the 100+ minute runtime of the album, but it feels cohesive and never gets tiring. It's an incredibly beautiful album, as lush and inviting as electronic can be.
Best tunes: Testo BC Mashup, Collapse Casual, Fourth | 9 | | Prayer In Your Arms
2021, Hooversound – Hooversound might be my favorite new label. Not only is their roster insane, but even artists I wasn't previously familiar with are churning out amazing releases. This is as emotional as it gets for breakbeat–the vocal samples are so powerful. Incredible release
Best tunes: In Your Arms, Love Fantasy, Breathe | 10 | | Octo Octa She's Calling
2021, T4T LUV NRG – Octo Octa has been a stalwart in the house scene for years now. She ups the breakebat influences on last year's EP "She's Calling," to great effect– "Goddess Calling" is maybe her best song yet.
Best tunes: Goddess Calling, Spell For Nature | 11 | | Special Request x Tim Reaper Hooversound Presents: Special Request x Tim Reaper
2021, Hooversound – Yes, this is Hooversound's third entry on the list, but that just shows how damn good they've been. Two heavy-hitters, Special Request and Tim Reaper, come through with an amazing collaborative EP for the young label. They bring out the best in each other with some incredibly smooth and sleek jungle tunes. It all culminates in a "Straight Off The Block" remix, a balls-to-the-wall banger with some insane percussion.
Best tunes: Elysian Fields Remix, Straight Off The Block Remix | 12 | | Eris Drew and Octo Octa fabric presents
2020, Fabric – Wonderful mix here for Fabric by Eris Drew and Octo Octa. I'm not familiar with Eris Drew's music, the duo puts together a super fun mix with a great old-school house influence. The mixing is very solid here as well, great transitions and flow to the tape.
Best tunes: New Junk City, Say What!, River | 13 | | DJ Metatron Loops of Infinity (A Rave Loveletter)
2020, All Possible Worlds – Whew, this one is a monster. DJ Metatron AKA Traumprinz AKA Dj Healer AKA Prime Minister of Doom AKA Prince of Denmark AKA The Fantasy AKA Irini AKA whatever comes through with a trance album that's uplifting, emotional, and powerful. Maybe the best album of the decade so far.
Best tunes: We Are Almost There, Last Days of Infinity, Euphoria | 14 | | Shinichi Atobe Yes
2020, DDS – Shinichi Atobe's Ship-Scope stands tall as one of the best releases on the legendary Chain Reaction label. While he's never lived up to the high expectations he set for himself back in 2001 with that EP, his recent output has been consistenyl solid, and "Yes" is no exception. It's a hypnotic excursion into pleasant, summery dance music.
Best tunes: Lake 2, Rain 3, Ocean 1 | 15 | | Pearson Sound Alien Mode
2020, Hessle Audio – Pearson Sound returns with a bang to the label where he released his eponymous debut album. I'm partial to B1 here, which is a rhythmic masterclass. Not his best work, but a short and sweet EP.
Best tunes: Cobwebs, Alien Mode | 16 | | Haus of Altr HOA010
2020, Haus of Altr – I fucking love label comps–they always introduce me to so many new artists. This compilation is where I first heard AceMo, an artist who I've since seen live a number of times and always puts on a great show. The rest of the roster is mostly impressive as well, and some big names like Galcher Lustwerk and Kush Jones show up. Amazing compilation from an amazing New York label.
Best tunes: Heaven (2020 Mix) by AceMo, New Luv by DJ Swisha, Nothing Can Save You by Moma Ready | 17 | | Helena Hauff Kern Vol. 5
2020, Tresor Records – This mix loses steam in the second half, but the first half is an absolute riot. Killer techno that assaults the ears and makes you want to move. It's mechanical but visceral.
Best tunes: Private Tyranny, Dance Yourself to Death, Holy Handgrenade | 18 | | Coco Bryce Ma Bae Be Luv EP
2020, Lobster Theremin – Don't let the cutesy album name or artwork fool you–Coco Bryce makes some seriously good dance music. The vocal hooks are sweet and the synths are catch as hell. He's put out a lot of good stuff in recent years, so he's definitely an artist to look out for if you're into jungle at all.
Best tunes: Ma Bae Be Luv, Blue Tile Lounge | 19 | | Northern Electronics Scandinavian Swords IIII: Atlas of Visions Pt. I
2020, Northern Electronics – Another amazing label compilation, probably my favorite on the list. Northern Electronics has been one of the best labels in music the past few years and this comp shows exactly why. Legends like Anthony Linell, Varg, Puce Mary, and Evigt Mörker all contribute brilliant tunes. There really isn't a single song here that I don't love; it's some of the best modern techno you'll hear.
Best tunes: VARGTSS1 (Do The Roar) by Varg and VTSS, Hallucinations by Anthony Linell, Red Fall Foliage by Free the ID | 20 | | Karenn Music Feels Better With Shoe
2020, Voam – After debuting the song in DJ Sets, "On Request" became one of the most hyped songs in electronic music. Its eventual release did not disappoint in the slightest, quickly becoming one of my favorite tracks of this young decade. The sound design is incredible and I love how the tune progresses and fizzles out.
Best tunes: On Request | 21 | | Priori SCN EP
2020, DustWORLD – Not familiar with anything else this label has done but apparently they're quebecois. This is a super nice dreamy house EP, nothing too crazy but very nice to chill to.
Best tunes: SCN 1, SCN 3 | 22 | | Kosh Virtual Reality
2020, Distrikt Paris – Virtual Reality is Moroccan artist Kosh coming through with the retrofuturistic tech-house banger you need. If the first few minutes of A1 don't make you wanna dance you're lying. I like the remix even better, with an even more lush house vibe. Something about those synths is just so sweet and creamy. Damn this is a nice EP
Best tunes: Virtual Reality, Virtual Reality (Janeret Remix) | 23 | | Lunate Médula
2020, 100% Silk – This is one of the albums that, for whatever reason, has had a ton of replay value for me since its release. I absolutely love 100% Silk, and this was the first release I had heard from Lunate but it instantly made them one of my favorite artists on the label. It's a gorgeous house album that's simultaneously sparse but rich. There's a luxurious quality to "Médula" even though it retains its outsider feeling. Highly recommended
Best tunes: Ruinas Del Progreso, OsteologÃa, Reflejo Del Derrumbe | |
Ryus
03.31.22 | yeaa | Emim
03.31.22 | No swing or ragtime. 0/10 | Hyperion1001
03.31.22 | i really wish I liked hauff more than I do. i dig her first couple of releases but everything else is super boring and derivative.
i was even more soured when I caught her live set in DC in like 2018 and it was extremely boring.
great list though. a bunch of stuff I know and more to check out. props for 21 I love that ep. | Sinternet
03.31.22 | some great picks here nice job (12+20 especially)
you been jamming anz at all? feel like you'd vibe, her last ep was amazing | Ryus
03.31.22 | anz is cool but somehow i missed that last EP, seems like its been getting a decent bit of buzz. def gonna check it out | brainmelter
03.31.22 | cool list, I only know a handful of these. will check others on here | dedex
03.31.22 | i want HOUSE! am hesitating between 10, 12, 21, and 23 | Ryus
03.31.22 | hmm i would say check out 12 | dedex
03.31.22 | thanks love | WeepingBanana
03.31.22 | Shit I gotta check 3
Loveshadow - s/t was one of my favorite releases of any genre last year, check it out
https://music-from-memory.bandcamp.com/album/loveshadow
I’ll warn you the first song is boring as fuck but then it just rips after that. Love this label too | protokute
03.31.22 | How I miss the Lo-fi House scene back in 2017-2018, bangers were being released almost every day. Remember coming back from uni and wondering what would be new on those classic YouTube channels from those days (Slav, Housem, OOKFunky, EELF) | normaloctagon
03.31.22 | aye | Ryus
03.31.22 | thx banana ill give it a listen | normaloctagon
03.31.22 | dude that haus of altr comp is honestly nuts, pulled a few tracks from it the other month. literal fire front to back one of the best comps ive heard in a while. the jadalareign track is baltimore club HEAT. heaven definitely a highlight too
IM IN HEAVEN WHEN YOU TOUCH MEEEEEEEE | Relinquished
03.31.22 | yea HAUS has been killing
love catching acemoma live when I could the last few weeks in Miami | Ryus
03.31.22 | for real haus of altr is amazing. and yeah acemoma live is a riot | Hyperion1001
04.01.22 | damn i wish i could catch acemo live. | Ryus
04.01.22 | yeah dude the nyc scene is popping nowadays |
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