Now that 2023 has passed us, it’s time for my annual countdown of some of my favorite stuff of the previous year. Who made the top 25? Read on and discover!
#25: Cavaran – Nights at Josan
Named after a bar near their recording studio they’d frequent after recording sessions, Belgium’s Cavaran returned with a solid record of desert / stoner rock that was a badly need dose of rocket fuel into our collective veins.
#24: Gimenö – Movement Remixes
Just like 2022, there was a lot of good EDM released last year, and this album of remixes by pals of DJ / producer Gimenö was among it. There isn’t a bad track on here. It’s all floor-fillers.
#23: Big Miz – Where I Belong
Another excellent EDM EP, this one from Big Miz on the Homage label. Miz combined house with trance and does it with subtle, slick skill.
#22: Bodywash– I Held the Shape While I Could
Shoegaze made a fine return this year, and that makes me happy – as did this cool record by Bodywash that bathes you in guitars, reverb, and clove cigarette smoke vocals.
#21: Eaves Wilder – Hookey
Another fun EP, this one about break-ups, screw-ups (in the world of mental health care), and drink-ups. Eaves Wilder might be “the next big thing.” Get in on her stuff now and become one of the cool kids.
Who makes the top 20? Come back tomorrow to find out!
Hailing from Glasgow, Big Miz put in the work behind the decks at at local clubs to build not only his skills but a thriving EDM community there. His first EP for the HOMAGE label, Where I Belong, is a good introduction to his music.
The title track gets it off to a great start with shining beats and bass hits that make you move whether you want to or not. “Everything’s Fine” uses vocal samples to neat effects, and “The Feeling” is a song about getting back to the dance floors and the clubs after we all had to dance in our living rooms during the pandemic (“We gotta bring back that feeling. Yeah, you know the one I’m talking about. That feeling that’s been gone…for way too long.”). Its slick beats will make you want to rush out to the nearest club.
The EP ends with a nice remix of the title track by LUXE that brings up the lush but doesn’t skim on the thumps.
It’s a sharp EP, and every track is solid. Don’t skip it.
Keep your mind open.
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That might be the easiest way to describe LSS‘ new EP, Hydrospatial. The duo of Edward Richards and JXTPS lay down hard-driving techno beats with touches of punk and garage rock here and there, resulting in a quintet of tracks that would easily glide into any DJ’s set and will find a permanent home on your new workout playlist.
“TNK” is straight from a rave aboard Deep Space 9’s holodeck rave with its futuristic, pulsing synths. “Fractual” pans and hums like a swarm of bees drifting above a party at a beachfront, but with more moonlight than sunlight. “Axion” has definite krautrock influences with its repetitive, almost hypnotizing beats.
The high-hat on “Factory” reminds you of a hissing steam engine (and there are steam-like synth hisses throughout it), while the bass is so bottom heavy it feels like it could break through your floor. The title track hums, bumps, throbs, and gristles in all the right spots, causing visions of floating in space, dancing with a bunch of fun, sweaty people in a small club, and running from monsters all at the same time.
To say that Faithless‘ 1996 album, Sunday 8pm, was a monumental release at the time is a bit of an understatement. Everyone was clamoring for albums like this, for bands like Massive Attack and Portishead and, really, anything from the UK that sounded like those bands, and then Faithless comes along and proves that they weren’t a cookie cutter band in the molds of those other great bands, but one that had their own unique style that mixed ambient music, shoegaze, trip hop, dub, and, yes, spiritual music.
Consider Maxi Jazz‘s line of “Even sitting in the garden one can still get stung.” on “The Garden.” It’s a Zen reminder at the start of an album that will explore love, loss, loneliness, yearning, reunions, and separations. On “Bring My Family Back,” Jazz reminisces about working hard to get ahead and realizing, once he’s “made it” that he hasn’t really arrived at anything worthwhile. Again, more Zen.
Please check your pulse if the drums on “Hour of Need” don’t get you moving. It’s a delightful song about letting your lover know you’ll be there for them when they’re at their lowest. “Postcards” is an instant classic, with Jazz’s lyrics taken from postcards he sent home during the band’s U.S. tour. “Take the Long Way Home” isn’t a cover of the Supertramp classic (although that would be wild to hear), but rather a synth-laden dance floor classic with snappy hi-hat beats and sexy, thudding bass.
On “Why Go?”, the band sing about a lover who unexpectedly shows up and how it can be awkward to talk them into staying. Unlike, “She’s My Baby,” a wild song that has Jazz talking about his wild sex life with his gal. The only thing more sultry than the lyrics is the wicked beat throughout it. “God Is a DJ” was, and still is, another classic, with Faithless (rightfully) comparing raves and dance clubs to places of worship, fellowship, and healing. To further that symbolism, the next track is “Hem of His Garment” – which speaks of love as something to be worshipped and cherished. “Killer’s Lullaby” is another thumper, and the special edition of the album has a sharp remix by Nightmares on Wax to boot – as well as a Paul Van Dyk remix of “Bring My Family Back.”
Sunday 8pm is a classic of the mid-1990s house / rave scene that still sounds fresh today.
Duality Trax first opened its books in 2020 with an EP featuring Radiant Love regular Fio Fa and a remix of the year contender coming from Lisbon’s Violet. Since then the label has become known for its acute attention to detail, giving each release the shine it deserves while avoiding disposable practices and challenging the industry through its dedication to duality and balance, whether that be sonically or surrounding gender identity.
It’s really no surprise that one of house music’s leading label figures Tywi was destined to make an appearance. Having started the Haŵs imprint in his home city of Cardiff, the label’s wide-spread popularity began to gain the attention from some of the industry’s most respected heads and became a breeding ground for new artists to emerge. A shared love of music resulted in tracks being shared over time and eventually DUALITY6 was born. In what will be his first full length EP, Tywi continues to join the dots between 90’s house, prog, breaks and trance, with a huge remix coming from Frankfurt-based artist Maruwa, released Friday 8th September.
Title track ‘Reality Checkpoint’ connects various styles with a modern take on progressive trance. Sonics feel as if they’ve been projected from space in a kaleidoscopic mind-warping ride, coupled with the producer’s impressive ear for world building soundscapes. A child of the ‘90s, Maruwa combines her classically trained ear with the nostalgia of her upbringing in the remix; channeling early trance records and deep, chugging rhythms into a wave of euphoria fit for peak-time. It’s the first time the label has also delved head first into full trance territory, turning the intensity levels up while paying homage to both label owner and artist’s early musical influences.
The B side opens up with ‘Spellbound’ which feels like a guided tour around the cosmos, sat beside trusted travellers and embraced by everything-will-be-alright energy . The track’s interior is built around synths that feel both effortless and light as our tour guide brings us towards our final destination. The EP comes to a close with ‘Laws Of Motion’, building slowly with shades of leafy greens and deep oceanic blues as it gently brings us back down to earth.
Keep your mind open.
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From early residencies at weekly student nights in Glasgow to playing a pivotal role behind the scenes at La Cheetah Club, Big Miz has been immersed within the city’s walls since he was a teenager. Weekends spent crafting his sound behind the booth and creating lifelong friendships at the city’s famous after-hours scene have helped create an ecosystem for success. In Glasgow, even larger labels are always keen to support local talent and during one of his frequent visits to Rub A Dub Records, Big Miz was introduced to Dixon Avenue Basement Jams which eventually led to the release of his first EP.
Miz has carried this Glasgow courtesy throughout his whole career, which eventually led to connecting with HOMAGE label head Ryan Clover where they exchanged feedback and spins before locking down a release on the label’s heavy schedule. The New York based label’s ethos shares parallels to Glasgow’s – collaborative, fluid, and always ready to party.
Title track ‘Where I Belong‘ wastes no time on introductions, combining a range of hardware and software into a kaleidoscopic recording created for peak time. ‘Everything’s Fine’ demonstrates Miz’s knack for groove and melody, where classic acid sounds meet demanding stabs and an irresistible groove. Inspired by early house records, ‘The Feeling’ makes its presence felt with chunky kickdrums and uplifting vocal samples; Big Miz’s attention to detail and years of dancefloor education shines through, first establishing a hypnotic introduction and powerful transitions that have us hooked from the first bar.
The EP is beautifully rounded off by LUXE’s remix of the title track ‘Where I Belong’, following on from her standout EP on the beloved label Planet Euphorique. LUXE swaps rolling kick drums in favor of breakbeats and an ethereal backdrop. The space between musical elements is key, allowing us to breathe as our perspective shifts high above the city’s clouds.
Keep your mind open.
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On his thrilling and immersive debut album, Skeleten (producer / vocalist Russ Fitzgibbon) dares to imagine new ways of being that are not characterised by doom or despair – a challenge in an era defined more by feelings of futility, isolation and precarity. Across eleven tracks of free-flowing, transcendent, and often euphoric electronic music, he plays spiritual guide to a musical journey which is wonderfully in touch with realms beyond our own. Praising the power of comradery and community, dreaming of a future that is joyously boundless, Skeleten’s singular debut LP is, to borrow from one of his own lines, music for dancing “any way your body turns.”
After years of cutting his teeth in Sydney’s tight-knit electronic community, Fitzgibbon forged his own identity and debuted under his solo moniker, Skeleten in 2020. It’s his most personal project to date, the sound of him unfiltered for the first time as both a vocalist and producer. At once intimate and otherworldly, at the core of the project lies a strong sense of uncomplicated openness and a deeply rhythmic, meditative ambience. Strikingly unplaceable, the result is a curious yet alluring amalgam of far-flung influences and emotive atmospheres that invites you to get repeatedly lost in.
In between his debut and the long-awaited release of Under Utopia, Skeleten’s consistent output has seen him accrue rotation and early praise from Triple J, Double J, XLR8R, Stereogum, NME, The Guardian, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Recommends Spotlight Artist, Brooklyn Vegan and receive the official remix treatment from the likes of Logic1000, Moktar and Jennifer Loveless.
Under Utopia sees its release today via 2MR (North America) and Astral People Recordings (ROW) on vinyl and across all digital platforms.
The liner notes to Ross Harper‘s The Dark Album Remixes Volume 4 EP describes one of the tracks as “a DJ’s dream come true.” Really, the whole record is that.
Starting with Coast2c‘s (also properly known as Sofia Acosta) remix of “Something New,” the EP opens with thumping bass drum and sizzling electro-cymbals designed to yank people onto the dance floor…and then that thick synth-bass hits and there’s no need to yank people onto the dance floor, they are running to it. Developer‘s remix of “Hard Patience” (the “DJ’s dream”) is pulsating, throbbing, sweaty trance that gives you an instant rush.
Amorphic‘s remix of “Narcissist” is almost a hypnotizing mantra of bass hits, fast cymbals, and pulsating synths. Finally, DJ Emerson‘s remix of “Deep Life” – a fun track that mixes hand percussion with sliced up vocals sounds, goth-industrial bass, and racing video game synths.
All four tracks on this are scalding hot. Don’t miss this if you’re a DJ or just enjoy EDM.
Edinburgh-based producer George T announces the release of his latest single, “Love Letter,” which is set to drop on Paradise Palms Records. The track, a beautiful mind buffet of left-field and dubby influences, marching hypnotic lead synth, pads, syncopation, and an enchanting, haunting vocal. “Love Letter” marks a new chapter in George T’s rich and ever blossoming career, showcasing his talent for crafting genre-bending tracks that blur the lines between electronic and experimental music. With its intricate production, mesmerizing melodies, and captivating rhythms, the single transports the listener to a warped pleasure planet. In addition to the original version of the track, George T also offers up a hypnotic dub version “Dub Letter.” Doused in acid and featuring an instrumental-only arrangement that emphasizes the song’s rhythmic and atmospheric qualities.
The single and accompanying dub is releasing digitally with Paradise Palms Records and being distributed globally through EPM on the 14th of July.
Keep your mind open.
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Sydney producer / vocalist Skeleten has unveiled “Territory Day”, the latest preview of his long-awaited debut full-length album, Under Utopia, coming July 28 via 2MR (NA) / Astral People Recordings (ROW).
A sprawling, vibe-heavy track that unfurls with truncated beats, gently insistent congas, hypnotic pleading and twinkling, Four Tet-esque chimes, Russell Fitzgibbon shares the origins of “Territory Day”: “I made the main idea one night back before I was even thinking of Skeleten as a real project. It was Territory Day, a holiday in the Northern Territory where everyone lets off fireworks for one night, and I was distinctly thousands of kms away from there. I always wanted to revisit the idea and after a few years and a pandemic I came back to it and felt it all new. Felt that expression of simple longing travelling through time and space, and thought about the power of all the desire and struggles crossing the globe like radio waves. I wanted to shout out to everyone trying at anything.”
Pieced together using fan-shot footage from a recent studio party, edited and processed through the album’s distinctive cover art, the visuals for ‘Territory Day’ tap into the ideals of connectivity and community at heart of Under Utopia – a homage to Skeleten’s ethos of finding transcendence in the everyday.
On his thrilling and immersive debut album, Skeleten dares to imagine new ways of being that are not characterised by doom or despair – a challenge in an era defined more by feelings of futility, isolation and precarity. Across eleven tracks of free-flowing, transcendent, and often euphoric electronic music, he plays spiritual guide to a musical journey which is wonderfully in touch with realms beyond our own. Praising the power of comradery and community, dreaming of a future that is joyously boundless, Skeleten’s singular debut LP is, to borrow from one of his own lines, music for dancing “any way your body turns.”
Threading together previous singles “Walking On Your Name”, “Mirrored”, “No Drones In The Afterlife” and the recently released “Sharing The Fire”, Under Utopia is a record that prioritises immediate pleasures without forgoing intimacy, reaching outward with inviting choruses and mantra-like melodies. “I think the album came out of the experience of feeling this great desire to reconnect and dreaming of the power of community,” says the musician. Tied together by Fitzgibbon’s spacious, airy production, the record finds an antidote for the ever-pervasive gloom of contemporary life in the transformative power of love, community and an enduring, determined optimism that gestures toward a better and brighter future just over the horizon.
Russell Fitzgibbon cut his teeth in Sydney’s tight-knit electronic community just as the city itself was forging its own identity. Debuting under his solo moniker in late 2020, Skeleten is Fitzgibbon’s most personal project to date, the sound of him unfiltered for the first time as both a vocalist and producer. At once intimate and otherworldly, at the core of the project lies a strong sense of uncomplicated openness and a deeply rhythmic, meditative ambience. Strikingly unplaceable, the result is a curious yet alluring amalgam of far-flung influences and emotive atmospheres that invites you to get repeatedly lost in. In between his debut and the long-awaited release of Under Utopia, Skeleten’s consistent output has seen him accrue rotation and early praise from Double J, XLR8R, NME, Dummy Magazine, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Recommends Spotlight Artist and receive the official remix treatment from the likes of Logic1000, Moktar, Jennifer Loveless and Rings Around Saturn.
