Best of the Week: 12/05/2010

Pushing boundaries until there are no longer any barriers in between, post-modern dance music is full of contrasting connections, and hypocritical eccentricities. This week we bring you a crop of new school club beats that don’t identify with the norm, are hard to pigeonhole and bend the rules and clichés, delivering music that excites the senses and shatters your misconceptions.

Another triumph from Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990’s constantly interesting ‘Night Slugs’ label, this is probably the best release so far, hotly tipped newcomer Girl Unit has come up with a staggering mixture of old school rave and new school programming/Download: Girl Unit-I.R.L.



Very little subtlety about this collaboration, but if banging rave with freaky techno overtones is your thing, then there really is nothing better. Erol Alkan and Boys Noize have conjured up a beast that lurks the dance floor in the wee hours looking for the next willing victim/Download: Boys Noize & Erol Alkan-Avalanche



Good cheesy fun that will surely make even the most wary get their dancing shoes on. German’s Malente & Dex are remixed here by Berlin’s man of the moment Shir Khan, hints of Latin guitar add humor value to a frenetic party tune ideal for fans of Sound Pellegrino and Made to Play/Download: Malente & Dex-Habibi (Shir Khan remix)



This beautiful synth-laden cut came out a little while back, but Deadboy has been making such an impression lately that I’ve been listening to this all week. Check out the original EP out on Well Rounded here/Download: Deadboy-Heartbreaker



The legendary DJ Harvey has been mixing records since the eighties, and alongside Andrew Weatherall and Greg Wilson played a huge part in creating the modern disco scene. This slinky piece of late night shuffle shows that in 2010 he is as relevant as ever. Out now on International Feel/Download: Locussolus-Gunship



Fresh on the ever reliable Planet Mu, Swindle’s first official release follows in a similar vein to the likes of Ikonika or Falty DL, matching garage style beats to Warp Records like electronics. The results are essential/Download: Swindle-Daredevil



This much hyped artist is expected to do big things in 2010, and this brilliant mix of piano, disco and banging electro is a great start. Chilly Gonzales has come up with a truly addictive piece of musical oddness. Out on Riton’s impeccable Phantasy Sound imprint/Download: Chilly Gonzales-Never Stop



Get your music here: Picadilly, Bleep, Rush Hour, Conch, and Samurai.

Best of the Week: 05/05/2010

This week our dedication is fairly obvious. Mums are cool, and deserve our absolute adoration. Let’s face it, the unconditional love that Mums all over the world give help us to get through the dark moments and bad times, and are always there to celebrate the magic of life and our grandest times. So this week the selection is for all the Mums out there, let your hair down and have a boogie, your sons and daughters will love you even more for it. It is your time to celebrate.

Italian producer Bottin is a firm favorite of this blog, his releases and remixes on labels like Italians Do It Better and Tirk have established him as one of the more reliable artists making new disco right now. This collaboration with Rodion features all of his hallmark touches; impeccable bassline, loads of reverb and delay, completed by catchier than catchy melody. Out now on Bear Funk/Download: Bottin & Rodion-Galli (Give It Up)

Incredibly talented London based producer Leo Zero is establishing himself as one of the most adventurous and accomplished disco/Balearic beat makers working today. Part of a package of remixer’s that includes producers The Revenge, Jayou, and Alex Metric, this is funk laden piece of cosmic disco thoughtfully interpolates Kenneth Bager’s already impeccable slice of deep house/Download: Kenneth Bager-I Can’t Wait (Leo Zero remix)

Another outrageously good edit from New Yorker Jacques Renault, whom we only just featured last week, but when you hear something this deep and funky surely the only option is to dance through the middle of the night/Download: Jacques Renault-In the Middle of the Night

Deeper than the darkest trench, this amazing piece of abstract techno slowly builds into a lush ambient arrangement full of soft pads and wooden hits. Available from his Soundcloud page, this is an essential piece of electronica from newcomer’s xxxy. Check their new EP here/Download: xxxy-Save Our Souls

Absolute anthem alert, big-room house music’s man of the moment Riva Starr, takes Dennis Ferrer’s garage inspired classic, and gives it the treatment. Using the vocal to key effect, the Italian has laid down a remix that builds and builds before exploding into horns, bells and whistles. Can’t wait to hear this on the sort of sound system that truly does it justice/Download: Dennis Ferrer-Hey Hey (Riva Starr’s Paradise Garage remix)

Noisemaker extraordinaire Sinden meets distinctive newcomer SBTRKT on this massive piece of bass debauchery. Think of an enormous sonic wall of sound matched to skipping garage style beats and you’re half way there. Check out the rest of the EP here/Download: Sinden & SBTRKT-Midnight Marauder

Improving upon his own original, our favorite dubstep producer, Joker, comes up trumps once again. Adding melancholic beauty to the digital noise and distorted bass which make this artist so exciting and unique/Download: Joker-Tron (VIP mix)

Easily the most exciting producer working in UK funky right now, Roska was originally a 2-step MC who moved into beatmaking. This explains his amazing vocal arrangements, but it is also his broken rhythms and crafted bleeps that make this a producer for anyone with an interest in electronic music to enjoy/Download: Roska-Love 2 Nite feat. Jamie George

Back with a two EP set entitled ‘Sleep Less’ on his own Made To Play label, Jesse Rose is a master of simple tech-house bangers that make dancefloors meltdown, and this new cut with its freaky looped vocal snippet and deceptive drops fits that formula perfectly/Download: Jesse Rose-(Where Were You) Last Night

Get your music here: Picadilly, Bleep, Rush Hour, Conch, Samurai.

Best of the Week: 28/04/2010

The likelihood of you enjoying your current employment is highly improbable, or is that you just don’t get paid enough for the job you do? Generally working sucks, at least when compared to clubbing, DJ’ing and listening to music, which of course is paid for by money made from working? Um, catch-22! So this week the selection is dedicated to all the people who have held down shit jobs to pay for their weekend’s entertainment.

If haunted house music is your thing then it doesn’t come any better than Actress, whose own label Werk Discs, has released a steady flow of adventurous singles that mutate dance into an altogether different beast. This is taken from the upcoming LP ‘Splazsh’, released by Honest Jon’s/Download: Actress-Always Human

South Londoner Boy 8-Bit has that ability to fuse banging dance floor beats with melancholy harmonies, and in the process is creating some of the more interesting electro going around. Released on This Is Music, this acid fueled roller is absolutely essential/Download: Boy 8-Bit-The Keep

The discordant beauty of Pantha Du Prince’s minimal techno is almost staggering, building sculptures out of loops and reverb. This remix of indie band Cold Cave draws you into its dark heart with glistening shapes and hollow pipes/Download: Cold Cave-Life Magazine (Pantha Du Prince First Flash remix)

Half of the brilliant Runaway, New Yorker Jacques Renault also puts out some stunning production and edits under his own name. This cut is from a new EP for the mysterious On The Prowl label, and manages to take in new disco, old school techno stabs, and warehouse bass/Download: Jacques Renault-Miranda

In a similar same vein as Joy Orbison or Scuba, London’s Deadboy is making future garage that bends the clichés, and matches funky rhythms with the rich atmospherics of Detroit techno. Available now on Numbers/Download: Deadboy-If U Want Me

Taken from a collection of reworks by Italian producer Bottin released by Nang Records, this remix of cosmic disco don Lindstrom has a trademark bass riff to die for, and a lush swagger of synth washes/Download: Lindstrom-Passkelyd (Bottin remix)

Perhaps the most innovative figure in funky, Roska is a forward-thinking producer whose tracks have the playful jack of early Chicago house, and staggered rhythms of the broken beat scene. This is taken from his new LP out on Rinse Recordings/Download: Roska-Squark

The latest DJ/producer to provide a mix for the DJ Kicks banner, The Juan MacLean continue their stellar run over the last year, following on from the brilliant ‘The Future Will Come’ LP with this killer indie disco tune, available as a limited release alongside the album version(s)/Download: The Juan MacLean-Feel So Good

Another excellent rework from the ever improving Texan Dubbel Dutch, taking dubstep star Silkie’s already inspiring post-jungle vision further towards the dance floor/Download: Silkie-Quasar (Dubbel Dutch edit)

With his distinctive voice and conscious lyrics, Ty has delivered a body of work that is both accessible and completely single-minded. This track is the title cut from his new LP, which takes in hip-hop, soul and r&b, and is out now on BBE/Download: Ty-Special Kind of Fool feat. Erik Rico


Get these releases here: Picadilly, Bleep, Rush Hour, Conch, and Samurai.