Category: house music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Bad Robot Shares a French Touch-Inspired Banger

Micheal Ricker is a Delaware-based electronic music producer and artist best known as Bad Robot. Over the course of the year, I’ve written about a h of Ricker’s Bad Robot material, including:

  • The aptly named “Supermassive,” which features skittering, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, scorching bass synths and a woozy and wobbling synth melody. Fittingly, it’s the sort of club and festival banger that sounds as though it should knock a building over. 

  • “Close To You,” which according to Ricker, is “a bit of a departure into a brighter, more ‘pop’ sounding progressive house style.” Built around an almost mantra-like glistening synth phrase, shimmering synth arpeggios and skittering beats, the motorik-like “Close To You” is both summery and remarkably catchy, while seemingly nodding at Discovery-era Daft Punk-like French touch.

  • Max Blücher‘s remix of Year One single “Aero III.” The Blücher remix retains the original’s woozy polymeric melody but pairs it with more aggressive, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump, some brief bursts of industrial clang and clatter, and some ethereal synths that create a spacey, house music feel. “Inspired by the gritty sound design and frantic polymetric melodies of my original track ‘Aero III,’ Max has taken the musical DNA and infused it with his own. While the original is great, Max definitely improved the quality of the track with his production skills and imagination,” Ricker explains. “This house remix is an ethereal journey through space and time with elements of Deadmau5 that are felt even in the cover artwork.”

  • “Zombie Process” is an another deep house banger featuring tweeter and woofer thumping beats, scorching synths and a horror movie sample that’s perfect for the spooky season.

Ricker closes out the year with “Just Friends,” a house music track anchored around an incredibly catchy and hypnotic, French touch-inspired groove, glistening synths and skittering beats.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: ELEVIN Shares a Slick, Club Banger

ELEVIN is a mysterious, emerging electronic music producer, who specializes in creating musical experiences designed to make audiences feel — while reflecting “the geometry of existence.” 

His latest single “Reality” is slickly produced club banger featuring layers of glistening synth oscillations, retro-futuristic space sounds, skittering beats and a Siri-like vocal delivering lines about perception. Sonically, the track reminds me of LutchamaK and Bubba Brothers while displaying an effortless, thumping swagger.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: TONNUP Shares Sultry, Club Friendly “I’m So into You”

TONNUP is a mysterious and emerging American electronic music producer and artist. His latest single “I’m So Into You” is a club banger anchored around glistening synth arpeggios, skittering beats, tweeter and woofer rattling low end, a sultry vocal sample and some incredibly catchy hooks.

“I created this track specifically for blacklight body paint EDM parties. I want people to be able to enjoy it,” TONNUP says of the new single.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares Lounge Friendly “Healing Dub”

French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK has had a busy 2024: 

  • The JOVM mainstay began the year with a two-track release through Techno Parade titled Job Done, which featured “Job Done,” a glitchy and swaggering bit of techno meets footwork featuring machine gun-like skittering beats, glistening synth arpeggios paired with tweeter and woofer rattling thump. It’s an accessible and euphoric club banger meant to be played loudly and meant to encourage you to dance and sweat.

  • He followed that up with Flip the Funk, a four-track EP, which was digitally released through British electronic label Biotech Recordings and featured EP track “Pride,” a lush and soulful bit of deep house-meets-techno that reminded me of house music nights on WBLS back in the day. 

  • Then there was the standalone track, “Acid Drift” a slick, seamless synthesis of tribal house, deep house and drum ‘n’ bass that slaps hard while being dance floor friendly, which was released through Rue des Trois Rois Records.

  • Over the summer, he released the eight-track mini album  Great Broken Masses of Land through his own TERMusik. The album featured album opener and album title track “Great Broken Masses of Land,” a trance-inducing, late night, club banger anchored around skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump and dense layers of oscillating yet melodic synths, a chopped up mantra-like vocal sample paired with his unerring knack for incredibly catchy hooks. “City Energy,” a crowd pleasing, club banger featuring glitchy oscillations, bursts of glistening synths and some industrial, tweeter and woofer rattling thump that showcases an artist, who actively pushes his sound and approach in new directions, while still remaining wildly accessible. And “B Queen V 2,” which featured glitchy oscillations, bursts of glistening and melodic synths, skittering beats and remarkably catchy hooks paired with a dreamy vocal sample. 

The wildly prolific, French JOVM mainstay recently released the 4-track Lunar Ascending EP through Brique Rouge. Last week, I wrote about EP opening single “Lunar Ascending,” a woozily hypnotic banger that’s heavily indebted to Detroit house and a bit of Tour de France-era Kraftwerk.

The EP’s second and latest single “Healing Dub” is a synthesize of trance-inducing dub and house music that features glistening synth stabs with skittering, tweeter and woofer rattling riddims paired with a reverb-soaked patois vocal sample. “Healing Dub” may arguably be the lounge friendly song the JOVM mainstay has released in some time.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Wesley Reid Shares Marc O’rell Remix of “Reach Out”

British electronic music producer Iwan Bedford and American electronic music producer Wesley Reid collaborate together in the transatlantic electronic music project O.a.G., which is influenced by 80s and 90s synth pop — think Yazoo (known as Yaz in the States), Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, OMD, and others. 

O.a.G’s Wesley Reid has collaborated with German producer Marc O’rell on a sleek, hook-driven house remix of “Reach Out” that sounds a bit indebted to French touch.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares Hypnotic “Lunar Ascending”

French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK has had a busy 2024: 

  • The JOVM mainstay began the year with a two-track release through Techno Parade titled Job Done, which featured “Job Done,” a glitchy and swaggering bit of techno meets footwork featuring machine gun-like skittering beats, glistening synth arpeggios paired with tweeter and woofer rattling thump. It’s an accessible and euphoric club banger meant to be played loudly and meant to encourage you to dance and sweat.

  • He followed that up with Flip the Funk, a four-track EP, which was digitally released through British electronic label Biotech Recordings and featured EP track “Pride,” a lush and soulful bit of deep house-meets-techno that reminded me of house music nights on WBLS back in the day. 

  • Then there was the standalone track, “Acid Drift” a slick, seamless synthesis of tribal house, deep house and drum ‘n’ bass that slaps hard while being dance floor friendly, which was released through Rue des Trois Rois Records.

  • Over the summer, he released the eight-track mini album  Great Broken Masses of Land through his own TERMusik. The album featured album opener and album title track “Great Broken Masses of Land,” a trance-inducing, late night, club banger anchored around skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump and dense layers of oscillating yet melodic synths, a chopped up mantra-like vocal sample paired with his unerring knack for incredibly catchy hooks. “City Energy,” a crowd pleasing, club banger featuring glitchy oscillations, bursts of glistening synths and some industrial, tweeter and woofer rattling thump that showcases an artist, who actively pushes his sound and approach in new directions, while still remaining wildly accessible. And “B Queen V 2,” which featured glitchy oscillations, bursts of glistening and melodic synths, skittering beats and remarkably catchy hooks paired with a dreamy vocal sample.

The wildly prolific, French JOVM mainstay recently released the 4-track Lunar Ascending EP through Brique Rouge. The EP’s first single, EP title and opening track “Lunar Ascending” is a woozily hypnotic banger that’s heavily indebted to Detroit house and a bit of Tour de France-era Kraftwerk.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jody Vukas Shares Soulful and Euphoric “Set Me Free”

Since the late 90s, electronic music label head and artist Jody Vukas has been a mainstay in the American electronic music scene for a sound that features elements of tribal house, progressive house, tech house and techno. Vukas’ latest single “Set Me Free” is a melodic and soulful bit of house, featuring dense layers of shimmering and arpeggiated synths, skittering tribal-influenced beats paired with a sultry, pop starlet vocal and Vukas’ uncanny knack for catchy, euphoria-inducing hooks.

“‘Set Me Free’ is a modern day spin- off of the early 2000s vibes,” Vukas explains.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Technasia Shares Euphoric “Together We Shine”

Technasia is a renowned French electronic music artist, who is known for a swinging take on tech house and high-energy performances. After a two-year hiatus from music, the renowned French artist launched his own label Humans Alike, which marks a new chapter in his acclaimed career.

His latest single “Together We Shine,” is one of the labels first releases, and it’s a slick and hypnotic synthesis of French touch, 90s house and breakbeats anchored around euphoric hooks and a soulful, chopped up vocal hook. It’s a fun club banger that brings memories of Stardust‘s “Music Sounds Better With You” and others.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Micheal Ellsworth Shares Club Thumping “Lantern”

Michael Ellsworth is an emerging electronic music producer and artist. His latest single “Lantern” is a woozy, deep house banger, anchored around scorching synths, tweeter and woofer rattling skittering beats and a seasonal vocal sample […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Bad Robot Shares Spooky House Banger “Zombie Process”

Micheal Ricker is a Delaware-based electronic music producer and artist best known as Bad Robot. Over the course of hit year, I’ve written about a small handful of Ricker’s Bad Robot material, including:

  • The aptly named “Supermassive,” which features skittering, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, scorching bass synths and a woozy and wobbling synth melody. Fittingly, it’s the sort of club and festival banger that sounds as though it should knock a building over. 

  • “Close To You,” which according to Ricker, is “a bit of a departure into a brighter, more ‘pop’ sounding progressive house style.” Built around an almost mantra-like glistening synth phrase, shimmering synth arpeggios and skittering beats, the motorik-like “Close To You” is both summery and remarkably catchy, while seemingly nodding at Discovery-era Daft Punk-like French touch.

  • Max Blücher‘s remix of Year One single “Aero III.” The Blücher remix retains the original’s woozy polymeric melody but pairs it with more aggressive, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump, some brief bursts of industrial clang and clatter, and some ethereal synths that create a spacey, house music feel. “Inspired by the gritty sound design and frantic polymetric melodies of my original track ‘Aero III,’ Max has taken the musical DNA and infused it with his own. While the original is great, Max definitely improved the quality of the track with his production skills and imagination,” Ricker explains. “This house remix is an ethereal journey through space and time with elements of Deadmau5 that are felt even in the cover artwork.”

Ricker’s latest single “Zombie Process” is an another deep house banger featuring tweeter and woofer thumping beats, scorching synths and a horror movie sample that’s perfect for the spooky season. Dress up in your scariest, bloodiest costume and hit the dance floor y’all.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: LENny (IT) Shares A Lush Club Banger

Lenny Lorenzi is a Romagna, Italy-born, New York-based electronic music producer and DJ, best known as LENny (IT). Lorenzi’s career started in earnest when he was a teenager with his first DJ sets and first original productions. 

By the time, he was 17, Lorenzi was on the decks at Titilla, a room at the Riccione-based club Cocoricò. And in a short period of time, the Italian-born, New York-based producer and DJ played some of the most important, internationally renowned clubs including Ibiza‘s Sankeys, Barcelona‘s Macarena, Brooklyn’s Output and Miami‘s Clevelander, as well as the most important clubs of the Romagna Riviera. 

Adding to a growing profile in the electronic music scene, back in 2011, Lorenzi started the Wave Music Boat, a traveling party that cuts across the Adriatic with stops in Catalonia and the Balearics that featured guests like Sam Divine, Michael Cleis, Argy, Supernova and a lengthy list of others. Wave Music Boat is a major backer of the Molo Street Parade, an event that pairs seafaring traditions with contemporary electronic music. Lorenzi also serves as the artistic director of the event. 

Currently based in New York, the Italian-born DJ continues to push the sonic and stylistic boundaries of electronic music. Earlier this year, I wrote about “Night Lights,” a lush club and lounge friendly track featuring glistening and arpeggiated synths, skittering beats, bursts of African-influenced percussion and twinkling keys.

The Italian-born, New York-based DJ and electronic music producer’s latest single “Encontarte” continues a run of lush, soulful club friendly material that recalls a slickly produced synthesis of Between Two Selves-era Octo Octa, 90s house.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: BIJOU Teams Up with Jenny Voss on a Club Rocking Banger

Best known in electronic music circles as BIJOU, Ben Dorman is a rising house music producer, who exploded into the scene with 2016’s “Hello” with Dr. Fresch. Over the past handful of years, Dorman has released a series of bangers that includes “I KNOW” with Marten Hørger, “The Players Anthem” feat. Benny the Butcher and “Gang Gang,” along with chart topping EPs 2019’s Gangsta Party and 2021’s Street Knowledge. That material revealed a producer, who melds timeless hip-hop vibes with classic house undertones that remain underground while being main stage ready.

Along with production, he started his own label, Do Not Duplicate Recordings (DND RECS) while heading out on a multiple sold-out tours.

Dorman will be embarking on a Stateside tour that will see him playing sets in NYC, Seattle and Chicago, as well as making a run of the festival circuit with a set at Orlando‘s Home Bass Festival.

Dorman’s latest track, the anthemic “Seduction” is an slick and swaggering “Rhythm Is A Dancer“-like tune with skittering beats, euphoria-inducing drops and hooks and twinkling synths anchored around Jenny Voss‘ soulful, powerhouse delivery. “Seduction” reveals a producer, who can boldly craft an enormous, crowd-pleasing, club banger.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Major Lazer’s House Music Remix of Amadou & Mariam’s “Mogolu”

Over the course of their almost 50-year career, the iconic and beloved Malian duo Amadou & Mariam have an illustrious career that has been them take the Malian blues that made them a household name in Africa and opened it up to rock, hip-hop and EDM/dance influences, spreading their unique Afropop message and joie de vivre. “We’ve always dreamed of tearing down walls and opening people’s ears to new sounds so the whole world can discover and appreciate Malian music,” Amadou & Mariam says.

Released last month, the compilation album La Vie Est Belle highlights the pairs legacy as one of Africa’s most famous duos and the massive influence they’ve had paving the way for an exciting, new generation of African artists, who have begun to dominate the Western mainstream. The Malian duo have also been ambassadors of Afro-pop, who have collaborated with some of the most iconic and biggest stars of Western mainstream music, including U2, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder and David Gilmour — with their seven studio albums selling over one million records globally.

Amadou & Mariam have made the rounds of the global festival circuit with stops at Coachella, Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, as well as at The World Cup, NPR’s Tiny Desk and this year’s Paris Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony, where they covered Serge Gainsbourg‘s “Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je Me’n Vais.” They’ve also made the run of the late-night TV circuits across both the US and U.K.

And adding to their global profile, the duo have collaborated with JOVM mainstays Sofi Tucker, BLOND:ISH, Santigold, Akon, TV on the Radio and Damon Albarn.

La Vie Est Belle features new and exclusive material, as well as essential songs recorded and released over the last 20 years, including material off Dimanche à Bamako, the album that propelled the duo into pop stardom, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Album single “Mogolu,” which derives its title from the Bambara word for “people” is a celebration of all things human — human encounters, travels, cultural exchange and diversity, echoing the acclaimed pair’s longstanding commitment to global peace. Featuring layers of skittering and propulsive African polyrhythm paired with the Malian duo’s gorgeous boy-girl melodies and harmonies and glistening guitarrs “Mogolu” is a sleek and incredibly catchy synthesis of the traditional and the modern that has managed to burn up dance floors while subtly recalling the likes of La Confusion‘s “Bofou Sakou.”

Mogolu Remixes EP features remixes of “Mogolu” by a series of acclaimed producers including PPJ, Busy Twist and Major Lazer, the powerhouse production outfit led by Diplo. The Major Lazer remix of “Mogolu” turns the song into a slickly produced, club banger with dense layers of oscillating synths, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump while retaining the gorgeous melodies and soulfulness of the original.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Miami’s Diamondz Shares a Thumping Banger

Diamondz is a Miami-based DJ and electronic music producer. As an open format DJ, who has blended genres together for crowds at clubs and venues across Miami, he has shared stages with a number of luminaries including Rihanna, Lizzo, T-Pain, Darude and Roger Sanchez. 

Last year, the Miami-based DJ stepped out into the spotlight as a producer and artist, who continues his long-held genre-blending approach to his own original music, with his work blending elements of hip-hop, electronic music and pop, influenced by producers like Diplo and David Guetta. 

His latest single, “WTF” is a swaggering and high-energy, club friendly banger featuring relentlessly driving four-on-the-floor that manages to bring Larry Levan-era house music to mind. If you’re not on the dance floor, moving your ass and breaking a sweat, there’s something deeply wrong with you.