Tag: house music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: LutchamaK Returns with Hypnotic “Side of Town”

French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK continues to be restlessly prolific, contributing “Side of Town” to a compilation released by Mexican electronic label, Brown Traxx Recordings. Clocking in at a little over 5:30, “Side of Town” is a breakneck, no bullshit and no chaser bit of techno that’s specifically designed to get asses to the dance floor, while being anchored around a hypnotic, irresistible groove and his long-held unerring knack for meldocism.

“Side of Town” builds on constant tension but is roomy enough that its individual elements — the shimmering synth melody, the driving groove, the vocal sample and skittering beats can breathe on their own.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Montréal’s DONALDA Shares Woozily Euphoric “C FOU”

Montréal-based electronic dance music duo DONALDA — Florence Lafontaine and Olivier Martin-Fréchette — derive their project’s name from the name given to the first women admitted to college in Québec in the late 19th century, and is a nod to the fictional character introduced in Claude-Henri Grignon’s 1933 novel Un homme et son péché, who, for several generations, embodied the consequences of patriarchy.

Lafontaine and Martin-Fréchette both have an academic background in digital, contemporary mixed-media and instrumental composition, as well as in jazz interpretation. Inspired by UK garage, dubstep, left field bass and other British electronic music sub-genres as well as the queer nightlife scene, the duo take a pedagogical approach to music in order to deconstruct the boundaries of musical genres. While getting people onto the dance floor is their ultimate goal, they also seek to spark musical curiosity among their audience, something that is at the core of their inclusive, unifying philosophy.

Through composition, sound design and creative coding, the Montréal-based duo tap into their wide-ranging experiences to bring every stage of DONALDA’s creative process to life. And fittingly, their versatility imbued their sound with a coherent and deeply personal artistic identity rooted in a celebration of diversity and inclusion, freedom and the French language.

The duo recently signed to Bonsound, who released their debut single “C FOU.” Meshing elements of dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass, alternative R&B and Larry Levan-era house, “C FOU” sees the duo pairing glitchy beats, broodingly atmospheric synths, soulful harmonies, catchy danceable choruses and hooks, The result is a woozy, drunken euphoric feel of freedom — but with a bit of grit, sweat and grime.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: ELEVIN Shares a Sleek, Melodic House 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 “Edge of Sight” continues a remarkable run of slickly produced club and festival friendly, melodic house bangers anchored around dense layers of glistening of relentless motorik pulse, skittering thump and a cinematic heft, But at it’s core is a song specifically created to get people to head to the dance floor.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Super Plage Teams Up with Virginie B on Summery “POOL PARTY”

Jules Henry is a Montréal-based singer/songwriter, electronic music producer and creative mastermind behind the acclaimed, JOVM mainstay recording project and Super Plage. Founded back in 2019, Super Plage sees Henry crafting slickly produced, dance floor friendly electro pop that draws from house and nu-disco. He frequently collaborates with local French Canadian artists to create a playful, fun-loving and escapist universe, where it feels good to party.

Since 2019, Henry has released four albums, including 2023’s Magie á minuit, which received an ADISQ Félix Award-nomination for Electronic Album of the Year. Building upon a growing profile, Henry has made a run of both the provincial and international festival circuits, playing sets at Francos de Montréal, FME and Festival d’été de Québec, SXSW, Wide Days and others. He has opened for Miel de Montagne, Juilen Granel, Bon Entendeur, MYD and more.

Last year’s GROOSE MAISON featured a sleek and daring blend of house, disco and French touch anchored around catchy, downright funky grooves, much like on album single “Tip Top.”

The French Canadian JOVM mainstay’s latest single “POOL PARTY” continues his longtime collaboration with Virginie B. Sonically drawing from classic house music, “POOL PARTY” is a breezy and summery, dance floor friendly bop that showcases Henry’s unerring knack for sleek production and razor sharp, catchy hooks paired with a sultry, pop starlet performance from Virginie B. It’s a much-needed, early blast of summer.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jazen Happy Teams Up with Solara Harris on Euphoric “Las Guardianas”

Jazen Happy is an electronic producer and artist, who has developed a reputation for crafting an upbeat and vibrant fusion of techno and electronic dance music paired with catchy lyrics that’s inspired from both underground rhythms and mainstream trends. His latest single, “Las Guardianas” feat. Solara Harris is an upbeat and summery bit of melodic house, anchored around glistening synth arpeggios and Harris’ soulful delivery that’s simultaneously club and festival friendly — and showcases the producer’s ability to craft a remarkably catchy hook.

Jazen Happy explains that the song is inspired by Tulum sunrises and is specifically designed to create a real emotional lift.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Parra for Cuva Performs “Juri” at Costa Rica’s Nauyaca Waterfall

Nicolas Demuth is a Göttingen, Germany-born, Berlin-based musician, producer and DJ, best known as Parra for Cuva. Demuth will be releasing his sixth studio album Nacar on May 15, 2026.

The album’s third and final single “Juri,” is a lush lounge and club friendly song built around glistening and atmospheric synths, bursts of twinkling keys, chopped up vocal samples and deliberate and handcrafted, propulsive beats and a motorik-like groove. The result is a slickly produced song that feels dreamily hypnotic yet soulful and warm, seemingly channeling Paracosm-era Washed Out.

“‘Juri’ is a natural introduction to the sonic language of Nacar,” Demuth explains. He goes on to explain that the track balances dance floor energy with a sense of intimacy, while setting the foundation for the album’s overall approach: handcrafted sounds shaped into something detailed, fluid, and alive.

Adding to the dreamy vibes, field recordings captured during his recent sessions in Costa Rica have been integrated through the album, connecting the production directly to the environments and locales where the material was inspired and conceived.

The accompanying live footage was shot at Costa Rica’s breathtakingly beautiful Nauyaca Waterfall.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Danny Waters Shares Lush and Euphoric “Memories (Radio Mix)”

Danny Waters is a Portuguese DJ, producer and founder and label head of Sonic Frequency Records. As a DJ and producer, Waters has crafted material across a wide range of electronic music genres and subgenres including house, deep house, deep tech, tech house, progressive house and techno — with a deep interest in protest and probing social questions. 

Waters’ latest single “Memories” is a lush bit of melodic, pop-leaning house anchored around euphoria-inducing hooks and choruses and pulsating beats that sounds perfect for the club, the lounge and the rooftop party. But at its core, the song is meant to invite the listener to simultaneously relive old memories and to create new ones that they’ll relive later — hopefully on the dance floor.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: st. art Shares Shimmering “Lonely People (Special Edition)”

st. art is a Los Angeles-based collective of self-described “quantum artists.” In a a lengthy statement, the collection writes: “We do not create — we tune the field.

We are synthesizers of probabilities.

Our canvas is the energy field.

We are the Quantum Synthesizer. We assemble reality from probabilities, synthesize worlds from sensations, and create music from fields and meaning. We do not simply play notes — we give birth to new layers of being, shifting the “quantum” states of perception. For us, silence and light are equal oscillators. We are the voice of the Universe, passing through the soul. . . .”

The Los Angeles-based collective’s latest single “Lonely People (Special Edition)” is a sleek, futuristic banger featuring layers of glistening and twinkling synths and a supple and soulful bass line paired with thumping beats and a chopped up sample from The Beatles‘ “Eleanor Rigby.” The result is a song that places a beloved and familiar song within a bold, completely novel and modern context while being accessible.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Los Pulpitos Return with Propulsive and Dubby “Squidler”

Berlin-based electronic duo Los Pulpitos features two acclaimed electronic producers:

  • Lima-born, Berlin-based producer Felipe Salmon, best known for being one-half of Dengue Dengue Dengue, an act known for meshing elements of electronic music, cumbia, reggae and psychedelia. 

  • German electronic innovator Dirk Leyers, known for his solo work, as well as with groups like Africane 808, Closer Musik and Format01. 

The duo released their debut EP Octopean Union last year. Building upon the project’s growing profile, their highly anticipated full-length debut, Tentacletek is slated for an April 17, 2026 release through Crammed Discs. The album will include the previously released “Mola Mola,” and the album’s latest single “Squidler.”

“Squidler” is a dubby club banger that seemingly channels a synthesis of Kraftwerk, Between Two Selves-era Octo Octa and LutchamaK anchored around skittering, reverb-soaked beats and shimmering synth stabs. The new single is playful, propulsive and immersive, evoking an underwater, tropical house club.

According to the duo, the track gallops fluidly on a seahorse down the Aquabahn straight to Detroit.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: MADISON music Shares Euphoric and Summery “Feel It In My Soul”

MADISON music is an American DJ and producer, who creates high-energy electronic music from the heart and for the soup through blending peak-time club and festival bangers with melodic, emotional elements and uplifting hooks.

Each of his releases are designed to move bodies, elevate mind and connect people on the dance floor. His latest single “Feel It In My Soul” is a euphoric and summery bit of melodic house that sounds like it could rock festival stages and clubs in Miami, New York and Ibiza.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: LutchamaK Shares Propulsive Banger “Extra Information”

French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK continues to be restlessly prolific with the recent release of the four-song Extra Information through Urban Kickz Recordings‘ Special Series.

Extra Information as the JOVM mainstay explains features material that’s slightly slow in pace, richer in tone and layered with color. The result is an EP that specifically focuses on grove, while proving that you can be hypnotic without having to make frenetic material. The EP’s latest single, title track “Extra Information” showcases the French producer’s commitment to melodic house, pairing a chopped up vocal sample with rolling, propulsive beats and warm synth textures. “It’s restrained but alive – subtle melodic fragments and atmospheric detail weave through the rhythm, giving the track depth beyond its tight framework,” LutchamaK says.

The result is a song that’s both club and lounge friendly, while nodding at Kraftwerk and “Rhythm Is A Dancer“-era Snap!

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jimmy Kirra Shares Upbeat Banger “Change”

Melbourne-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jimmy Kirra, who started writing songs when he was 12. Since then his work has been rooted in the sounds of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s rock and pop. Although […]

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 52nd Birthday, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo’s 52nd birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Lowly Light Teams Up with Mishell Ivon on infectiously Hopeful “Impossible Possibility”

Matt Gorny is an award-winning, New York-based songwriter and producer, best known as Lowly Light. As a songwriter and producer, Gorny’s work has shown continual evolution, ranging from tunes like “Get Over Yourself,” “Prayin,’” “Candy Lied” and “Down the Coast,” which bounce between nu-disco, chilled out grooves and energetic indie pop, while also collaborating with an growing number of dance music artists, including Ultra Naté, Amanda Lepore, Luca Perra and others.

Gorny’s latest Lowly Light single, “Impossible Possibility” feat. Mishell Ivon is a bit of French touch-like house/nu-disco that’s a much-needed hope and joy bomb in our desperate, uneasy moment. We have to hold tightly onto hope because the regime wants us to feel as though all is completely lost.

As the New York-based songwriter and producer explains, “Impossible Possibility” is a song about holding onto hope, bravely diving for the brand new and reaching for what may be the one-in-a-million shot.