Tag: house music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Bubba Brothers Share Soulful and Euphoric “Diva”

Over the past handful of years of this site’s almost 14-year history, I’ve spilled quite a bit of virtual ink covering Portuguese DJ and production outfit and JOVM mainstays Bubba Brothers — Eliseu Correia and Justino Santos — and the during that period, the duo have been remarkably prolific, regular releasing banger after banger after banger after banger.

The duo begin 2024 with the Diva EP. As the duo explain the EP is more than a mere collection of tracks, “it’s an audible expression of love and remembrance dedicated to the memory of Nikki, who was more than a companion; she was the soul and diva of the household.”

The EP’s latest single, EP title track “Diva” is a sleek, slickly produced deep house banger that channels Larry Levan, Octo Octa and fellow JOVM mainstay LutchamaK featuring layers of rolling and propulsive percussion, a sultry vocal sample paired with tweeter and woofer rattling thump that continues a remarkable run of euphoric bangers.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares Genre-Defying Banger “Acid Drift”

Wildly prolific 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.

Earlier this month, the prolific JOVM mainstay released “Acid Drift” through Rue des Trois Rois Records. The track is a slick and seamless synthesis of tribal house, deep house, drum ‘n bass that’s simultaneously club and lounge friendly while still slapping hard.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Ravdawg Shares Euphoric “Believe in Me”

Ravdawg is a mysterious and emerging Chicago based electronic music producer and DJ, who generally specializes in tech house and bass. Over the past handful of weeks, the Chicago-based producer and DJ has released a handful of tracks, that included:

  • The Larry Levan-like “U Know U Know,” which I wrote about earlier this month. 

  • “Your Body,” a deep house banger, built around glistening synths oscillations, a fluttering flute, skittering hi-hats, tweeter and woofer rattling beats paired with a pitched-up, soulful vocal sample that manages to remind me a bit of Octo Octa and others.

The Chicago-based producer’s latest single “Believe in Me” is a euphoric and club friendly bit of house music built around skittering hi hats, glistening synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, and a pitched and chopped up vocal sample. It’s a track that reminds me of sweaty summer nights on the dance floor.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Chicago’s Ravdawg Shares a Deep House Banger

Ravdawg is a mysterious and emerging Chicago based electronic music producer and DJ, who generally specializes in tech house and bass. Over the past handful of weeks, the Chicago-based producer and DJ has released a handful of tracks, including the Larry Levan-like “U Know U Know,” which I wrote about earlier this month.

Their latest single “Your Body” is a deep house banger, built around glistening synths oscillations, a fluttering flute, skittering hi-hats, tweeter and woofer rattling beats paired with a pitched-up, soulful vocal sample that manages to remind me a bit of Octo Octa and others.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Chicago’s Ravdawg Shares Swaggering Banger “U Know U Know”

Ravdawg is a mysterious and emerging Chicago based electronic music producer and DJ, who generally specializes in tech house and bass. Their latest single “U Know U Know” is a slickly produced and swaggering bit of Larry Levan-like house music built around glistening synth arpeggios and skittering beats paired with a soulful vocal sample.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Hiwatt Trance House-like Fever Mix of Brittany Bindrim’s “Fever Dream”

Best known for being the frontperson of Chicago-based post-industrial rock outfit i: Scintilla, Brittany Bindrim has stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist with her forthcoming Matt McJunkins-produced full-length solo debut, Velella Velella, an effort that sees her adopting a dark, electro pop-based sound.

While sonically Velella Velella‘s material reportedly ranges between ethereal ballads and gritty dance floor friendly bangers that also showcases the evolution and versality of Bindrim’s work. Thematically, the material touches on themes of self-discovery, empathy, apathy, disillusionment and growth, rooted in unapologetically vulnerable lyrics. “The songwriting process for every song on the album was a little different, but I didn’t try to force ideas or overthink things,” Bindrim says. “Each song developed very naturally and instinctively.”

Velella Velella‘s latest single, “Fever Dreams” is a slickly produced synthesis of electro pop and industrial electronica featuring buzzing bass synths, glistening synth-driven melodies, skittering beats and some subtle industrial clang and clatter serving as a lush yet woozy bed for Bindrim’s ethereal and expressive delivery and catchy hooks. The result is a song that to my ears reminds me of I Am Snow Angel and Goldfrapp with a bit of Kate Bush.

Ken “Hiwatt” Marshall recently remixed “Fever Dreams” for the “Fever Dreams” singles package. The Hiwatt remix turns “Fever Dreams” into a trance-inducing, club rocking techno track with a subtle speeding up of the original’s tempo paired with harder hitting beats, a dreamy and hazy bridge, along bursts of with throbbing guitars and an industrial clang and clatter-driven coda.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 50th Birthday Guy de Homem-Christo!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Daft Punk’s Guy de Homem-Christo’s 50th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Formwandla Shares Club Friendly, Brazilian Bass Remix of “Te encontrar”

Formwandla is a rising Brazilian-born, German-based electronic producer. Late last year, he released “Te encontrar,” a collaboration with Rio de Janeiro-based singer/songwriter Isabela Silvino, which was also his second song featured lyrics sung in his native Brazilian Portuguese.

“Te encontrar” was a radio friendly yet club rocking production with glistening synth arpeggios, a relentless motorik groove paired with Silvino’s melancholy and yearning delivery. To my ears, “Te encontrar” managed to sound like a sleek, hook-driven synthesis of The Weeknd and Euro pop rooted in the sort of heartache familiar to Portuguese fado. 

“I had a certain feeling of longing and melancholy in my head and I wanted Isabela to simply put her feeling into words and melody,” the Brazilian-born, German-based electronic producer and artist explains. “She had very few fixed instructions from me so that she could develop freely. The result is an exciting interplay of European-influenced dance pop and Brazilian emotions.”

The Brazilian-born, German-based producer begins 2024 with a remix of “Te Encontrar.” Dubbed “Brazilian Bass Remix,” the remix pairs Isabella Silvano’s melancholy and yearning delivery with an even clubbier, deep house-meets Euro dance-inspired production featuring glistening synths and synth oscillations and thumping beats and enormous bass drops. The remix reveals that Silvano’s vocal can work with just about any style of electronic music.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares Lush Club Banger “Pride”

Throughout this site’s almost 14 year history, there have been only a handful of artists I’ve written about as much as the wildly prolific French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK. 

The JOVM mainstay began the year with a two-track release through Techno Parade titled Job Done, which featured his “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.

LutchamaK closed out the month with Flip the Funk, a four-track EP, which was digitally released through British electronic label Biotech Recordings. That EP’s latest track “Pride” is a lush and soulful bit of deep house-meets-techno that reminds me of house music nights on WBLS back in the day.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Sentiom Shares Lush, Genre-Defying “When You Say (I Miss You)”

JOVM mainstay Travis Stewart is a sound designer, composer and electronic music producer, best known as Sentiom. Over the course of a two-plus decade career, Stewart has composed music for for film scores, before gradually […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Don Turi’s Sultry Remix of Ornette’s “Such A Game”

Deriving her name as a tribute to the legendary jazz drummer Ornette Coleman, Paris-based Italian-French singer/songwriter, composer and pianist Ornette was initially known for playing piano for Alain Bashung and acting for Jacques Rivette. Ornette stepped out into the spotlight as a vocalist with 2012’s Crazy, which featured album title track “Crazy,'” a track went viral when electronic act Nôze remixed it.

Since then the Italian-French artist has collaborated with Mike Ladd, The Toxic Avenger, Joris Delacroix, Brigette, Make The Girl Dance, Fink, Julien Lourau, Arthur H. and Micky Green on material released through Get Physical, Discograph, Barclay, Tôt ou Tard, Polydor, Way of House and others. She also went on to release two more full-length records, 2019’s Ornette New Remixes and 2021’s Aishiteru.

2021’s Aishiteru featured “Such A Game,” a slow-burning and atmospheric trip-hop-meets-dream pop tune built around glistening keys, thumping boom bap-like beats, a sinuous bass line paired with the Italian-French artist’s expressive delivery. Recently Don Turi remixed “Such A Game,” turning the slow-burning pop into a sultry, Octo Octa-like deep techno/house banger that pairs the Italian-French artist’s expressive delivery with skittering, tweeter and roofer rattling thump, and glistening synth arpeggios.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 49th Birthday, Thomas Bangalter!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Stardust’s and Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter’s 49th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Sentiom Teams up with Jes Hudak on Lush “Cosmos”

Travis Stewart is a sound designer, composer and electronic music producer, best known as Sentiom. Over the past two-plus decades, Stewart has composed music for film scores before gradually moving towards electronic music as one-half of the EDM duo Paragon Axis, an outfit whose material has amassed over one-million streams across DSPs. With Sentiom, Stewart crafts lush and melodic techno/deep house that frequently sees him pairing organic melodies with aggressive synthesizer work and driving bass lines.

Earlier this year, I wrote about “No Limits,” a track that featured glistening synth arpeggios, skittering 808s, a relentless motorik-like groove and rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses paired with a sultry pop starlet-like vocal sample. The result was a song that seemed to channel Robyn and Little Boots with a similar crowd-pleasing accessibility.

Stewart’s latest Sentiom single, “Cosmos” is a slickly produced, club and lounge friendly banger built around lush synth arpeggios, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling beats and a relentless groove. Vocalist Jes Hudak contributes soulful vocals singing introspective lyrics over the remarkably danceable production. The result is a song that sonically brings Snap!‘s “Rhythm Is A Dancer” to mind — but with a sleek, modern production.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares a Breakbeat-Inspired Banger

Throughout this site’s 13-plus year history, there have only been a handful of artists I’ve written about more than the wildly prolific French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK. 2023 has seen the French JOVM mainstay continuing to be as prolific as ever: 

  • Earlier this year, he released the five-track EP Zirconium, which featured material that oscillated between several different styles and genres, including tech house, breakbeats and more. 

  • Then he followed up with the seven-song EP Let The Drums Go, which featured material that frequently meshed elements of tech house, breakbeats and electro pop. 

Late last year, the prolific French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay released the seven-song mini album Cross My Heart, which features one tech house track and mostly downtempo material. Earlier this week, I wrote about “Pillow Talk,” the mini-album’s only tech house track, a track that nodded a bit at Trans Europe Express-like minimalism before quickly morphing into a house music banger that pairs relentless tweeter and woofer rattling thump with glistening and bubbling synths, bursts of skittering hi-hat, chopped up vocal samples and the JOVM mainstay’s penchant for enormous hooks.

Cross My Heart‘s latest single “Chill Out” is a sleek and slickly produced synthesis of drum ‘n’ bass, breakbeat, ambient electronica and downtempo house that seems like a lounge friendly take on house music.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: LutchamaK Shares a Mellow, Tech House Banger

Throughout this site’s 13-plus year history, there have only been a handful of artists I’ve written about more than the wildly prolific French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK. 2023 has seen the French JOVM mainstay continuing to be as prolific as ever:

  • Earlier this year, he released the five-track EP Zirconium, which featured material that oscillated between several different styles and genres, including tech house, breakbeats and more.

  • LutchamaK followed up with the seven-song EP Let The Drums Go, which featured material that frequently meshed elements of tech house, breakbeats and electro pop.

The other day, the prolific French electronic music producer released the seven-song mini album Cross My Heart, which features one tech house track and mostly downtempo material. The mini-album’s latest single “Pillow Talk,” its the mini-album’s only tech house track. At points, the song nods at Trans Europe Express-like minimalism before quickly morphing into a house music banger that pairs relentless tweeter and woofer rattling thump with glistening and bubbling synths, bursts of skittering hi-hat, chopped up vocal samples and the JOVM mainstay’s penchant for enormous hooks. It may arguably be one of the more mellow-leaning yet crowd pleasing tracks that LutchamaK has released to date.