Tag: house music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Wajatta (Reggie Watts and John Tejada) Team Up with March Adstrum on a Euphoric House Banger

Deriving their name as an amalgamation of its members’ last names, Wajatta (pronounced wa-HA-ta) is an electronic music duo that features acclaimed comedian/musician Reggie Watts and electronic music artist, producer and DJ John Tejada.

Watts first burst into the scene as the co-host of IFC’s groundbreaking variety series Comedy Bang! Bang! As a solo performer, he has honed a unique style that blurs the lines between music and comedy that’s heavily reliant on improvisation — most notably, the multi-layered music tracks built on the fly with looped beatboxed rhythms and soulful vocals. The acclaimed comedian and musician has done a TED Talk, multiple comedy specials for both Comedy Central and Netflix, and recorded Reggie Watts Live at Third Man Records at the invitation of Jack White.

Famously, Watts was the bandleader for CBS’s The Late Late Show With James Corden.

Tejada has been at the forefront of the West Coast techno scene since 1994, prolifically releasing a series of acclaimed albums, singles and EPs through labels like Kompakt, Poker Flat, Cocoon, PlugResearch, and his own label, Palette Recordings.

Tejada also is one-half of electronic duo Optometry with March Adstrum. The pair released their debut EP After-Image earlier this year.

With the release of 2018’s Casual High Technology and 2020’s Don’t Let Get You Down, which was released through Flying Lotus‘ Briainfeeder, the duo established a sound that they describe broadly as “electronic dance music with its roots in Detroit techno, Chicago house, ’70s funk and New York hip-hop.” 

2021’s Do You Even Care Anymore EP encompassed an evolution of the duo’s sound and approach. “It has developed into something a bit deeper,” Tejada said in press notes. ““While our process and Reggie’s vocal improvisation work is still the same when we record, there’s just something new that we settled into this time. The music and the lyrics got a bit deeper.”

The duo’s newest EP Waiting For The Get Down is slated for Thursday release through their longtime label home Brainfeeder. The EP’s latest single “Again And Again” feat. March Adstrum is a sultry and euphoric house-inspired banger built around a pulsating and punchy 4/4 beat, glistening and arpeggiated synths and Watts’ soulful delivery inviting the listener to a much-needed good time, to celebrate existence, get lost in a hypnotic groove and dance.

“‘Again And Again’ came out of me bringing a sketch of it to one of our live shows and just playing it in the set to see how Reggie would respond,” Tejada explains. “This is a fairly normal way of starting tracks, just to be in the moment and to try something that Reggie has never heard before. That moment created a great vibe and was perhaps the highlight of the whole show, so we quickly got it recorded and dialed in the rest.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Oslo’s WNDR Shares Brooding and Sultry “Falling Down”

32-year-old Oslo-born and-based DJ and electronic music producer WNDR is a grizzled, industry vet, with over two decades of work, and a hard-won reputation for himself in the Norwegian capital’s club scene. Along with that, he has achieved commercial success across both Europe and Scandinavia: His debut single “Medicine,” which has amassed over five million streams went platinum in Norway. “Human,” was playlisted on NRK MP3s playlist. WNDR’s remix of Lemaitre’s “Higher” was playlisted on Kiss FM Norway, received airplay on SirusXM and caught the attention of renowned DJ Martin Garrix. Additionally, the Norwegian producer and DJ has had material land on the Top 10 Charts in both the UK and Ireland — and as a result, he has toured heavily across Europe.

The acclaimed and commercially successful Norwegian producer and DJ has gone on to release hits with a number of industry-leading labels including Crosswalk Records, Sony, and Epic Tones Records.

WNDR’s latest single “Falling Down” was released through Icons Creating Evil Art last week. Built around glistening synth oscillations, skittering staccato beats, a deep bass line and a soulful and yearning female vocal sample, “Falling Down” is a brooding yet sultry banger that’s simultaneously club and lounge friendly.

“’Falling Down’ is one of my darker tracks,” WNDR says. “I’ve been experimenting with sound choices to give my sets a more dynamic feel. With this one I think my followers will be positively surprised, that’s what I’m hoping for at least. . . ”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Audio Key Architects Share a Deep House Banger

Audio Key Architects (A.K.A) is a Paris-based sibling production and DJ duo. Driven by a deep and abiding passion for electronic music and techno, their collaborative project is guided by a share vision of sharing what they love to create and listen to — with the world. 

Last month, I wrote about the Parisian sibling duo’s second single “Ellipse.” Beginning with a Flamenco-like introduction, “Ellipse” quickly morphed into a deep house/techno banger featuring a soulful, wailing vocal sample, bursts of vocodered vocals, glistening synth oscillations and skittering beats paired with the duo’s uncannily cinematic sense of melody.

Their latest single “Fenrir” sees the French electronic music duo crafting a hard hitting, aggressive techno banger built around tribal percussion, layers of glistening synth arpeggios and a relentless motorik groove. The result is a song that wouldn’t sound out of place at this weekend’s Electric Zoo — while bringing JOVM mainstays LutchamaK and Bubba Brothers to mind.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Bubba Brothers Share a Thumping, Club Friendly Banger

Over the past couple of years, I’ve managed to spill quite a bit of virtual ink covering Portuguese DJ and production duo Bubba Brothers — Eliseo Correia and Justino Santos — and during that period, the duo, which formed back in 2015, have been remarkably prolific, regularly releasing banger after banger after banger . . .

2023 has been a rather busy year for the JOVM mainstays. Earlier this year, they released the Visions EP, an effort that featured:

  • “Black Beach,” which saw the JOVM mainstays pairing deep house with Balearic house, built around glistening synth arpeggio-driven melodies, skittering beats, twinkling percussion and euphoria-inducing hooks. The song as the duo explain was inspired by and written on Iceland’s famous Black Beach — but somehow manages to evoke swelling summer nights and sweaty clubs. 

  • “Bobby’s Dream” a club rocking, deep house banger built around skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump, a sampled Rastafarian meditation, glistening synths and enormous hooks. The end result is a woozy and dream-like song act will get asses out of their seats and onto the floor. 

Earlier this year, the duo followed the Visions EP with “Meaning” a percussive, banger built around propulsive polyrhythm paired with glistening synth arpeggios, a soulful vocal sample and their unerring knack for euphoric hooks.

The JOVM’s latest single “Wasabi” is a bit of deep house, seemingly indebted to Larry Levan and others, built around chunky synth arpeggio blocks, tweeter and woofer rattling, propulsive beats, the duo’s remarkably unerring knack for euphoric hooks — and for the second time in their history, lyrics sung by the duo. Remember, dear reader, “house music all night long . . .”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays H2SO4 Return with a Slick Club Banger

Over the past 12-15 minutes or so, I’ve spilled quite a bit of virtual ink covering British electronic outfit and JOVM mainstays H2SO4. Last year was among the busiest years for the British outfit as they released a batch of slickly produced club bangers.

They began the year with “Outsiders (BassBears Mix),” a sleek, Balearic house-like banger built around glistening synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rattling beats, enormous bass drops and euphoria-inducing hooks paired with sultrily delivered vocal sample fed through a bit of distortion. This one sounds as though it would rock clubs at Ibiza on any given night.

Continuing a rather prolific period for the British outfit, their latest single “Following The Line,” a slick yet accessible deep house banger that wouldn’t sound out of place at Avant Gardner or Ibiza while subtly channeling Tweekend-era The Crystal Method and Come With Us-era The Chemical Brothers.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Alex Paris Shares an Infectious and Summery Bop

Alex Paris is a Houston-born singer/songwriter. He located to Los Angeles for college and upon his graduation, he began releasing material independently last year.

The Houston-born singer/songwriter recently relocated to Brooklyn. And since moving to Brooklyn, he has been inspired by the city’s house, tech house and deep house scenes.

Paris’ latest single “Feel” is a fun, summery bop that’s simultaneously lounge and dance floor friendly: The Houston-born, Brooklyn-based artist’s plaintive delivery ethereally floats over a sleek production featuring glistening synth arpeggios and thumping beats.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Paris’ Audio Key Architects Share a Sleek and Melodic Banger

Audio Key Architects (A.K.A) is a Paris-based sibling production and DJ duo. Driven by a deep and abiding passion for electronic music and techno, their collaborative project is guided by a share vision of sharing what they love to create and listen to — with the world.

Their second single “Ellipse” begins with a Flamenco-like introduction before quickly morphing into a deep house/techno banger featuring a soulful wailing vocal sample, a burst of vocodered vocals, glistening synth oscillations and skittering beats paired with the duo’s uncannily cinematic sense of melody. The result is a song that reminds me a bit of Snap!‘s “Rhythm is a Dancer” and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK — within an expansive song structure.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Berlin’s Max Blücher Shares a Sleek and Cinematic Banger

Hanover-born, Berlin-based electronic music producer and artist Max Blücher has quickly developed a reputation within the global electronic music scene for using his deep understanding of melodic techno and progressive house to boldly push the boundaries of electric music while simultaneously attempting to create music that’s innovative and emotionally resonate.

“Witching Hour,” the German electronic music producer and artist’s latest single pairs Giorgio Moroder-like synth arpeggios, skittering hi hat, and a Kraftwerk-like motorik pulse with organic instrumentation to craft a song that’s both cinematic and dance floor friendly.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Atlanta’s Bardis Shares a Swaggering Banger

Bardis is an emerging Atlanta-based electronic music producer. His latest single “Don’t Call It A Comeback” is a sickly produced, bombastic club banger that features enormous hooks, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, swelling and glistening synth arpeggios and a swaggering, chopped up vocal sample.

Sonically, “Don’t Call It A Comeback” brings Snap‘s “Rhythm Is A Dancer” and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK to mind.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Dylan Rafael Teams up with Roland Clark on Euphoric “I Believe”

23 year-old, New York-based electronic music producer, DJ and JOVM mainstay Dylan Rafael discovered his passion for DJ’ing when he turned 12. When he turned 20, he started to learn how to produce his own original material, which led him to playing at clubs like Lavo and nebula, and opening slots for Ship Wrek, Dzeko, Gordo and others. 

The young and rising New York-based producer began the year with “Cham Cham,” a Balearic-tinged house banger with elements of tribal house and Larry Levan-like house featuring skittering tweeter and woofer rattling beats and subtle Middle Eastern instrumentation paired with euphoria-inducing hooks.

His latest single “I Believe” is a upbeat banger built around twinkling and percussive synth arpeggios, skittering beats, euphoria inducing hooks paired with enormous drops and Roland Clark‘s booming delivery inviting the listener to come to the welcoming and loving church of house music. And I think we should all join them, and then dance and sweat our troubles and fears away.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay DFNSE Teams Up With Mae Rojas on an Uplifting House Banger

Rising Paris-based electronic music producer DFNSE specializes in a sound and approach that sees him seamlessly meshing elements of French touch, funk and pop.

Before releasing his debut EP, 2015’s Pandorium, an effort inspired by the SoundCloud Future House scene, he participated in a number of attention grabbing producer battles alongside emerging artists like BlackDoe, Ikaz Boi, and Varnish La Piscine. Back in 2016, the rising Parisian producer released material through a handful of electronic labels including Darker Than Wax, Souletiquettte and Nowadays Records, who released a single on their Oceans compilation, as well as the  Moonrock EP, which features one of his biggest songs to date, “Show You.”

Last September saw the release of the Symphony Road EP, which featured “Getaway,”a breezy, 80s-inspired summertime bop featuring Australian vocalist AKA Lui’s plaintive falsetto paired with twinkling keys, a strutting bass line, some Nile Rodgers-inspired funk guitar, an irresistible, two-step inducing groove and an infectious hook. And while being a clear club banger, the song is an escapist fantasy, evoking summers full of seemingly carefulness, warm days and nights, hanging out at beach and rooftop are and clubs — and of vacations to tropical climes.

“No Limit,” the Paris-based JOVM mainstay’s latest single is a classic, upbeat and uplifting Larry Levan-like house banger built around twinkling keys, skittering hi-hats, glistening synths paired with Mae Rojas‘ soulful, swaggering delivery singing lyrics that advocate freedom and self-acceptance. It’s the anthem you didn’t know you needed — until now.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: London’s Finesse Shares a Summery Club Banger

Finesse is an emerging London-based electronic music producer and artist, who has a passion for creating energetic, uplifting EDM and house with a melodic vibe that can simultaneously help you chill out — and make you dance.

His debut single “So Alone” is a summery club friendly banger built around a deep house-inspired production featuring glistening synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rattling thump and a soulful vocal sample paired with an incredibly catchy hook. The result is a song that strikes me as sounding like a mix of Between Two Selves-era Octo Octa, Larry Levan, and 90s dance pop.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Portuguese DJ and production duo Bubba Brothers — Eliseo Correia and Justino Santos — formed back in 2015. Over the past few years, I’ve managed to spill quite a bit of virtual ink covering the Portuguese JOVM mainstays. And during that period they’ve been remarkably prolific, releasing an increasing number of club friendly bangers.

Earlier this year, the duo released the Visions EP, an effort that featured two tracks I’ve written about:

  • “Black Beach,” which saw the JOVM mainstays pairing deep house with Balearic house, built around glistening synth arpeggio-driven melodies, skittering beats, twinkling percussion and euphoria-inducing hooks. The song as the duo explain was inspired by and written on Iceland’s famous Black Beach — but somehow manages to evoke swelling summer nights and sweaty clubs. 
  • “Bobby’s Dream” a club rocking, deep house banger built around skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump, a sampled Rastafarian meditation, glistening synths and enormous hooks. The end result is a woozy and dream-like song act will get asses out of their seats and onto the floor.

The Portuguese JOVM mainstays’ latest single “Meaning” is a percussive, club friendly banger built around propulsive polyrhythm paired with glistening synth arpeggios, a soulful vocal sample and their unerring knack for euphoric hooks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Navy Yard’s Euphoric Remix of Brandy’s “Best Friend”

Navy Yard is an emerging New York-based house music/garage duo. The duo’s latest single is a remix of Brandy‘s 1995 hit “Best Friend,” which places the R&B/pop star’s imitable vocal within an uptempo, Larry Levan-like production featuring glistening synth arpeggios, skittering beats, tweeter and woofer rattling thump paired with the duo’s uncanny ability to craft a euphoria-inducing hook.

The result is a song that turns the swaggering and soulful ode to friendship and loyalty into an anthemic declaration meant to be shouted along with your bestie.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Indonesia’s Rinni Wulandari Shares a Fun and Infectious Banger

Rinni Wulandari is a Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia-born R&B and pop artist. Wulandari grew up in a musical family: her mother was a vocalist and her father was a bassist and her two older sisters and brother are also in the music industry. So for the Indonesian pop artist, it was natural — and maybe perhaps fated — for her to be involved in music.

As a child, Wulandari used to sing for any kind of school events, including talent shoes and singing contests. As a high schooler, she was the frontperson of a band with a cousin, who was a dummer. She also auditioned for Indonesian Idol back in 2007, when she had turned 17, and became the youngest participant to ever win at the time.

In 2014, Wulandari came up with a new image for herself and transformed from pop singer to R&B singer. Since then she’s released four successful albums in her native Indonesia — 2014’s Independent Part 1, 2017’s I Am Independent and Independent Part 2, 2021’s Skins.

The Indonesian R&B and pop artist’s latest single “switch,” is the first bit of new material from Wulandari since the release of 2021’s critically applauded Skins. The song’s origins can be traced back to Wulandari struggling with insomnia during her pregnancy. Her spouse, producer and DJ Jevin Julian quickly recognized that her insomnia made her unproductive, and encouraged her to transform her sleepless nights to an opportunity to create new music.

“switch” pairs the Indonesian artist’s sultry delivery with a sleek house music-inspired production featuring glistening synth arpeggios and skittering tweeter and woofer rattling beats paired with euphoric hooks. Wulandari explains that “switch” delivers a powerful message to today’s youth, urging them to cherish their carefree moments, a time when responsibilities are minimal and freedom is abundant — and life is unburdened by responsibilities, obligations and commitments. The song was inspired by Wulandari’s nostalgia for own her youth, hanging out with friends and not stressed out over everything. But underlying all of that is a song that’s just a fun, night out at the club kind of banger.