Tag: house music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Anish Kumar and Hagop Tchaparian Team Up on Percussive and Vibey “Kino” EP

Anish Kumar is an eclectic DJ and producer known for blending the musical influences of his South Asian heritage with an intriguing array of electronic styles.

Hagop Tchaparian is a British-Armenian producer, whose full-length debut, 2022’s Bolts featured ten songs of deeply personal rhythm-driven music that meshed techno with field recordings of his travels through Armenian and Mediterranean culture.

The two individually acclaimed, electronic music producers teamed up on the two-track EP KINO, which was mixed by Pearson Sound and was released through the pair’s KINO imprint, after they road-tested the material at various warehouse venues and festivals. “Part 1,” and “Part 2” are dense, percussive batches of woozy house that at points feels soulful, meditative and irresistibly dance floor and festival friendly.

“A couple years ago I was shown Hagop’s debut single ‘GL’. I remember having my mind blown and thinking to myself ‘Jesus, I didn’t even realise you were allowed to do this,'” Anish Kumar says in press notes. “It’s so tense, so instantly gratifying and unashamedly bold. We texted some ideas back and forth for a while and soon got to meet in person at an insanely rammed show in Brixton – Four Tet, Skrillex & Fred Again. were playing. I was surprised and excited to see that Hagop had bounced a version of one of the ideas on his phone. It was like ‘oh man, he actually wants to do this. I’m gassed.'” From there we continued to work on the tracks whenever & wherever our paths seemed to intersect, whether it be in Dalston or San Francisco. We started to test them out around festival season, at our first back to back together at Glastonbury and then at a packed Airbase stage at Lost Village. It was nerve-wracking to take on these slots but doing it together made it feel epic. Playing out the tracks allowed us to know where to make changes in mix & arrangement. Coming off the back of Lost Village we finished the tracks and were very fortunate to have the tracks mixed by Pearson Sound. It was around then that Kieran (Four Tet) started playing Part I (the first track) out and gave us his valuable feedback on the mix, which was relayed to Pearson Sound for some final adjustment. We both independently got to witness Kieran drop the track at massive warehouse venues – Hagop at Portola in San Francisco and myself at Drumsheds in London. We both were texting each other whilst losing our minds about how incredible it was to hear the tracks in that scale of a venue, it had a real cinematic quality. The sense of awe and vastness transpired into the release and gave it its imprint: KINO.

“It started as a chance text exchange via a mutual acquaintance and we first met properly in a packed Brixton rave. This first conversation couldn’t have been in a better context and amid the bass and bodies, it was clear that Anish was different,” Hagop Tchaparian recalls. “What sets him apart is a rare combination: humble/thoughtful with deep musical knowledge paired with genuine openness to new ideas, all underpinned by the technical ability to bring these visions to life. His distinctive style permeates everything he touches, from production choices to visual aesthetics. Our collaboration evolved organically, and a natural exchange of ideas began. It was exciting to start to collaborate but also laid back and comfortable to such an extent that I totally lost track of who had created which parts of the tracks we were making together, demonstrating that we were completely on the same wavelength. The collaboration morphed into Anish and I playing back to back at some festivals that were really fun and vibey even emotional at times. We had some special moments and were also able to give our tracks their first proper public airing. The project took shape through late-night conversations – in pubs, during long drives after shows, and even while wandering through the Science Museum and even when I invited him back to my house and he ate all my bread. As momentum built, others began picking up on the tracks, and having them mixed by Pearson Sound felt like the final piece falling into place. The project evolved into something neither of us expected and seeing the reaction when it was played at Drumsheds and Portola festival almost felt like it wasn’t our track.”

There’s a limited run of white label vinyl which will be available in selected record stores and online.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 51st Birthday, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates French touch pioneer Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo’s 51st birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: TONNUP Shares 90s EDM-Inspired, Club Friendly “SpyMaster”

TONNUP is a mysterious and emerging American electronic music producer and artist. Late last year, they shared “I’m So Into You,” a club banger anchored around glistening synth arpeggios, skittering beats, tweeter and woofer rattling low […]

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Combo Chimbita Shares Trippy and Meditative House-like “Dímelo”

Acclaimed New York-based Latinx group Combo Chimbita — Carolina Oliveros (vocals, guacharaca), Prince of Queens (synths, bass), Niño Lento (guitar) and Dilemastronauta (drums) — features members of New York-based Colombian folk collective Bulla en el Barrio, and in some way is a sort of related side project.

Combo Chimbita have publicly cited Sun Ra‘s Afro-futurism as a deep influence on their work and overall aesthetic — with the New York-based Latinx group crafting their own take, one, which they’ve dubbed Tropical Futurism. “The idea that the future doesn’t necessarily have to be this super white Western high-tech Star Wars stuff; that the indigenous ideas and culture of people of color, people of Latin America, can also represent a magical and substantial future,” Combo Chimbita explain. “It’s a vision that maybe a lot of people don’t necessarily think about often. The old and deep knowledge that indigenous people have of the land has been neglected for many years as part of capitalism and colonization.”

The band can trace the origins of their genre-defying global sound, which features elements of cumbia, electro pop and Afro-futurism to their late night, experimental jam-driven, year-long residency at renowned, Park Slope, Brooklyn-based world music club Barbés.  Those exploratory jam sessions eventually lead to their self-recorded full-length debut, 2016’s El Corridor del Jaguar. 

2016’s Lily Wen-produced sophomore album Abya Yala found the band further establishing their Afro-futurism-inspired take on cumbia and other traditional Colombian folk styles. Eventually, the acclaimed New York-based outfit caught the attention of ANTI- Records, who signed the band to the label and released their third album 2019’s Ahomale and their fourth album 2022’s IRE.

Recently Combo Chimbita signed to New York-based label Wonderwheel Recordings, who released their latest single “Dímelo,” their first release on the label, and the second in a series of recordings they did with renowned producer Victor Axelrod, a.k.a. Ticklah. “Dímelo” is a dreamy and mediative bit of Larry Levan era-like cumbia featuring a glistening cumbia-influenced rhythm guitar, jazz-influenced hi-hat driven drumming and a strutting bass line, shimmering synth arpeggio bursts and a remarkably catchy hook seemingly guided by Oliveros’ hypnotic wailing.

“Dímelo is an internal dialogue, a sonic representation of what it feels and sounds like to choose yourself. ‘Cuando por fin yo me elegí (I finally chose myself)’ is a phrase that repeats consistently throughout the track. “It’s an honest song,” says Carolina Oliveros, “that speaks on what it means to understand that for however much you may love someone, you can’t force them to love you the same way- that that is love you have to give yourself.”

For the band, in many ways, it’s the first trade in a return to the band’s roots and a hint of what’s to come from them sonically.  

The track will be available on 7″ alongside a remix by Busy Twist in March.

Directed by Andrea Buritica, the accompanying video for “Dímelo” features th members in front of the band in front of projections of VHS fuzz, New York, lighting storms, flowers and more. It emphasizes the trippy yet meditative nature of the song.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Augu Shares a Banger

Augu is a mysterious and emerging Lithuanian electronic music producer. His latest single “Foreigner” synthesizers elements of John Carpenter film soundtracks with deep industrial house and Kraftwerk-like minimalism into a dance floor friendly, club banger.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms
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Live Concert Photography: Winter Jazzfest 2025: Lion Babe at Baby’s All Right 1/11/25

Live concert photography of Lion Babe performing at Baby’s All Right during Winter Jazzfest.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jody Vukas Teams Up With Ariana Celaenio on Lush and Plaintive “Fade”

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’ begins 2025 with “Fade,” a lush, pop-leaning club and lounge friendly collaboration with Ariana Celaenio that pairs her plaintive and ethereal delivery with glistening synths, a driving groove and skittering beats.

As Vukas explains, the song tells a young woman’s story of the fallout from a ad relationship — and it’s done with a verisimilitude that feels as though it comes from lived-in experience.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 50th Birthday, Thomas Bangalter!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates French touch pioneer Thomas Bangalter’s 50th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Dabinski Shares Summery “Umama”

Sacha Dabinski is a Paris-based DJ and producer, best known as Dabinski. Inspired by Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Pablo Fierro, Sparrow & Barbossa and more, the Parisian DJ and producer’s work transports listeners to sun-drenched locales that feature bright, soulful vocals, rhythmic percussion and a blend of organic and electronic instruments to create a rich, immersive experience. His work is meant to evoke the sensation of being on a vacation, of experiencing a delightful respite from the mundanity of the everyday, filled with sunshine and joy. 

The Parisian DJ and producer closes out 2024 with “Umama,” a collaboration with Nadrums and Neyl continues a run of ebullient and summery, Afrobeats-inspired house music featuring glistening synth arpeggios, skittering Caribbean-like drumming, a bluesy guitar solo, and a soulful vocal paired with wildly catchy hooks. It’s a fun, summery tune that’s simultaneously club and lounge friendly.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: LutchamaK Shares Soulful “Want U”

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. 

Last month, the JOVM mainstay released the four-song Lunar Ascending EP, which featured: 

  • “Lunar Ascending,” a woozily hypnotic banger that’s heavily indebted to Detroit house and a bit of Tour de France-era Kraftwerk.

  • “Healing Dub” is a synthesis 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. 

LutchamaK closes out 2024 with the C10Cl10O mini-album and the Altered Oceanic Climate EP. 

C10Cl10O featured “1989,” a a melodic bit of house that sounds inspired by Larry Levan‘s Paradise Garage DJ sets — but with a modern feel.

Altered Oceanic Climate EP single “Want U” continues the Larry Levan-era deep house inspired vibe with the song anchored around a skittering boom bap-driven groove, atmospheric synth blasts paired with a chopped up soulful vocal sample and a euphoric hook. House music all night long, y’all!

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares Melodic House Banger “1989”

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. 

Last month, the JOVM mainstay released the four-song Lunar Ascending EP, which featured:

  • “Lunar Ascending,” a woozily hypnotic banger that’s heavily indebted to Detroit house and a bit of Tour de France-era Kraftwerk.

  • “Healing Dub” is a synthesis 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.

LutchamaK closes out 2024 with the C10Cl10O mini-album and the Altered Oceanic Climate EP. C10Cl10O‘s latest single “1989” is a melodic bit of house that sounds inspired by Larry Levan‘s Paradise Garage DJ sets — but with a modern feel. House music all night long . . .

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Guillaume Michaud Teams Up with JOVM Mainstay Naomi on Sultry “Poison”

Guillaume Michaud is a Montréal-based choreographer, dancer, producer and DJ. After initially gained recognition as a dancer and choreographer in season 2 of TVA’s Révolution and starring as the lead character in Cirque du Soleil’s Andorra-based 2022 production of MÜV, Michaud’s DJ career gained recognition as he played sets at Piknic Electronik, Igloofest, PY1, Burning Sun, Frontrite and a list of others.

Deriving its name for the Irish Gaelic word for “my heartbeat,” Michaud’s recently released 5 song debut EP, Macushla draws from deep techno, minimal house, house music and the raw energy and drive of the afterhours/rave scene. Sonically, the material sees the Montréal-based artist pairing deep bass grooves, immersive melodies, carefully layered buoyant percussion and catchy vocal hooks. While specifically crafted to make people dance and connect with one another, the material was written with musicality of choreography in mind, informed by the mathematically precise understanding of rhythm he developed as a dancer and choreographer.

EP single “Poison” is a collaboration with rising Montréal-based JOVM mainstay Naomi. They have a professional and personal relationship that goes back to when the pair were both 13. As they both pursued their respective careers in dance, they remained connected and eventually co-founded Audiomatique, an independent collective that organized techno and dance music events. Audiomatique helped to kickstart Michaud’s DJ career and led to building connections with many future collaborators — including DJ’ing for the rising Montréal-based artist.

“Poison” is a seductive, hook-driven club banger, featuring reverb-soaked skittering clang and clatter, trap-like triplets, broodingly atmospheric synths serving as a lush bed for Naomi’s sultry delivery. It’s the perfect song for late-night, hazy, smoke-machine, neon and strobe-lit rooms with sweaty humans dancing the night away.

Directed by Élise Lussier, the accompanying video follows Michaud and Naomi as they head to a neon-lit warehouse with a collection of fierce as fuck dancers.

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.