The last couple of weeks have been filled with some incredible records coming literally from all around the globe – and rarely has a month been so generous in recent times. From praised summer anthems that we just couldn’t keep out of this list to more discreet records you might have slept on, we’ve built a coherent and thought-provoking playlist for you to enjoy.
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1. Jack J – Thirstin’ [Future Times]
Jack Jutson is back with an instant classic! Only two records as a solo artist and as many summer anthems… In video game language it’s a “perfect” – says that Tekken-like, suavely robotic voice.
2. Galcher Lustwerk – I Neva Seen [Lustwerk Music]
Neva Seen is one of these gems that need only a handful of notes to release their everlasting poison. And that voice… damn, that voice! If Urban Dictionary has a definition for smoov’, it has to be Galcher.
3. PLO Man – Rare Plastic [Acting Press]
In the space of just two releases, it feels Acting Press is completely redefining the house landscape. Not by some splashy feat of arms but rather well by subtly outstanding touches. Delving into micro-house and finely-arranged junglisms, this debut release from PLO Man is operating on ninja mode: moving in shadows at first, it’ll end up breaking your neck.
4. DJ Fett Burger & Jayda G – Velvet Vortex (Sleep D Rain Forest Version) [Butter Sessions]
The Norwegian producer joins forces with rising producer Jayda G and Butter Sessions label honchos Sleep D for a triple treat of distorted alien techno and druggy house cuts. Velvet Vortex isn’t just a communication tool from outer space, it’s a portal opener for the believers.
5. J-Zbel – ZHF (Poppers Mix) [Brothers From Different Mothers]
Another stunning record from rising French outlet BFDM. The Poppers mix – doing a good job of dilating, pun intended – unleashes a flock of pressurized dnb drumworks and spinning synth loops that store up energy to propel from a grimy cesspit up to skyscraping heights in a jiffy. Wowing.
6. Leonardo Martelli – Filippo [Antinote]
Instant crush, maximum love. Martelli’s Menti Singole is a significant debut release. With its acid-fueled battery, Filippo carries the day with some well-constructed broken beat motifs and cinematic atmospheres. The Italian heatwave doesn’t drop off.
7. Helm – I Exist In A Fog [PAN]
The droney techno purveyed by PAN’s regular Luke Younger is no short of daring. Flirting with the boundaries of listening-ease but also constantly re-inventing the outlines of a singular body of work, astride leftfield grounds and dubby techno horizons, this album confirms that the man is pushing in the right direction.
8. Hunee – Rare Happiness [Rush Hour]
Hunee’s new LP is a marvel of playful house and subtly-arranged sampling, his disco-science blooming in full on the coltish Rare Happiness. One of 2015’s most longed-for long players and a straight bossy release.
The Tambien trio return with a solid single for Stuttgart-based Kitjen. Ondulé is an alluring house breaker you just want to surf until the sun sinks. And man, you know that groove won’t beach you on some sharpened reef. As smooth as it gets.
10. Mall Grab – Guap [Collect-Call]
Sensuous vocals and tight-strapped 909 kicks blazing, Guap unrolls its lazed-out club preach with some serious impact. Add a pinch of revolving breakbeat samples and you get a hell of a slow burner. Don’t sleep.
11. Domenique Dumont – L’Esprit de L’Escalier [Antinote]
Domenique Dumont’s L’Esprit de L’Escalier – literally The Spirit of the Staircase – delivers an irresistible twist of ’60s pop and neo-surf over a string of rolling bass billows and exhilarating guitar lead. Pure summery vibes.
12. Shed – Break Up III TK 4 [The Final Experiment]
Shed unleashes his regular output of rave-y tallboys. Master in the art of old-school bomb-craft, Pawlowitz offers a new episode of his typically brutal yet compelling masterclasses. Killer, as always.
13. House of Doors – Starcave [Mood Hut]
Another essential cog in the Mood Hut wheel is Layne Brown aka House Of Doors. Making wonders with just a bouncy yet sturdy bassline and a couple of sax solo samples, the Canadian producer takes us on board for a magic carpet ride through his vivid sound imaginarium. Phantasmagoric.
14. Nathan Melja – Maria May With Me [Black Opal]
French producer Melja displaying his heavy, pulsating tech-y groove and retro-laced, cosmic synths. With just a couple records under his belt – and not on any random labels, this new record has us craving for more.
15. Luca Lozano + DJ Fett Burger – Telegrønn [Klasse Wrecks]
The infernal duo did it again. Lozano and Fett Burger’s new delivery in their Hands of Doom series is smoothly perpetuating the legacy. The old-school breakbeat vibe gets reshuffled into some floppy house material from the future but it’s our dancefloor nowness that ends up all sweaty. Stunning.
16. S3A – Theuz Hamtaak [Uncanny Valley]
Such an uplifting cut from Sampling As An Art on UV’s brilliant new EP Give’n’Take. Just the healthy dose of nostalgic keys, a friendly bunch of tinkling piano chords and that heady, funk-soaked groove to make you sway your hips. The recipe of happiness.
17. Journeymann Trax – Canopy (feat. D Tiffany) [1080p]
With additional production from 1080p label mates Khotin and D. Tiffany, Journeymann Trax’s ‘Smoke Tape’ sound is as much that of floating across a late night city landscape as it is a sun dappled walk through a rain forest.
18. Ptaki – Ostatni Kurs [Transatlantyk]
Polish duo Ptaki are making a big splash with this debut album on Zambon’s imprint Transatlantyk. In this maelstrom of rhythms and influences, Ostatni Kurs makes for one of the highlights with its synthesized spires uncoiling over an echoing suite of piano chords and torn-out strings. Top notch.
19. Low Jack – Body Control [In Paradisum]
L.I.E.S. regular Low Jack strikes hard with his new album Sewing Machine for In Paradisum. Uncompromising techno and pressurized beats spraying like a slugs rain. Put on your bulletproof vest.
20. J.G. Biberkopf – Age Of Aquarius [Knives]
Biberkopf’s debut on Kuedo’s imprint is an expressionistic incursion through trap territories and a diversely-hued slice of boundary-pushing material for daring minds. For a first instalment, the graft has taken splendidly.