Browsing Tag

edm

Michael Kanyongolo followed his muse instead of the herd in his alt-dance track, Justice

Posted on 7 September 2024

Brooklyn-based electronic music producer Michael Kanyongolo obliterated the EDM mould with his 3-track release, MK, featuring the seminal single, Justice.

In a track that pulses with an electro heart, Kanyongolo injects licks of funk delivered by rolling bass guitars to deepen the groove, creating progressive rhythms that play with complex time signatures, flirting with the Avant-Garde.

As the track unfolds, the heavy, dark, and reverberant phasers cloak the mix with an ominous, almost cinematic feel. The sound design isn’t just on another level; it’s in an entirely different orbit. Kanyongolo’s interstellar mix is one you can get endlessly lost in as the interplay between the layers brings ever-deepening textural depth and scintillation.

The auditory slice of ingenuity established Kanyongolo as an artist you can always expect the unexpected from. His inspiration from electronic icons like Daft Punk and Justice is clear, but it’s his signature synthesis of adventurous production techniques that make him worthy of a space on your radar.

Stream Justice on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alisma-Rei anthemised the cycle of connection and detachment in her dance track, While We’re Ahead

Posted on 30 August 2024

The emerging independent artist, producer, and mixing and mastering engineer, Alisma-Rei, has added to her repertoire of infectious dance anthems after unveiling her latest euphoric floor-filler, While We’re Ahead, which strikes all the right rhythmically kinetic chords.

While We’re Ahead infuses the soul of RnB and the introspection of singer-songwriters into the dance track which delivers an affecting vignette of the reality of fragile relationships heading toward their inevitable end.

The thematic depth is matched by an intricate production style, where subversive syncopated time signatures create a sonic landscape full of unexpected twists and turns. The rhythm, with its mercurial momentum, ensnares listeners, reflecting the track’s core message through its unpredictable beats.

The impassioned delivery of the fiery RnB vocals leaves no doubt that the track served as a canvas for cathartic expression for Alisma-Rei. The single unspokenly invites listeners to lose themselves in the rhythm, find solace on the dancefloor, and perhaps heal a little in the process.

While We’re Ahead dropped on August 8th; stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Theo Lucas Shook Up Progressive House Pop with a Splash of Summer with ‘Sunset Martinis’

Posted on 24 August 2024

For his latest release, Sunset Martinis, the South London-based, Cypriot queer artist, Theo Lucas, hooked up with the multiplatinum DJ and producer, Lorenzo Cosi to drop the hedonistically hot EDM anthem of the summer.

By putting his own spin on progressive house with intersections of hyper-pop, Lucas crafted a track as intoxicating as the cocktail referenced in the title. The electrifying momentum seamlessly transitions into melodiously sensuous pre-choruses, efficaciously building intensity and anticipation before the bass drops, resulting in installations of pure euphoria.

The sticky-sweet vocal lines can sugar the pill of any hangover; by charging his vocal performance in the earworm with sincerity, it is clear that if Theo Lucas gets any hotter, he’s going to contribute to global warming.

In Sunset Martinis, Theo also embraces his queer identity and Cypriot roots, infusing them into his music with authentic flair as he lyrically compares his lover to Aphrodite, drawing on rich mythological imagery to celebrate love and beauty in its many forms.

So much more than a hit-maker, Theo Lucas is lighting a beacon for diversity and inclusion; his passion for advocacy shines through his work, which has seen him perform everywhere from London Pride to Westminster Abbey. Watch this proverbial space.

Sunset Martinis was officially released on August 15; stream the single now on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tom Jung decoded festival vibes in his EDM anthem, Everybody Feels the Love

Posted on 18 August 2024

In his latest aural embodiment of transcendence, Everybody Feels the Love, the DJ and producer, Tom Jung harnessed the heat of festival season, allowing the warmth of unity to permeate his peerless EDM production.

The unmatchable feeling of getting your body beat and rushes of serotonin and euphoria surrounded by people sharing in a singular experience reverberates through the trance-y take on progressive house, allowing the release to unravel as a parable of the sanctity of emotion-driven electronica and the paragon of it.

The way Jung manipulates sound with nuance to spark a profound emotional response establishes him as one of the most promising up-and-coming producers in the industry. The anticipation as the ethereally enveloped instrumental layers inch towards climax will leave you entranced until the bass-swathed house beats amplify the euphonic ecstasy resulting in a danceable remedy, capable of exhilarating and moving even the most steadfast listeners.

Don’t be surprised if in a few years keeping your finger on the EDM pulse revolves around revelling within the pulsative utopias orchestrated under Jung’s prodigal volition.

Add Everybody Feels the Love to your Spotify playlists and follow Tom Jung on TikTok to keep up to date with the visionary’s latest releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bad Avocado is ripe for the picking for your summer playlists in their house anthem, Aguacate NewsHour Special (All of the Memories)

Posted on 31 July 2024

Feel the pulse of summer’s heartbeat with the latest single, Aguacate NewsHour Special (All of the Memories), by the enigmatically irreplicable artist and producer, Bad Avocado. From the first note, you’re at the mercy of the independent house artist’s grooves and consumed by the confrontation of pure elation, which proves that Bad Avocado is set to defy their nature and remain eternally fresh.

Aguacate NewsHour Special (All of the Memories) is ripe for the picking for your summer playlists. The seraphic soundscape envelops through the rushes of lush reverb that wrap around the echoes of nostalgia, allowing the instrumentals to capture the sense of yearning for ephemeral memories which bleeds from the harmonised ethereal vocal lines.

The tactile sense of sun-kissed bliss reverberates to the forefront of the flawless anthem which attests to Bad Avocado’s songwriting and production chops. As the track crescendos, each moment of escalation is finely tuned, leading to hedonic breaks that burst with intensity. It’s in these moments that the track holds its breath, before plunging into a sonic rapture that’s textured with complexity and clarity.

Aguacate NewsHour Special (All of the Memories) dropped on June 24; stream the track on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

litesleeper unveiled a pulsating prism of euphonic euphoria in their organic electronica release, Hertz

Posted on 26 July 2024

Hertz by litesleeper surpassed sound to become a sophisticated statement that carries the evolution of electronica on its pulsating back. The Northampton-based collective’s objective to arrest rhythmic pulses while simultaneously stirring the soul was efficaciously achieved through their amalgamation of organic instrumentation and powerful basslines.

Vocalist Shannon Kait honed the release with a razor-sharp indietronica edge; her soulfully ethereal and emotionally charged harmonies floating above intricately layered production ensured that Hertz had all the potential to become the definitive sound of the summer.

With a production that’s as lush as it is meticulously arranged, the transcendent quality of the seminal single strikes a perfect balance between bass-fuelled momentum and hypnotic serenity. The seraphically utopic hues are enough to liberate you from the mundanity of material reality.

Keen to orchestrate tracks that resonate with seasoned clubbers and casual electronica fans alike, the only thing that is more monumental than the cross-over appeal of the single is the synaesthesia which will ensnare you from the first tonally rich progression.

Hertz will be available to stream and download on all major platforms from July 26th; stream the single on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

From Earth to Utopia: Galactica Tranctica Fearlessly Innovated the Trance Anthem with the Cosmic Unconventionality of ‘Cleopatra’

Posted on 11 July 2024

One of the most fearlessly innovative forces in trance, Galactica Tranctica, has made a name for himself with his eclectically styled and unapologetically unconventional singles and EPs. His eagerly anticipated debut LP, Forgotten Forever, which hit all major streaming platforms in June, etched his legacy.

His intuitive exploration of a cosmos of styles, textures, tones, and emotions prises the listener from material reality into interstellar journeys through utopias of ecstasy. The standout single, Cleopatra, is a progressive tour de force which teems with euphoric energy and filters diverse layers of electronica into a cohesive soundscape of bass-swathed beats, transcendent ethereal motifs, and experimental synths, which showcase an artist unafraid to explore new territories to lead his listeners to the brink of nirvana and beyond.

Influenced by Grimes’ ability to obliterate aural boundaries with sound, Jason Poole, the mastermind behind Galactica Tranctica, follows suit with his intrinsically originated, expansive as a solar system, productions which have earned plaudits from BBC Radio Introducing, Amazing Radio, and Wigwam Radio.

Stream Cleopatra and the Forgotten Forever LP on Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Electro-House Goes Pop in Secret Wish’s EP Melody of the Music Man

Posted on 1 July 2024
Secret Wish

Secret Wish’s hotly anticipated EP, Melody of the Music Man, kicks off with the unfetteredly feel-good 7th Heaven Radio Edit before blasting into the 7th Heaven Club Mix, then progresses into the DJ Combo & Rayman Rave, Duumix, DIM3NSION, and Stelios remixes; offering nine different ways to experience the euphoric waves of electro house as they progressively crash on the shores of airwaves and dancefloors worldwide.

The opening iteration of Melody of the Music Man starts with a simple AVICII-esque piano melody before erupting into a disco-grooved EDM anthem for the ages, not just the summer; the appeal of an EDM anthem in this evocatively and melodically liberating vein could never come close to temporal.

The track reaches the epitome of sun-drenched rhapsodic bliss through layers of transcendentally augmented instrumental layers; the beats bring just as much enraptured ecstasy as the synths as they endlessly ascend throughout the progressive house mix that stands as a testament to the Belgian duo’s ability to craft infectious dance-pop anthems with global appeal.

Their music consistently tops charts across Europe and Asia, demonstrating their ability to transcend borders with crowd-pleasing anthems while injecting high-octane energy into productions hooked with a timelessly finessed pop sensibility. It’s safe to assume that Melody of the Music Man will be sitting scintillatingly pretty at the top of the charts before long.

Stream the Melody of the Music Man EP in full on all major platforms via this link from July 1st.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sharon West – Fake: A Euro Disco House Anthem of Pulsating Vindication

Posted on 17 June 2024

Sharon West’s latest single, Fake, created in collaboration with Nick Jay and Jean Luc is an electrifying euro disco house installation of euphoria underpinned by a scathingly sharp persecution of pretenders. The track’s synthesis of retro disco grooves, solid beats, and Sharon’s powerhouse vocals creates a hedonically rhythmic hit that delivers catharsis with infectiously kinetic rhythms that any dancefloor would want to devour.

Sharon West’s journey from live band performances to becoming a sought-after House, Dance, and EDM vocalist and songwriter is reflected in this potent release. Her evolution in the music scene has been marked by her debut album, Revelation, and a series of celebrated collaborations.

Now that Fake has permeated the airwaves, there will be no stopping West in her mission to revolutionise the airwaves. It’s so much more than a nostalgic nod to the forebearers of house; it’s a deeply visceral experience where familiar rhythmic warmth meets the searing burn of truth.

Stream the Radio Edit of Fake on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grief transmuted into ground-breaking dance-pop in Tori BLK’s anthem of fortitude A-Okay

Posted on 31 May 2024
Tori BLK

Ignited by fiery pop-punk energy, Tori BLK’s latest dance-pop track, A-Okay, is an act of intense sonic fortitude. Written in the months following losing her mother to liver cirrhosis in February 2024, the single delivers mantras and sonics of solace as it sarcastically scathes at the internal and external expectations to be okay in the wake of a tragedy so colossal you lose your sense of gravity in an alien orbit of reality.

With so many layers to the single, consuming it completely requires digging deep into the emotional and thematic mantles of the single in addition to acknowledging how the instrumentation and stylistic touches amplify the heart-wrenching yet juxtaposing soul-enriching essence of the single.

As the hard-hitting beats thrash against the grief, the upbeat synth-carved melodies deliver the consolation in synergy with Tori BLK’s ascendingly ethereal vocal lines until the chorus hits and she fervently delivers the refrain “tell me that I’m okay, tell me that I’m a-okay”. The heterogeneous hit is inexplicably affecting; it transcends music to exhibit an unfiltered manifestation of a grief-torn soul. As someone who has also experienced the loss of their mother, I can attest first-hand to how raw and real the resonance is.

If this is your first introduction to Tori BLK (AKA Victoria Islas) and her ability to alchemise, transmute and transform broken hearts, it will be an unforgettable acquainting with the singer-songwriter, music producer, poet and spiritual intuitive.

A-Okay will be available to stream on all major platforms from May 31; find your preferred way to listen and connect with Tori BLK through her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast