Astrolizard, the mysterious producer, has delivered an album that should appeal to space bass enthusiasts. Their work marries expert production with playful experimentation – creating something truly enjoyable.
While singles may be the fuel behind dance music, albums provide its soul. These multifaceted projects present expansive worldviews and deliver compelling statements.
ANNE
Anne Bourne is an artist/composer/artist mentor renowned for international intermedia creation and performance; composer of electroacoustic environments featuring microtonal cello, piano and field recordings in emergent streams; she studies geopoetics of shorelines, spectral wave patterns in water, collective sound creation gatherings inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ sonic meditations, text scores and deep listening practice; also offering sounding walks for environmental attunement and leading improvisational performances across interdisciplinary collaboration.
ANNE is known for creating innovative performances that blend literary works, socially engaged texts and genre-defying music together in groundbreaking analogue synth classics such as Sleeper In Metropolis and Our Darkness while reworkings of classical pieces like Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in B minor to provide audiences with new challenges and experiences. She constantly looks for new ways to surprise both herself and their audiences alike.
Anne decided during the Covid-19 pandemic to take an innovative and contemporary approach to her back catalog by inviting an eclectic group of musicians, producers and DJs from her generation and beyond to interpret all her material – not only its most notable numbers – as part of an exciting reinterpretation project that demonstrated Anne’s influence over several generations of electronic music artists. This album marks only part of this project that will be released later.
Regal86
2023 saw an emergence of producers and DJs who challenged preconceptions about dance music as capitalist jetsam, such as Regal86 of Monterrey who has reinvented hardgroove: this style fuses 90s hip hop instrumentals from Chicano and Memphis rap with heavy, syrupy beats reminiscent of low rider vehicles’ trunks; its hallmark being its four-four beats coupled with brushed hi-hats and jazzy Detroit synth stabs for maximum impact. Regal86 also helped introduce hardgroove into Latin-influenced techno through its reinvention: this album features four four-four beats per track that defies all preconceptions about its creator: this producer-DJer demonstrated his mastery on his “La Onda” album that rides 4/4 techno beats while simultaneously riding four four-four techno beats combined with jazzy Detroit synth stabs for maximum impactful results!
He’s also an accomplished remixer, crafting Latin-influenced funk and R&B tracks for artists such as Blawan, Pariah and ykoe – earning an international following by performing to sold-out crowds at Berghain and Printworks venues.
Regal86 stands out with his distinctive blend of styles that draws heavily upon Latin American rhythmic traditions and cultural heritage. He uses direct-to-DJ methodology by regularly releasing loopable tools for DJ use – perfect for afterhours sets in the future. Regal86 also acknowledges MCs, often under-appreciated in electronic music production; his success shows this.
Waleed
At times this year, electronic music may appear to be mired in capitalist jetsam-a sea of pop edits and throwaway content-but if one looks deeper it’s clear that this genre is evolving rapidly.
Although it can be easy to be overwhelmed by 2023’s rapidly exploding musical scene, it can also be fascinating to witness talented artists chart their own course – as is evidenced by Waleed, one such techno artist whose path seems promising indeed.
Washington D.C.- and Europe-based producer has an intriguing sonic style that is sure to propel him far into the future. His sleeper single ‘Se Rompen’ first surfaced during sets by Four Tet, Ben UFO and Floating Points before receiving its full release on City Slang last summer. Subsequent singles such as ‘Suenos’ cemented his standing as one of this year’s most intriguing new producers.
Waleed creates an engaging blend of house, garage and UK funky music influenced by Amapiano and jazz influences, using his expert blend of synths and percussion to captivate his listeners on an intoxicating journey of sound. His talent for injecting emotion into his compositions makes him stand out among other musicians within this genre; with an expressive flair hard to ignore he could become one of electronic music’s enduring figures in history.
Piri & Tommy
2023 witnessed an emergence of promoters, DJs and producers who put quality back at the heart of dance music scene. Manchester duo Piri & Tommy stand out among them; their Gen Z-influenced drum ‘n’ bass has proven immensely popular on TikTok and earned them live shows at London’s XOYO nightclub XOYO; pop icons are becoming fans while their latest escapist tune ‘beachin’ set to keep momentum rolling forward.
Their sound doesn’t just revisit bygone eras; rather it blends everything from old-school garage to contemporary techno. Ghanaian producer Karen Nyame’s deep house sounds feature elements from dancehall, R&B and West and South African styles alike; her cover of Kelela’s “Soft Spot” boasts chords and reverb that could sink a boat!
Meanwhile, MC Flowdan has expanded beyond his roots in rap and UK garage to become an impressive talent across multiple genres. His ‘Baddadan’ is the biggest MC-led garage track of 2016; like ANNE’s music it puts its own stamp on styles that have influenced it.
Chloe Caillet
Chloe Caillet has made waves in 2023 as both a producer and DJ, appearing at numerous festivals while releasing her groundbreaking EP which further solidifies her place as one of electronic music’s newest, exciting names. A lover of collaboration, Chloe has remixed Beck, among other artists, while touring some of the most exclusive clubs and events globally.
She draws influence from all of the different cities and scenes that have made up who she is, weaving sun-drenched Afrobeat with lively four-on-the-floor beats into an hourlong In Session mix that crosses genre and mood boundaries with ease. Additionally, she discusses maintaining health while traveling and the challenge of debuting unheard productions to audiences unfamiliar with her sound.
She recently released the four-track Intro EP on CircoLoco Records and is touring globally for the first time ever – playing Brooklyn Mirage, Space Miami and Hi Ibiza, in addition to various festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury.
Shubostar, the Paris-based DJ and producer, has quickly made her mark this year as an emerging talent thanks to her catchy DnB-pop sound. Traveling the globe over recent years and producing retro computer game inspired beats is just part of what drives her musical creativity – we caught up with her to learn more about her musical inspiration as well as what lies in store for 2024!
Shubostar
Shubostar embodies the spirit of electronic dance music with her sound, from its pixelated realms to rhythmic cadences. As a South Korean producer she inhabits an inherent duality between solitude at her computer and vast communities online and at her dance floors – creating her signature sound as both DJ and producer. Her ability to balance both aspects has cemented her place among DJs and producers worldwide.
Shubostar draws her musical inspiration from various sources, but digital technology has had the biggest influence. After studying animation and video gaming at school, her early productions reflected the minimalist charm of old-school computer gaming – something which continues to inform her music even as it evolves towards more cosmic disco territory with each release.
Shubostar is known for creating music with an emotive, personal flair. Her songs have received praise from publications like NME, Resident Advisor, Mixmag and Dancing Astronaut; additionally she’s been recognized by Berlin club scene stakeholders such as Rebar as one of Apple’s ‘Artists To Watch’ – her energetic LP ‘Capricorn Sun’ boasting over two million Spotify streams it is clear Shubostar is on her way up!