Best Albums

May 2023

- Kompakt
  Wata Igarashi - Agartha
  
  A sprawling epic of Krautrock, electronica and ambient that establishes the Japanese producer as a talent far beyond the world of techno.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Not Not Fun Records x Halocline Trance
  Stefana Fratila - I want to leave this Earth behind
  
  An album of haunting synth music made with custom VST plugins created by Fratila in collaboration with NASA. They're meant to replicate the atmospheres of each planet in our solar system.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp
- XL Recordings
  Overmono - Good Lies
  
  Overmono make a leap for the mainstream with their long-awaited debut album, which ups the ante when it comes to melody, hooks and all things pop.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Planet Mu
  Nondi_ - Flood City Trax
  
  A moody, footwork-infused reflection on what it's like to live in a city with a history of disasters.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Príncipe
  DJ Danifox - Ansiedade
  
  Punch-drunk batida that takes the Príncipe sound somewhere a lot more introspective.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Childhood
  Mr. G - Pearls Don't Lay On The Shore
  
  Mr. G strays far from the funky tech house that made him a household name, plunging instead into a delightful abyss.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Modularz
  Developer - Hexmode
  
  Los Angeles' hardest-working producer turns in an album of eerie hardgroove with just the right amount of funk.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- fabric Originals
  TYGAPAW - love has never been a popular movement.
  
  The talented New York producer searches for love and meaning in the thrum of techno.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Nhac Gãy
  Rắn Cạp Đuôi - *1
  
  Melancholy textures fuse with home-grown influences on the Vietnamese quintet's second album, which is rooted in the band's cutting, improvised origins.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / SoundCloud
- Step Ball Chain
  Maara - The Ancient Truth
  
  Maara's debut full-length carries on her sensuous world-building, swapping prog and trance for downtempo and drum & bass.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- L.I.E.S.
  Ron Morelli - Heart Stopper
  
  The 200th release on L.I.E.S. gets down to what it's all about: raw, jacking house music.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify

Best EPs

May 2023

- Local Action x Clasico (UK)
  Coffintexts - Touch
  
  Coffintexts brings together vintage techno and UK bass with the polyrhythmic heat of Miami club music.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Hessle Audio
  Pangaea - Installation
  
  The surefire summer hit isn't your usual R&B flip—the vocals compete with a Eurodance-style synth lead, like a Hessle Audio edit of Vengaboys.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Live At Robert Johnson
  Laura BCR - Human Behavior
  
  Rich, ambient-leaning techno for fans of Voices From The Lake and Wata Igarashi.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Stereotone Records
  Wheelman - Trompe L'oeil
  
  A triumphant cut that captures the illusion of its title: churning, psychedelic club music that feels like it's coming at you hard from all angles.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- T4T LUV NRG
  Gynoid74 - Shroom
  
  A playful, retro-minded record that channels the chaotic energy of Eris Drew's Motherbeat from across the Atlantic.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Unknown to the Unknown
  Elisa Bee - Fluid Funk
  
  Elisa Bee nods to old-school Chicago jack and UK rave on four hard-hitting, chrome-plated cuts of contemporary techno.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Astral Black
  Jossy Mitsu - Planet J II
  
  This time around, the sounds of Planet J are deeper and darker takes on jungle and garage, conjuring the image of a catastrophic world crisis.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Numbers
  Perko - Prang / Sisu
  
  Half club and half ambient, Perko delivers his best work yet alongside Cucina Povera and Huerco S.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / SoundCloud
- Metroplex
  OCB - The Sequel
  
  On his latest EP as OCB, Driss Bennis perfects the blend of booty-shaking funk and wistful daydreaming for legendary label Metroplex.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Spotify
- Modern Obscure Music
  The Purge Of Tomorrow - The Other Side Of Devastation
  
  Shackleton touches on dark ambient, modern classical and other new styles with his signature brilliance.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp

Best Mixes

May

- Laurel Halo
  Nowadays NYC (05-06-23)
  
  Here's Laurel Halo in DJ mode, closing out Nowadays for Aurora Halal's residency earlier this month. It's full of groovy house, precocious breakbeats and leftfield club music, as per usual.
- Mika Vainio
  rural 001
  
  OK, it's not a mix, but it's a fantastic live recording of the late sound artist performing at Japan's rural festival in 2016.
- Zarina
  Coloring Lessons Mix Series 053
  
  Brooklyn-based DJ (and 8 Ball Radio member) Zarina delivers a fun, propulsive mix meant to capture the "hypnotic stillness, textured reflection and wacky celebration leading up to Eid."
- Mantra
  Ilian Tape Podcast Series 093
  
  Rupture boss Mantra is in fine style on this Ilian Tape Podcast, cycling through drum & bass sub-genres with a light touch.
- Bitter Babe
  Dekmantel Podcast 430
  
  Bitter Babe, one of the Miami scene's brightest lights, excels on the latest Dekmantel Podcast. You can hear her poly-genre approach in full bloom, with all kinds of funky, volatile drum patterns jumping constantly between places, regions and styles.
- Yoshi Nori
  禁電台 01
  
  Taiwanese-Japanese DJ Yoshi Nori launches his label's new mix series by recombining sounds from his sets at Bangkok's Karma Krachao and Taipei's Organik Festival into one propulsive, 78-minute jaunt.
- Rose Kourts
  Deep South Podcast 117
  
  "This is a free-flowing power hour of tracks and records I've been digging lately," said the US DJ. "It's eclectic and funky, full of energy and crunchy, groovy, acid-heavy sounds that get my heart pumping, feet stomping and stank face going."
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- Piezo
  Animix One Hundred & Thirty One
  
  Piezo's woozy style of club music is the perfect match for Australian crew Animalia's psychedelic MO. In other words, this mix is an absolute knockout.
- rRoxymore
  Daisychain 278
  
  rRoxymore puts together a dance floor-leaning mix that captures the unique energy of her productions: dubby, techy, with a hint of electro and just off-kilter enough.
- Juke Bounce Werk (DJ Noir & Jae Drago) & Dance Maniacs
  Dublab 05.07.23
  
  Juke Bounce Work cofounders DJ Noir and Jae Drago are in fine form on this episode of their Dublab show, blazing through killer edits, footwork and Jersey and Baltimore club. There's also a guest set from Dance Maniacs—the trio of Oak City Slums, Avi Loud and Lian.o—in the second hour.

Best Albums

May 2023

Not Not Fun Records x Halocline Trance

Best EPs

May 2023

Local Action x Clasico (UK)

Best Mixes

May

Juke Bounce Werk (DJ Noir & Jae Drago) & Dance Maniacs