Dance and Electronic Roundup September – The Present

And here’s part two of the roundup, encompassing the freshest dance and electronic tracks of the last month or so. And trust me, with these tunes the next month is going to be very, very good.

Download the whole playlist on mp3 here.

Mosca – Done Me Wrong

Without question one of the biggest tunes of the year, Mosca’s (just out) first solo single is something that has to be heard to be believed. After a top-notch intro featuring, of all things, a built-in rewind, this tune settles into an easy 4/4 garage throwback, anchored by a particularly sticky bassline. What really makes this track though is Mosca’s unbelievable skill chopping up vocals, ensuring this tune will not leave your ears for a long, long time. If you dig it, check out the similarly excellent B-side, Bax.
PS - Check out two free and chilld new Mosca tracks here.

Scuba – Adrenalin

Kicking off with a very fresh single from Hotflush head Scuba, this track is a perfect fusion of the styles most prevalent in UK dance music at the moment. A simple 4/4 beat and a wide range of percussion is twinned with a bassy repeated vocal, soon supplemented with an acid Roland synthline, recalling the euphoric Chicago sound at its finest. The track is then submerged and a fantastic vocal hook slowly surfaces, before breaking wave-like back into the main track euphorically. Showcasing the current trend of abandoning showy drops in favour of restrained layering and thoughtful but simple production, this is an easy contender for single of the year.

Blawan – What You Do With What You Have

After cracking dancefloors wide open with Done Me Wrong, Blawan shows not only his talent but also his versatility in his second superb release of the year. Classic acid house stylings are smashed up by enormous industrial beats, with more of Blawan’s unique and brilliant vocal chopping.

Pangaea – Hex

Moving to darker waters for a new cut from the head of the on-point Hemlock label, this new release kicks off with a racing garage beat and a paranoid knife-edge synthline. Aggressive and time-stretched reggae samples ramp up the tension to craft a fantastically dark tune that deserves a place in the collection of any DJ worth his salt.

Detroit Swindle – The Wrap Around

Detroit Swindle - Starvin' EP (Saints & Sonnets) by Detroit Swindle

(This track isn't on youtube, but the mp3 is still included on the playlist downloadable above, and here is a preview on soundcloud)

Not released until Christmas, this track has been doing the rounds recently (I found it on Huxley’s RA charts), but I’m justified in putting it up here already for the simple fact that it’s absolutely enormous. The Dutch duo craft a classic bass intro, a woozy synth wash with a light beat and a vocal line not permitted to complete its phrasing. However just after the one-minute mark, the track drops out into a huge, bouncy bassline that is guaranteed to get anyone moving. Then out come the vocals, and the central bassline is played with and bitcrushed exquisitely. This one really is dancefloor perfection.

Eats Everything – Entrance Song

This track almost passed me by but I’m glad I paid attention because this is a masterclass in production. In a similar fashion to the previous track, a fairly predictable intro gives way to dancefloor brilliance when the vocal line is pitch-shifted up over a bridge and gives way to a dark and brilliant bouncing beat just after the two-minute mark. The beat is fantastic but it’s really the vocal sampling that makes this track, stretching and contorting to stellar effect over and over across the course of this great tune.

Braille – Breakup

Another track that’s been a real favourite of mine over the last month, from one half of NY’s fantastic bass outfit Sepalcure. A surprising range of great vocal lines are combined over a powerful beat and a tense synth line, keeping the track fresh, pacey, and always brilliant.

Jacques Greene – I Like You

It’s official: Jacques Greene can do no wrong. After fronting the bass assault on dance music earlier this year with the indescribably perfect Another Girl, Greene’s new EP consists of three stellar tracks, and this is the best. Classic bassy beats vie for dominance with a vibrant dancing synth-line, all mixed with the ‘I like you’ vocal, pitched down so low you just can’t quite know what to make of it. Either way this track is another restrained and beautiful piece of dance perfection from the bass kingpin.

Octo Octa – Let Me See You

(This track isn't on youtube, but the mp3 is included on the playlist downloadable above. I’ve included another excellent Octo Octa track,I’m Trying, on the youtube playlist))

One of my most played songs this month, this track just gets everything so right. A great vocal line introduces an old school breakbeat, followed by ecstatic rave piano chords and characteristic whooping. When the cascading synths lace themselves over the arrangement, I really feel like I could let this track play forever. Not only this, but the track is edited with beautiful precision, keeping it continuously fresh and new. One not to miss by any means.

Rustie – Ultra Thizz

Rustie’s unacceptable day-glo exuberance crosses so many lines here, and you can either go with it or not. Sounding a bit like someone speedballing before playing Super Mario, the colours Rustie paints are almost blindingly bright, but if you can stomach that then this is a gorgeously constructed and utterly unique track.