This week in dance music: Texas Eclipse Festival 2024 announced a heady, heavy lineup, Dutch festival DGTL announced that it’s making it’s U.S. debut this December, BMG acquired Martin Solveig’s catalog, Kenya Grace made history as the first artist to hit No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with a track produced, written and sung exclusively by a woman, and we talked to her about the track, the Mayan Warrior team announced that it will bring a new car to Burning Man in 2024 after its original rig burned down this past April, we got exclusive CRSSD Fall 2024 sets from Basement Jaxx, Nikki Nair and Interplanetary Criminal and we spoke with III Points co-founder David Sinopoli ahead of the festival, which launches today (Oct. 20) in Miami with headliners including Black Coffee, Caroline Polacheck, Skrillex and Fred again..
That’s a lot, and there’s more. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.
Barry Can’t Swim, When Will We Land
The Label: Ninja Tune
The Spiel: Barry Can’t Swim has released more than half his debut album, When Will We Land?, in singles over the last few months, but damn if it doesn’t all sound so good all together. The Scottish producer has a talent for lushness and groove, building the standout “Always Get Through To You” to an exultant place while bringing in Afrobeats, house, jazz and ambient influences throughout. Vocal snippets give the project a human, sometimes slightly melancholic, mood and depth. The Edinburgh native is on tour in the U.K. and Europe for the remainder of 2023.
The Artist Says: “I’m not really one for putting soppy s–t on socials,” the artist, born Joshua Mainnie, wrote on Instagram, “but it’s an incredibly moving thing to know there are people out there that actually want to listen to my music and hear this album. It’s been almost 2 years in the making and some of it was written when I was still working a full time job. Can’t believe it really.”
ISOxo, kidsgonemad!
The Label: 88Rising Records
The Spiel: San Diego’s ISOxo released his very-much-anticipated debut album today, and with it demonstrates why he’s simultaneously the future of bass-forward electronic music and one of the most exciting things currently happening within it. Pummeling with the same velocity of early Skrillex and containing the same kind of sleek, sharp edges of Justice, the album is raw, powerful, aggressive and inventive, with the artist balancing out walloping maximalism with more delicate moments like on the Spanish-guitar tinged “Moonspell.” The producer, born Julian Isorena, has four sold out shows at The Shrine in Los Angeles next month.
The Artist Says: “This album can be split into three parts. The first few tracks have a cocky, rebellious energy that builds to a breaking point with ‘pressure’. The second part is about trying to reconnect with the passion and feeling of making music with no restrictions or expectations (how2fly). And part three builds again into the high energy from part one and brings back those themes but from a more hopeful perspective. kidsgonemad! is the whole journey of growth and self-discovery from brash rebellion and angst to hopelessness, and finally acceptance and self-worth.”
Rêve, Saturn Return
The Label: Astrwalwerks
The Spiel: Montreal dance pop artist Rêve — a Billboard emerging dance artist to watch — is proving why with her debut album Saturn Return. Giving Future Nostalgia vibes, the album is sleek, fun, sophisticated, singable and extremely danceable, containing earlier hits including “Whitney” and “Breaking Up With Jesus” and new gems like the shimmering “Contemporary Love” and the power-lunged power anthem “Disco At The Strip Club.” The project was produced by Banx & Ranx, known for their work with Dua Lipa and Little Mix, and Grammy-nominated producer Carl Ryden, who is well-versed in the dance pop world through his work with Kylie Minogue.
The Artist Says: “The album was carefully crafted to make listeners feel sexy, vulnerable, empowered, euphoric, and free,” says the artist born Briannah Donolo. “My goal was to create a sonic dimension where everyone has a space to feel safe to experience and celebrate the full range of human emotion. I’m known for my dance vibes, which you’re getting plenty of with Saturn Return, but I also wanted people to see a more emotional and vulnerable side from me – because spilling my guts is my favorite thing to do.”
Poolside, Blame It All On Love
The Label: Counter Records
The Spiel: A longtime arbiter, of funky, groovy, smooth as hell music you can dance to (or just clean the house to), Poolside is back with his fourth full length, Blame It All on Love. It is, as they say, a vibe. Swimming largely instrumental end of the pool, the album is a lush, slinky, sorta sexy affair that features work from Cut Copy’s Ben Browning (“Ride With You”), Panama (“Back To Life”), Ora The Molecule, Life on Planets, Slenderbodies, Munya and Mazy (“Each Night.”)
The Artist Says: “I’ve spent 15 years being like, ‘F–k your rules,’ and I finally feel like I’m not trying to prove anything or anyone wrong,” the artist born Jeffrey Paradise says. “It’s just pure, unfiltered expression, and that’s why I’m really excited about this record.”
Claude VonStroke, “The Creeps”
The Label: Dirtybird
The Spiel: The one and only Claude VonStroke is very aware of what season it is, giving spooky vibes on his latest, “The Creeps.” A simmering, ominous house beat is the foundation for vocalist Barry Drift to expound on the real terror of a bad trip, stating in a low growl, “Blood is everywhere, the drugs are so dramatic!”
The Artist Says: “A good horror film is very difficult to make because it has to be scary enough to make your skin crawl, but fun enough so you can enjoy grabbing your partner’s arm during a jump scare,” says CBS. “I decided to go for it and make a track just for Halloween based on the concept that a guy takes drugs and cannot figure out if he is in reality or a horror film. It’s a precarious balance between cheesy and creepy, but that’s the entire fun of Halloween, isn’t it?”
