Hey everyone - welcome back at the discotheque!
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As per usual, June was such an awesome month that was full of absolutely brilliant releases from a ton of amazing artists - so much so, that similar to May's post, it's having to be split into two parts. On this promotion post, there's new talents, some of the biggest drops of the year so far, and in general - lots of great music to soundtrack your upcoming summer. or while watching the world cup (which, I'd like to say, I haven't been watching!)
Without further ado, let's get started!
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VA - Creux La Nuit: Volume 4
Released on June 26th - the long-awaited fourth major compilation from international filter house collective and record label Creux La Nuit is an absolute spectacle of an album. Featuring eighteen tracks (if you don't include the Oizo-influenced intro produced by the blog's resident Liverpudlian Luv4Loop!) - there's buckets to unpack here, ranging from late 90s sounding club tools, smooth pop, blog-influenced bangers from both the electro and disco sides, indie pop that screams of the late 2000s electroclash scene and chilled out French house jams that you can sit back to - making it one of the finest releases to come out this year.
Like I said above, there's lots of things to talk about here - so I'll try and break the compilation down into thirds.
The first third of Volume 4 opens spectacularly with a warm, yet frankly epic future classic from Brazilian producer Le Sorv which could have easily been signed to Darling Records in the late 2000s - while also setting the tone expertly for the following tracks - which are of a similar nature. They're funky, they ooze with the textbook sound of filter house while managing to sound effortlessly unique, and above all - they're just incredibly strong outings. Behind the boards are Swiss producer La Bourbelette, who came in hot with his excellent (and motivating) track Resilience - French DJ and producer Hackosef, who decided opt for something a little more jazzy, turning in the awesome MADJINI - which reminds me heavily of DJ Rhythm's early 2000s work in a way - Canadian producer Guv'nor Funk, who delivered some thumping, 909 heavy action reminiscent of the Chicago house scene - LA-based producer Diskovertz - with his killer track Bad Girls, which is quite possibly the most glamorous and glitzy of the bunch, and finally, head honcho Opierm - who turned in Divine, a track which borrows influence from German filter house legend Patrick Alavi, while managing to sound unmistakably fresh, groovy and fun.
The second third of Volume 4 is where things start to ramp up and get a little more wild. Possibly the most diverse set of tracks on the compilation - it opens with a sweet, yet equally upbeat slice of fuzzy pop from Netherlands-based artist DJ Double Dutch, influenced by trance, future funk and filter house, before launching into the opposite direction - a punchy, killer club tool influenced by French superhero The Phantom's Revenge, which was produced by Luv4Loop follows, before listeners are then treated to a quirky, yet impossibly cool workout from fortyfeds, which to me sounds like an epic, yet deeply melodic mix of thumping house and electronica - before New Jersey's finest producer CitrikkAcid steps up to deliver the incredible 'You've Got Me Hypnotized' - which, although short, packs a massive punch, as it's summery, deeply emotive and above all, extremely energetic - making it a perfect track to spin for those that love the early 2000s French touch sound with a modern twist. The final two tracks come from me and Russian producer Gliczide - while I opted to create a club tool that felt similar in nature to a bunch of the early releases on 4Disco Records from 2011-2012 - Gliczide went the other way, and decided to craft a catchy future classic that's full of great hooks and huge beats, while expertly capturing the sounds of Fab G's excellent labels - a task which isn't difficult for one of the hottest in the game right now!
The final third of Volume 4 opens spectacularly with two killer tracks from two of the collective's finest members - namely, Spanish producer Hollowire - who came in hot with his insane track 'Bass Solo' - which is an extremely playful, yet punchy outing filled with brilliant instrumentation and funky vibes overall, and Inky - who turned in the epic Second Skin - featuring vocaloid stat Gumi on vocals. This particular track I absolutely adore, because it's extremely complex, exhilarating and it sounds a ton like the work of French born, Tokyo based producer Moe Shop (who, I'd like to add, is a major influence on Inky!) - taking this compilation in a French-electro direction, while also sprinkling in the sounds of complextro and dubstep. The next three tracks - produced by 4own 2 3arth, Phobos and Laberge all go down the path of more chilled out filter house - and while they're more minimalistic production wise compared to the tracks previous - they're still awesome cuts to crank, dance to and drop in your DJ sets - with Laberge's track West Coast being a personal favourite of mine. The final track on the compilation is provided by London-based legend Artemis Morte - who decided to do something a little different, and release the brilliant 14 Degrees Outside - which is strange, quirky, yet genuinely awesome. A far cry from his usual electro-house jams mirroring the likes of SebastiAn - this track boasts synthesis similar to the work of Strip Steve (You and I, in particular!) and production that wouldn't seem uncommon on an indie pop track shared through many blogs in 2008 - so if that's your sort of thing, then give it a spin!
I've gone on quite a lot - but truly, this compilation is amazing - and I urge you to go and give it a listen, because it truly is brilliant!
Go and buy it on Bandcamp now - or on CD through ElasticStage.
Angelhook - FACE 2 FACE (with U)
A few weeks ago, I was browsing on SoundCloud (as you do when you're bored...) looking for things to potentially write about in this post - and thanks to the magic of autoplay, I was introduced to a brand new producer - French born, Los Angeles based Angelhook - who, over the last month has produced two incredible starting singles which have racked up over 5.000 plays - the second of which, was released independently on June 23rd - and boy, it is an absolute beast. She's making a name for herself by producing a genre known as discostep - which, from what I can gather, is an excellent blend of blog-era electro house, dubstep, future funk and disco, and readers, let me tell you - FACE 2 FACE is absolutely stunning. It's ridiculously heavy, stuffed with slamming production, jittery synths and frenetic, yet genius sample techniques that I rarely ever see anywhere, and I can confidently say that I've genuinely never heard anything like this in my life. If you stuck the work of Justice, Moe Shop, Daft Punk in their Discovery era and SebastiAn into a blender - or just locked them all in a studio for a day - I feel like the result would sound like this, and no matter what side you're on, whether that's filtery French house or slamming electro - you're bound to heavily enjoy this!
Go and stream it on SoundCloud now. File next to the likes of SHPESHFTR and Wire One!
Boys Noize - ITVLO
It's been a very productive year so far for German producer and DJ Alexander Ridha - better known to many as Boys Noize - who, aside from performing several shows across the globe and releasing a collaboration album with Nine Inch Nails - put out his first new solo material two weeks ago on legendary Lorsch based label Running Back, and he sure as hell delivered - bringing two Italo-disco influenced heaters to the table. The title track is a superb, yet glitzy slice of Italo disco house that sounds like it could have made rounds in the late 2000s if being spun by the likes of Simian Mobile Disco in a smoky club - or at a certain Manhattan-based nightclub that everyone here should know of (for the un-initiated, Studio 54!) - and it's boomy, ridiculously funky and a huge favourite of mine over this past month. Sure, it's simple - but it's undeniably cool, fashionable and fun. The B-side 'Lovded' takes a completely different approach - it's far more gritty, pulsating, dark and menacing, and to add to the mention of blog-era classics - this track could have easily gone onto Alex's second album Power - released in 2009 thanks to the fact that it's extremely quirky, trippy and unusual, in the best way possible!
In short, this truly is a return to form for one of the coolest people in electronic music right now. Go and spin this killer EP!
You can find it on all good streaming services, and on Bandcamp - where you can also order it on limited edition vinyl, but as I write this, there aren't many copies left, so be quick, team!
DJ Cockatiel - Shifty Disco EP
Recently, seeing as it's summer, I've been getting back into the late 90s filter house sound, so it was a lovely surprise to stumble across this killer EP from Tennessee-based producer Joseph Mollohan, better known to some as DJ Cockatiel as the founder of Cockatiel Recordings and as a member of OMEAC's finest trio Filtre - which has been active since 2014. On June 5th, he independently released his latest body of work - a selection of four fire tracks that absolutely nail the very early filter house sound from 1995-1997, which was being pushed at the time by labels such as Strictly Rhythm, 83 West and Henry Street - and pioneered by many of the second wave of Chicago house producers - their influence audible on this killer EP.
Something I've been saying a lot lately, is that the warmer, earlier sound of French house needs to come back into circulation, and I sure as hell think that Shifty Disco does a damn fine job at achieving this. Opening with the incredible Transparencies - a drawn out track which is deep, soulful and incredibly danceable (not to say that the rest of Shifty Disco isn't!) - it's also oddly calming, and a great outing to begin your sets with, as it manages to tread that fine line between thumping and relaxing - so it's a guaranteed crowd mover. What follows, is the titular track - and to me, it very obviously points to the work of house legend DJ Sneak - it's surprisingly sparse and very, very loose - and if this was sent to the offices of Defiant back in the mid-90s - I know for sure that it would be signed in a snap!
The last two tracks on Shifty Disco - Take Me Higher and Let's Move, respectively - follow the path of the stuff that you'd find on Blackjack - in particular, Sebastian Leger's legendary debut Atomic Pop, which was released in 2000. Both tracks ooze with a distinct lo-fi charm - and the samples sound like they've come directly out of a crusty, 12-bit sampler, making it all the more authentic - and to add, they have a distinct focus on the lower-end - so on my monitors, they absolutely kick, especially Let's Move, which is groovy as hell!
Go and buy it from Bandcamp now!
Louis La Roche - Chasing Moments (feat. HEDDIE)
Anticipation is now running high for Louis La Roche's next album The New Now - and with only three and a half weeks to go - everyone I know in French house and disco is extremely excited. Over this last month, Louis released two incredible singles, however my pick has to go to Chasing Moments - a gorgeous, beautifully produced nu disco track which is smooth, bright and also very, very eighties in a way - with the synthesis and clean, slick production reminding me of synth-pop band The Midnight. As described by Louis himself - this is a pop song which deals with themes of heart-ache and the period just before a relationship ends - making this a deeply emotive, and very beautiful song that, underneath the glimmer and shiny sounding instrumentation, carries a much deeper, and very relatable meaning. To add, the vocal performance from California's very own HEDDIE is absolutely beautiful - and her smooth, yet soothing voice reminds me heavily of Nikki Flores - so it's a massive thumbs up from me. This is one of the game's finest talents at his most emotional and retrospective, whilst still managing to sound fun and catchy!
Buy Chasing Moments from Bandcamp now.
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Wire One and SHPESHFTR - Feel Something
In the post that I wrote about the first major year of the bloghouse revival - this single was one of the first things I talked about, and for damn good reason. Feel Something - the brand new collaborative single brought to you by Detroit's Wire One and Ontario's SHPESHFTR is an absolute spectacle. Released through independent American label Light New Fires on June 19th - this is, hands down, one of my favourite singles from the two of them for a whole bunch of reasons. First of all, both of their styles clash together in an epic fashion to create something effortlessly bad-ass, loud, heavy and brash - and I can absolutely tell you that when played loud, Feel Something kicks to an unfathomable degree - and secondly, it's also incredibly melodic and sample heavy - mixing the buzzy bass synths and heavy beats with glossy, nu-disco keys, plenty of references to their past work and those that have influenced them (can anyone spot the sample from a certain electro Parisian duo?) - while also just sounding very damn good in general - why would it be on the blog otherwise?
Although I did mention it in a previous post - like I said, I wanted to go ahead and give it a full mini-review, because I couldn't just leave it there - especially as this is such an epic track that will likely be played out in clubs for years to come, alongside being one of the finest releases of the second era of bloghouse - so if you haven't peeped this yet - then I beckon you to do so now - you will not be disappointed whatsoever!
You can find 'Feel Something' on a whole bunch of major streaming platforms, however the SoundCloud is linked below!
Minuit Cafe and Davnnk - Setsunai (Alone In The City)
Today's post has been filled to the brim with lots of high energy French house, nu disco and electro - so to end it out, I wanted to shine a light on the brand new single from Argentinian producer and DJ Minuit Cafe, which also features US-based hip hop producer Davnnk - which was released independently on June 27th. While most have come to expect future funk from Minuit Cafe, this track takes a completely different approach, and melds together smooth city-pop with the rugged, hard-hitting sounds of 90s hip-hop in an excellent way, and while I sure as hell wouldn't see these genres fitting - they somehow work extremely well in this context to make something summery and playful, yet also neck-snapping (in a good way, I mean!) and chilled out. It's extremely unique, fresh and damn awesome - more future funk needs some of that sweet, sweet hip hop influence - so huge props to you both!
You can find Setsunai on Bandcamp now.
There you have it, everyone!
I hope you've enjoyed reading today's post - be sure to support all of the artists featured today, and be sure to look out for part two - which is hopefully going to be out soon - and as always, keep enjoying your stay at the discotheque.
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