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All of the awesome stuff released in June: Part Two!

Hey everyone - welcome back at the discotheque!

For today's post - I'd like to bring you the next batch of amazing things that released last month, and there's a very eclectic mix of things that I'm planning to cover in this post - ranging from killer French house, some sweet future funk and some more quirky things to boot - alongside some long-awaited drops and the return of several awesome artists.

Without further ado - let's get started!


Oran Jusu - Miss You
Released independently everywhere on June 12th - if you've been keeping up with the blog lately, then you'll have seen me mention this album plenty of times, and now it's finally arrived - the debut album from the blog's resident Scotsman Oran Jusu - which cleverly manages to blend modern future funk, nu disco and French house in a gorgeous fashion, is absolutely incredible - and I suspect that it'll be making waves for months to come for its smooth, high quality production, genre hopping future classics, and above all - it's one of the most fun, exhilarating and awesome albums to come out of the future funk scene in years.

Clocking in at around fifteen tracks, alongside four previously released singles - three of which have been featured on the blog before, every single new track on Miss You oozes with quality. Opening with the energetic (and frankly brilliant) Ain't No Feeling, before launching into a string of bangers that includes the epic nu-disco / French touch jam I Want Chu and personal favourites Okay! and Harmony - Oran Jusu sets the tone perfectly for what's on the rest of the record with little stops for rest, which makes this all the more fun and adventurous.

It only gets better from there - the second third of Miss You opens with three nu disco tracks, all of which feel reminiscent of England's finest aficionado Louis La Roche's latest work, before singles Let You Down and Ain't Got Time take center stage - my personal favourites from this section include the 80s-influenced jam Get Down - which features some super cool, pulsating synth action, and of course, the amazing Let You Down, which still remains my favourite Oran Jusu track!

The last third of this record is comprised of entirely new, exclusive tracks - and boy, they close the album in such a brilliant, yet fun way - there's high energy tracks that can lift anyone's mood (such as the thumping Dance With You, which can also double down as a sweet little DJ tool, whilst sounding like if Alan Braxe woke up one day and decided to make future funk!) - the punchy, yet unmistakably cool 'love you xo' and the more mellow Head Spin, which reminds me heavily of the work of Australian duo Cadillac - with their single ' Make You Feel' which went viral in 2011 - before closing with the amazing New Way, which is a slamming track filled with glittery instrumentation and even the saxophone - so if you're into your disco-infused house with a little bit of a live twist - this cut might be the one for you!

In short - Miss You is such an incredible album, and it clearly establishes Oran Jusu as one of the scene's top talents - as well as an amazing producer and artist - so be sure to stream or buy this record now.

As per usual - the Bandcamp is below!



Snowshoo - Overtime / True To Yourself
If you've been around in the future funk scene for a fairly long time, then Snowshoo is one of the people that you're bound to have heard of - likely due to their amazing releases for the likes of Sleepless Tapes and Future Society - and on June 1st, they came back after a long period of silence with a brand new two-track release that is undeniably killer - and I'm pleased to report that it absolutely kicks, especially when played loud. The A-side is a sweet, bright banger which samples Karin Jones to a T - and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up on Real Love Music fairly soon, due to how catchy and groovy it is - and the B-side, my personal favourite - is a summery, warm future anthem which seems to borrow a larger influence from the late 90s filter house scene - it's incredibly tight, extremely funky and the sampling feels akin to the recent work of Opierm or the stuff on French label Jolene - but that could just be the post-disco influence talking!

You can grab this excellent two-tracker now through Snowshoo's Bandcamp.



BarbWalters - Icon
Released independently on June 24th - the brand new EP from Boston-based producer, DJ and future funk legend BarbWalters. is, as to be expected, absolutely awesome. Featuring seven sweet tracks for eager fans to listen to this summer and beyond - Icon is a glamorous, bright and energetic body of work from one of the scene's finest talents, which melds bad-ass French house, nu disco and Artzie-styled future funk all in one - with three fantastic, previously released tracks (namely Baby, Accelerate and Departed - which features Itami Dakusu!) making a welcome appearance on this release to boot - so if you've been keeping up with the guy for a while, you'll recognize some bangers!

While the previously released singles are all equally brilliant - I'd like to spend most of my time talking about the exclusives, which are just as good, if not even better - the titular track is a spectacular slice of French house with tons of glimmering synths and epic production, mirroring the work of FIBRE at the very end of the late 2010s, while also reminding me of Ed Banger affiliate Borussia - which is a huge plus - Wicked is a dope, three minute, post-disco influenced workout which reminds me heavily of Truman Truman's work, thanks to the heavily compressed, almost chaotic production, which makes it a super fun one to bump when you want to get pumped the hell up - Questions is a super catchy track that packs a massive punch in its short run time, which totally could have been signed to Future Society during it's heyday, and finally, the fantastic Ocean Drive - which is a heavy, yet almost cinematic piece of synth-wave that reminds me heavily of Kavinsky's earlier work.

Going onto the last three tracks on Icon, which have each been blogged before here - I still stand by my previous points, that they are absolutely brilliant ditties - they're incredibly fun, extremely hyperactive, the sampling is brilliant (especially on Baby, which absolutely kicks!) - and the one resounding thing I will say, is that they could have easily made it onto Artzie during the legendary channel's last years in operation, because quite frankly - they're so amazing, and fairly daring in nature, too!

You can stream 'Icon' now everywhere - however the Bandcamp is below, in case you want to support BarbWalters directly!



Artemis Morte - Tender Is The Flesh
Now, as much as we love future funk, disco and French house on the blog - I think it's time for something a little bit different. Released on Mr. Hoosteen's legendary independent label OMEAC on June 19th after lots of cryptic promotion and a killer single drop featuring salemforsaken in mid-May - the second album from London-based producer, bloghouse aficionado and electro house icon turned future electro-clash legend Artemis Morte - is an extremely unique, daring, dark and crazy record that is strange, wild and insane in its runtime of around forty minutes - so I knew it had to get featured in today's post upon release.

If Doing Strange Things In The Name Of... was Artemis' Total - then Tender Is The Flesh is his Thirst - while the bass-heavy, punchy and aggressive beats from his debut have taken a backseat - this record is just as uncompromising, heavy, chaotic and epic - albeit using a very different approach. It's punk, it's DIY, it's poppy, it's breakcore, it's grungy - but in all honesty, it's a whole lot of fun, despite the dark undertones that this record emits with practiced ease. 

Furthermore, Tender also boasts an impressive roster of collaborators, including Monte Hills and Hauteclere - who each compliment their tracks awesomely - and it's also a lot more diverse and vocal heavy, with Artemis' voice being used in several different musical scenarios - whether that's on distorted indie pop on Touch and Go, atop slamming beats and ducky, rough synths on RUWaitin, or in a softer nature against a backdrop of IDM-ish production on Buttonhole of Graceland, Tennessee - easily showcasing that while this record's roots are embedded in the late 2000s electro-clash movement - hence why it's being blogged here today - there's clearly a lot more in his ever expanding palette of influences, ideas and inspirations - which is likely why this album is so mad in the best way possible - the production is intricate and deeply detailed, and the listener is being pulled in so many directions, so that a moment is never dull.

My favourite tracks on Tender Is The Flesh were difficult to pick, however, after careful consideration - I'd say that the cake goes to the epic Tyrant - which is an incredibly groovy, yet quirky banger - the drum-work, which mirrors breakbeat to me, in particular caught my attention - the brilliant Kill God, Then We'll Talk, which is the definition of a headbanging song if I've ever heard one - and of course, the fantastic Buttonhole of Graceland, which has a huge amount of dynamic range thanks to the excellent production and great instrumentation choices, and above all, it's a super great song that really manages to show off Artemis' new and fantastic direction perfectly.

You can find Tender Is The Flesh on several streaming platforms now - it will be up on Bandcamp soon, so below is the YouTube Music link!



Brayan Rojitas - Get On The Disco
Also released on June 19th through his legendary underground label Neon Soda - lately, Colombian producer and DJ Brayan Rojitas has been on fire, releasing a string of fantastic new filter house / disco singles that absolutely kick - however, I've decided to talk about this particular one, because god damn, it is awesome. Sampling Michael Jackson expertly, and stuffed to the brim with loads of amazing hooks, slamming beats and a whole lot of groove - this is the definition of a dope track that's bound to make waves in clubs and at crazy parties for months to come - and likely convert anyone who isn't on the filter house train yet to jump on board. Furthermore, thanks to the extremely high quality production and sample finesse, it reminds me heavily of the stuff that was being released on Stardust Records or 4Disco back in the early 2010s - go back fifteen or so years, and this would have been snapped up very quickly and had support from the likes of Treasure Fingers - so if that hasn't convinced you to go and spin this, I'm not sure what else will!

You can stream it on YouTube Music now.



Architecture In Tokyo - Never Find Another
To end out this post, I wanted to talk about something pretty special. I was browsing on SoundCloud a few days ago and ended up stumbling onto Young Muscle's page - only to see that he had released a brand new track as part of his legendary 'Architecture In Tokyo' alias - which many fans and readers will know from his releases under Business Casual and AMDISCS during future funk's heyday - and I'm pleased to report that this single is an absolutely gorgeous piece of work - and, in contrast to the high energy beats, slamming club tools and distorted electro-clash that's dominated today's post - Never Find Another is a very beautiful, funky and calming nu-disco joint that's bright, hopeful and quite emotional, in some way or another. While he's known for making either high energy, sampled disco workouts or hard-hitting excursions into breaks, techno and bass music - this single is much more stripped back, which allows for each instrument to breathe beautifully - and it can be used for almost any occasion - whether you want to calm down after a long day or relax at the beach - this is definitely one to stick on your summer playlist. The fact that this has remained unreleased for three years until now is pretty crazy!

You can stream it on SoundCloud now!


There you have it, everyone!

I hope that you've enjoyed reading today's post - be sure to support all of the artists featured today, and as always - keep enjoying your stay at the discotheque.



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