Electro/club 2021

(Pictured: ANZ)

The situation doesn't seem ready to return anytime soon to the long-awaited normality, and the club universe keeps feeling the effects far more than many other contexts. And yet, despite everything, this autumn has been richer in releases and selections than ever in recent memory, so much so that narrowing it down to a dozen was harder than usual. Spanning the globe (from Paraguay to Guinea, via ever-present London, Korea and Mexico), this selection frames the full variety of dance music released over the past three months, in a mix that blends sweat, emotion and warmth. As long as dancing to them in their natural habitat remains almost a utopia (even at half capacity), until then, dance, dance, dance till you drop, even in the privacy of your own home!

Anz – All Hours (Ninja Tune)

Anna-Marie Odubote has now fully blossomed, and if what we wrote about “Loos In Twos” already confirmed as much, her move to Ninja Tune for “All Hours” seals a trajectory of sharp, rapid growth. Now a leading champion of the hardcore continuum, on this new EP the Manchester producer sets out to paint, in her own way, a hypothetical 24-hour rave marathon: morning, night and the first rays of sun again, each phase of the day marked by its own distinct mood and tone. The bright dawn of keys and gentle bass on “Decisions” gives way to the pop acidity of “You Could Be”, punctuated by lively synth blasts, before the brisk garage churn of “Real Enough To Feel Good” takes over, already full of prime-time energy but still restrained in its drive, thanks also to the shrewd use of shadowy basslines. With “Inna Circle”, all kick drums and electro angularity, we get to the heart of the matter: its long build-up is the perfect excuse to test Anz's expressive versatility, before Euro-style pads usher in gorgeous atmospheric backdrops. “Last Before Lights” is finally the explosion of euphoria, polished melodicism laid over breakbeat articulations and techno nuances à la Orbital, the perfect blend to set the whole floor off. Finally comes the release, the unwinding, the farewell (“Quest Select”). Just over twenty minutes, yet Anz has crafted a tale, a whole story out of it. Irresistible.

Blawan – Woke Up Right Handed (XL)

Every Blawan release is, in its own way, a small event, and this “Woke Up Right Handed”, his second EP of 2021, might turn out to be something more than that. Far from the acid and industrial experiments of many past efforts, these five new tracks sink their teeth into a viscous, treacherous mixture, one that reveals a perverse pleasure in the darkest bass music around, as well as in building sonic architectures that always seem on the verge of collapse yet hold together precisely because of their elusive irregularity. Take “Under Belly”: it's impossible to even imagine what that bone-dry driving effect might be traced back to, but it's exactly that elusiveness that allows its lopsided rhythmic sketch to work. “Close The Cycle” does even better, with its asymmetric beats, a voice seemingly coming from who knows what crevice, and an overall texture that has more in common with Cold Cave than with the new wave of IDM explorations. The exploration can also turn more aggressive, as on opener “Blika”, all guttural echoes and sinister post-Dubstep tension, or lean into peculiar evolutions of the early Raime sound, for an episode of morbid wonky experimentation (“No Rabbit No Life”). More than ten years into his career, and the freshness, the creative heft, are still there, more intense and cutting than ever. If only there were more like him…

DJ Lycox – Lycoxera (Príncipe)

DJ Lycox is a genuine talent, and every one of his releases pushes the boundaries a little further, probing new territories while still holding onto a deep underlying consistency. And so, with “Lycoxera”, one of the leading lights of the Príncipe roster turns the romantic kizomba experience of his previous “Kizas do ly” into a far more complex affair, rhythmically sophisticated and steeped in the most disparate influences. Percussive polyrhythms wrap around the scorching minimal funk of “Rapaz sinistro”, three minutes before “Southside” brings in wild, woodland gusts, with a rhythmic touch as bristly and twisted as branches. Where “Yoga” cuts things short while still showing off a refined sense of spaciousness almost akin to grime and bass music, “Wildin” takes the next step, adding to the recipe just enough techno darkness to massively amplify its communicative potential. In such a rich mix, full of elaborate sensations, the Portuguese producer — also active in the Tia Maria Produções project — takes his crystalline batida language to a new level of intensity, building an alphabet of great sonic dynamism unafraid to venture into new horizons. The best release of 2021 for the Lusitanian label.

Falle Nioke & Ghost Culture – Badiare EP (Prah)

The second chapter uniting Guinean musician and globetrotter Falle Nioke with synthpop/techno producer Ghost Culture, “Badiare” isn't just an EP that crosses different cultures and sensibilities, it also pushes the Conakry-born artist's lucid storytelling to a new level of expressiveness and narrative power. With the synths wrapping around Nioke's vocals like a glove, even when “Ayekouma” brushes up against properly club territory, the incisiveness of his storytelling doesn't lose an ounce of its power — if anything, it gains from it. In a constant linguistic shift that sees him first express himself in Coniagui, the language of his people (as on “Leywole”, which delves into the combative spirit of a woman with little patience for unwanted attention), before switching to a passionate English (the full-bodied romanticism of “Spiritually”, all bass and minimal build), the artist knows how to assert his stature, his presence, without ever letting himself be overshadowed by Ghost Culture's shrewd guidance. Physical, vibrant, fertile in its Afro-synthetic hybrids, the project's next task is to translate this excellent synergy into a longer, more fleshed-out format.

Liu Lee – Jasmine (NBDKNW)

Can electroclash still have something to say in 2021? If you push its most sensual, provocative sides to the extreme, giving it the chance to sharpen its claws, then absolutely yes. And that's exactly what Liu Lee, DJ and producer based in Seoul, does on “Jasmine”, a project of minimal electro physicality that oozes eroticism and allure in every second, giving each beat, each shift in shape, its proper weight. At times more violent (the industrial lashes that close out “Canine”, the almost trance-like breakcore build of “Kiss Me”), at times softer and more feline (the rumbling pulse of the title track; the R&B breaks that surface on “Elastic”), the EP doles out irony and seduction in equal measure, tempting and drawing you in, even at the risk of getting burned by its own fire. On “Fabulous Stain” the influence of the most sardonic, sticky-sweet Miss Kittin clearly seeps through, but everything takes on a far more torrid, angular turn. However you look at it, this work puts on display the peculiar vision of a mind far removed from the average Korean electronic landscape. The premise alone is already thrilling.

Niño Árbol – Hypereactive-2 (Ssensorial)

Using techno as a vehicle for catharsis, reflection, transcendence is certainly nothing new. After all, music conceived as a tool for liberation on the dancefloor has always operated on similar tracks. The second chapter of a diptych begun two years ago, "Hypereactive-2" (a genuinely fitting title) closes the research path undertaken by Guadalajara producer Kevin Martínez into the foundations of the most atmospheric and divergent strains of techno, with five tracks that combine abstraction and obsession, meditation and timbral exploration. With a "XXXX" that grafts hypnotic piano ideas and morbid polyrhythmic hammering onto its peculiar metallic gait, Niño Árbol's evocative process catalyzes seductive journeys through memory via mysterious explorations that share more than one point of contact with the cadences of future-garage ("ZZZZ"). Or, if he prefers to approach more classic territory, he can do so with great skill, in the Idm-leaning scenarios of "YYYY", over which regular Detroit-style beats and galactic caresses are laid to rest. Either way, the emotional, meditative goal of the release stays constant regardless of the change of clothes or the shape it takes, leading to a satisfying close for the project. Awareness and finesse, from a name to keep a close eye on.

Peach – Galaxy Girl EP (Peach)

Anyone who's heard the mixes and singles Peach put out before this "Galaxy Girl" might almost be surprised by the difference: the full-bodied house sound, shot through with wave influences from the past, has gradually given way to a passion for 2000s minimalism, and with it a shift toward rich basslines used to build sinuous, if cerebral, grooves. Not that the color and playful tone of her music have vanished (the producer herself spells it out on her Bandcamp profile) – if anything, on "Clovers Groove" the melodic core is peppy, a space-disco flavored treat that the late Cherushii would have loved. While the title track is built on a techno skeleton that has nothing to envy in Livity Sound's explorations (a post-Dubstep glow lingers behind the springy base rhythm pattern), "Mimosa" submerges Atkins-esque sinews into a design of bubbling bass research. It's all a matter of light and shade, then, which Peach handles with intelligence and care, never losing sight of the need to engage the listener. Even on the dullest of days, "Galaxy Girl" never fails to bring back a smile.

Sangre Nueva – Goteo (Worldwide Unlimited)

What do DJ Python, Kelman Duran and Florentino do when they record music together? Simple: they harness their excellent creative synergy to craft one of the most successful joint projects around in the reggaeton sphere and beyond. The deeply atmospheric feel of the first, the jazzy, urban deconstructions of the second, the more urgent and radical touch of the third: "Goteo", released as Santa Sangre, lets all six hands involved in its production show through its four tracks, revealing the fine interweaving of languages that only seem similar on the surface, while actually carrying quite different personalities and distinct paths. No matter, though – the fusion is formidable: "Hurt" demonstrates, better than any description could, the perfect blend of sun-drenched ambient, rhythmic physicality and textural exploration, via vocal samples that have always resisted any flight into isolationism. The approach can stretch out even further, even hinting at a curious take on reggaeton à-la Burial (though the sample manipulation is entirely down to Duran's skill), or dock alongside a rushing sensuality that's equally capable of great evocative power ("Sola"). With such cooperative talent, and a sound honed down to the single beat, one hopes the trio won't stop at this one-off encounter.

Stolen Velour – Onyx (Kindergarten)

In a mainstream landscape that has ended up swallowing hyperpop whole (along with what's left of A.G. Cook's A.G. Cook's and co.'s PC Music scene) and flattening its unruly coordinates into a mere aesthetic garnish on the same tired mixed grill, there are still those who know how to exploit its divergent approach and offer something genuinely off-kilter, disorienting, in its own way. Founder of the Treehouse label (and its associated parties), a constant presence at the most dynamic crossroads of contemporary club music, Leeds' Stolen Velour releases "Onyx" through Kindergarten, a voraciously hungry EP that, across three tracks (plus a remix courtesy of friend Jabes), fuels a refreshing blend of funky ideas, metallic hues, hints of trance and PC Music aesthetics, of the kind best captured in the most futuristic moments of SOPHIE and Arca. Confusing? Not at all. In a tribute to the vivid tones typical of the Luo people of Kenya, the colors chosen by the producer yield a language that combines the extreme with the familiar, gives fresh polish to the cavernous beats of gqom (the glazed, incremental build of "Tibi Bat"), conjures an irresistible rubbery melodicism ("Symbiosis" and its obsessive kicks), and drills fullness and emptiness into a frantic alternation of bouncing synths and hyper vocals. Feverish tension.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – The Distance (Nice Age)

Even though his period of relative glory has long since passed, Orlando Higginbottom aka Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs is alive and kicking, and keeps producing great music with total creative independence. More atmospheric than in the past, yet still capable of good funky grooves when needed (the sparkling melodicism of "A Dream I Have"), with "The Distance" the British artist's dance-pop blend proves inventive, keeping its industrious brilliance alive even in the most stubbornly repeated of loops. That, ultimately, is the secret to staying fresh: the candid breaks of "Into The Light" have that narcotic flair so sorely missing from the latest Bicep outing, and the almost amniotic fluidity of the title track speaks through a delicate techno pattern, barely perceptible beneath the ecstatic sweetness of the melody. Closing things out is "Emerald", a deep luxuriousness resting on intriguing synthetic flourishes and Latin-tinged stop'n'go moments, the kind of track East India Youth would once have loved, seasoned with a meticulously built flow. Almost ten years after his breakthrough, TEED's pen still knows how to leave a mark.

u.r.trax – U R TRA$H (Lobster Theremin)

Just eighteen years old, and with a savoir-faire that has already made her one of the leading names in French techno, u.r.trax has crystal-clear ideas about how to grab her audience. Hit hard, as hard as possible, with all the intensity required. And so "Dying Generation", the opening track of "U R TRASH", kicks off straight away with a brutal punch, a steel battleship ready to flatten anything in its path. A full-on threat, somewhere between Helena Hauff and Y2K maximalism, made even more potent by the desolation in the voice. The rest moves on the same forceful plane: "What Was On Their Mind" is an alarm signal, a broken, obsessive phrasing that evokes acid epics carved into precise, scalpel-sharp cuts. Where "You Are Your Own Distraction" reveals a certain flair for the more industrial strain of techno (while still bending its rules toward a far heftier, electro-leaning sound), "Race Agains The Time" heightens the production's dark, bleak edge through hallucinated synths that cut like blades. As murky as it is thrilling, the young French producer's EP is red-hot material, fire that harnesses the power of techno to play a poisonous, lethal game. A phenomenal addition to the Lobster Theremin roster, which has spotted a top-tier talent here.

Victoria Mussi – SKINS (Jujuka)

Straight from Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, Victoria Mussi is one of the leading voices in the country's electronic scene, and an EP like "SKINS" bears witness to her style, her calling for an urban, mysterious techno that carries a natural poetic drive. Also steeped in occasional house references, the producer's sound isn't averse to unexpected forays into progressive territory (the recurring cycles underpinning the structure of "Ecdysis"), lets itself be seduced by sharp shifts in rhythm (the propulsive breaks that follow the steadier kicks of the title track), and plays with geometry, giving each track real three-dimensionality. As for power, it's never lacking where needed (see the opening of "Gateway"), yet there's a fluidity, an aquatic sense to the way the running times are handled, which translates into an airy, ambient-tinged touch. Within this apparent duality, Mussi's hand moves with confidence and precision, even venturing into breakbeat territory (the intro of "Changes"), while retaining a sense of airiness she shares with the best techno designers working today. Crystalline, the Paraguayan producer's art carries an enviable maturity.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google