February: 7 bass & club releases you need to hear this month

Dinamarca 'Holy' EP (Staycore)

Staycore is perhaps one of the most exciting labels to emerge out of the recent global, internet-oriented conception of club music. Founded by producers Dinamarca and Ghazal in Stockholm circa late 2014, the genre-bending imprint specialises in global dance rhythms, particularly those of Latin America and the Caribbean. ‘Holy’ is Dinamarca’s second EP, released almost exactly two years after he burst onto the scene with his debut ‘No Hay Break’. This new record elaborates on the themes the Sweden-based Chilen artist has previously toyed with so well: dark, clamorous iterations of dembow, soca and dancehall pound fiercely against trembling melodies. Bubbling chimes on the title track swirl coolly around you before the song goes full-blown trance with hard kicks demanding that you keep up. On ‘Señal’, synths warble eerily amidst chirps and yelps, while ‘DINABLAM’ (a collaboration with Berlin artist KABLAM) roils with percussive energy.

9/10