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

Jessy Lanza 'Oh No No No' EP (Hyperdub)

Three of the tracks from Jessy Lanza’s 2016 pop masterpiece ‘Oh No’ get reworked on this EP, which features Morgan Geist (aka Storm Queen), Teklife DJs Taye and Spinn, and experimental producer Leon Smart, who currently makes music under the alias DVA [Hi:Emotions]. Geist takes on ‘I Talk BB’ turning the airy ballad into something even more atmospheric than its counterpart. With whizzing arpeggios and the occasional solemn beep, Lanza’s breathy vocals lift us gently into space. Taye and Spinn capitalise on the hesitant energy of ‘Could Be U’ with their footwork-imbued redo, with snares and kicks cascading amidst chopped vocals. The most compelling track, though, is Smart’s mix of ‘Going Somewhere’. While the orignial serves to spotlight Lanza’s wistful sentiments (“I just wanna impress you”), he turns it into something unrecognisable – synthscapes, almost painfully high pitches and samples from Kim Kardashian’s Snapchat create an uneasy aura of anticipation. “I don’t think it’s working,” she repeats calmly, before her voice is submerged in a collage of squeaks.

9/10