July: 18 albums you need to hear this month

Maceo Plex 'Solar' (Lone Romantic)

Now a major player on the global electronic scene, the second coming of American producer Eric Estornel has been quite remarkable. For the first decade of his career he was a niche producer with a glitchy techno sound that won him a small but hardcore underground following. Then, around 10 years ago, he switched things up. Suddenly he was on populist labels such as Crosstown Rebels and No 19 Music, with a much more accessible house and tech sound. Since then, he’s steered back towards techno (including under his other alias, Maetrik) but always with a broad main-room appeal. It’s made him, his Ellum label and Mosaic night at Pacha Ibiza some of the biggest draws on the circuit.

Now comes ‘Solar’, an album that has long been mooted, teased with a precursor EP in 2015 and full-length collection of club-focused tracks recorded during the same sessions in 2016. The final product itself, though, is about much more than the dancefloor: it’s inspired by becoming a father, but rather than being a soppy and saccharine affair, it uses the highs and lows of parenthood to colour 11 moody and often introspective tracks. They range from the rousing, starry-eyed opener ‘Sparks Of Life’ to heavy-hearted trudger ‘The Separation’, with its mixture of bulbous bass and pained vocals. ‘Indigo’ is a slow, dark and thunderous number with turbulent synths, while ‘Kepler’s Journey’ is a reserved bit of post-rave euphoria. As they play out, there’s a sense that Estornel has gone to great lengths to conjure up the sort of deep-rooted feelings that consume all parents. Occasionally the lament can be a little overbearing, but generally it reminds us that this artist has much more in his arsenal than obvious techno rollers. Kristan J Caryl

8/10

J Hus 'Common Sense' (Black Butter)

When footage of teenagers singing ‘Dem Boy Paigon’ as police tried to shut down a Hackney house party went viral, it was clear J Hus had become one of London’s leading voices. Now, as debut album ‘Common Sense’ drops during a sold-out tour, it’s obvious he’s at the fore of UK rap. Lyrically, this LP hits the same themes as on his breakout 2015 mixtape, as he opines on street life, sexual encounters and life as a 20-year-old on the come-up. But what has changed are the beats. Thanks to producer Jae5, Hus is now hopping across G funk, UK garage and r’n’b, as well as banging rap and Afrobeats. Of course, his unique cadence and cheeky-wink swag bind it all because, despite his moniker, he’s “really a big kid, Capri Sun and Wotsits”. Seb Wheeler

9/10

Laurel Halo 'Dust' (Hyperdub)

Conceived and recorded with a range of co-collaborators, Laurel Halo’s fourth album, ‘Dust’, began taking shape in 2015 during a stint at the Experimental Media And Performing Arts Centre in New York. Evaluating Halo’s music can feel like a task fraught with danger, not least because the kind of words you’d associate it with (‘deconstructive’, ‘experimental’) suggest it would be a tough listen. And yet that’s far from the case with ‘Dust’. One of its core ingredients is deep, mood-laden house, but – this being Laurel Halo – her variant’s had a scalpel taken to it. Take ‘Sun To Solar’, which would thrill Arthur Russell: it’s abstract house with a tumbling time structure, all stretched, skewed and decorated with looping organ skirls that give it a devotional quality, and dotted with fragmented, improv-style vocals. While ‘Dust’ is Halo’s most vocal-heavy oting yet, it’s far from conventional. Her sweet, breathy tones are delivered in snatches, and often verge on the indecipherable.

On ‘Jelly’, she adopts a robotic vibrato and spreads it over ping-pong beats, elegantly unfurling congas and off-kilter handclaps, with the gauzy, woozy house of both Francis Harris and Lobster Theremin associate Grant obvious references. ‘Do U Ever Happen’, meanwhile, with its jazzy vibes, jittery live percussion and ska-like beat slowed to a murmur, is one of the most beautiful pieces of work Halo has ever produced. It’s all part of the immersive, frequently moving, absorbing experience that is ‘Dust’. Stephen Worthy

9/10

Mura Masa 'Mura Masa' (Anchor Point/Polydor)

Overflowing with all-star guests, Mura Masa welcomes his closest and coolest friends, a lifelong hero and emerging talents on his ambitious debut album. The Guernsey-born producer’s bedroom beats have infiltrated the charts and festivals over the last 12 months: hence the 21-year-old’s ability to curate such an impressive cast of collaborators on this genre-hopping collection full of future hits. From the energetic, A$AP Rocky-aided ‘Love$ick Fuck’ and Desiigner-featuring trap anthem ‘All Around The World’ to the glitchy electronic romance of ‘Second 2 None’, which includes a heartfelt vocal from Christine And The Queens’ Héloïse Letissier, it’s a dizzying exploration of musical subcultures. Charli XCX smashes out a pop hit with ‘1 Night’, Anchor Point-signee Tom Tripp turns ‘Helpline’ into a funk-tinged anthem and Masa’s hero Damon Albarn features on the contemplative ‘Blu’. This is what pop should be in 2017: diverse, interesting and surprising. Ben Jolly

9/10

Robert Hood 'Paradygm Shift' (Dekmantel)

Despite Robert Hood’s revered status among peers and fans alike, last year’s house-centric collaboration with his daughter Lyric saw the Detroit legend receive some of the most glowing notices of his career so far (not to mention the cover of Mixmag). But Hood’s not a man to stand still. On ‘Paradygm Shift’, he returns to the stripped-back techno that earned him a rep as the producer’s producer. Here, he’s on a mission to fly the flag for the restorative powers of minimalism. There’s little time for niceties – instead, tracks such as ‘I Am’ and ‘Nephesh’ jump straight in, twisting your mind with coruscating, pounding beats and fidgety percussion. Focused, driven, singular: it’s music that reflects the man who made it. Stephen Worthy

8/10

Lapalux 'Ruinism' (Brainfeeder)

An artist who coined his name while in “the lap of luxury” after one too many smokes, Lapalux toys with clanging percussion and sharp vocals on ‘Ruinism’. The operatoric notes of GABI on ‘Data Demon’ will give you chills, while ‘Petty Passion’ is full of minatory distortion. Other highlights include the Louisahhh-featuring ‘Rotten Arp’, the JFDR-assisted ‘Falling Down’ and the TALVI team-up ‘4EVA’ TALVI, with each of his collaborators bringing clarity to his discordant mania. ‘Ruinism’ isn’t a departure from the type of chopped foundations we’ve come to expect from Lapalux, it’s just less thick with haze: both onimous and gorgeous, it’s an album of two halves that tiptoes into a purgatory state. Leah Jade Connolly

8/10

Nick Höppner 'Work' (Ostgut Ton)

The two years since his debut LP have clearly served Berlin mainstay Nick Höppner well. While that first album, ‘Folk’, was far from a bog-standard affair, it sometimes felt different for different’s sake. But follow-up ‘Work’ is much more the sound of a producer who has mastered all his machines and can speak fluidly through them. He shows a new breadth and depth of sound that takes in skittish, celestial house, gooey, mid-tempo minimal and loose broken beat, betraying the producer’s fondness for UK garage and bass music. There are even avant-pop moments of translucent synth joy next to darker no wave hymns, all of which help make ‘Work’ much more than your average electronic album. Kristan J Caryl

8/10

Various 'La Torre Ibiza Volumen Dos' (Hostal La Torre Recordings)

Once again compiled and mixed by long-standing Mambo Balearic head Pete Gooding and Mark Barrott (who opted for Prefab Sprout and Talk Talk in his classic albums piece this month), this beach-flecked Ibiza soundtrack is the work of crate-diggers who instinctively know their musical minerals. As well as new music from Lord Of The Isles, Tornado Wallace, and Pitto, licensing wizard Gooding has also managed to clear classic soundtrack music from Eric Serra and John Barry’s woozy signature tune ‘Midnight Cowboy’ (no doubt while on a break from Bond). The results are sweet, serene and, like La Torre in Ibiza itself, occasionally breathtaking. Ralph Moore

8/10

Michael Mayer 'DJ-Kicks' (DJ-Kicks)

Kompakt, the label co-founded by Michael Mayer, was arguably the most influential German imprint of its generation: techno (particularly minimal) was its stock-in-trade, but it also followed an eclectic agenda. That’s reflected in his DJ-Kicks turn, which mixes cosmic disco (Prins Thomas’ rework of The Lionheart Brothers’ ‘The Drift’), minimal (the dOP & Masomenos mix of Bvoice, Anrilov and Danilov’s ‘Papas Groove’) and neo-trance (Chris & Cosey’s remix of Death In Vegas’ ‘Consequences Of Love’). There’s even glam rock-inspired ‘schaffel’ beat (another micro-genre Kompakt championed) in the form of ‘Gary’ by Alter Ego (aka Roman Flügel). Stephen Worthy

7/10

Floating Points 'Reflections – Mojave Desert' (Pluto)

Anyone who’s seen Floating Points live in the last year or so will be primed for this. The pure house of early releases is long gone, and though the rippling modular synths and elegant jazz-fusion drumming of 2015’s ‘Elaenia’ are still present, the ebb and flow of this album is dominated by a slow-burn, highly considered instrumental psych-rock sound. It was recorded at the base of huge rock formations in the actual Mojave desert (apparently, this release is just the first of a series of“responses” to landmarks encountered on the producer’s travels) and it certainly sounds as big, occasionally bleak and often beautiful as the landscapes it’s inspired by . Not as immediately blissful as ‘Elaenia’, but a magical new direction nonetheless. Joe Muggs

8/10

Fhloston Paradigm 'AFTER...' (KingBrittArchives)

A second LP from King Britt’s Fhloston Paradigm project, ‘AFTER…’ follows the Hyperdub-released ‘The Phoenix’. This one is out on his own KingBrittArchives label, carrying on the legacy of an artist working his way through from neo soul and house/techno beginnings into an analogue and modular synth project with contributions from Natasha Kmeto, Ryat and Nosaj Thing, among others. “... LIFE” features gorgeous rhythmic chanting and the soft scat of Alexa Barchini, which is improvised against cosmic modulations. The rage of hardcore poet Moor Mother on ‘...ALL’, meanwhile, is felt less in her indistinguishable words and more in the way the sonic manipulations pull at her vocal, making it seem like a fragile object at the centre of a storm. S Kretowicz

7/10

Various 'Too Slow To Disco Vol 3' (How Do You Are?)

It’s an odd thing that DJ Supermarkt’s Too Slow To Disco series – collecting slick, mainly Californian soft rock with a soulful sheen from the late 70s and early 80s – should be eclipsed by its offshoot. But last year’s astounding ‘The Ladies Of TSTD’ really took it up another level of unabashed joy, and in comparison the volumes featuring mainly male vocals can seem earnest or even sleazy in comparison. That’s no real criticism: we all like a little sleaze after all, right? And the vibe here – blending Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder and more– is as sunshiney as ever. It’s one you need to be in the mood for, but when you are, it’s just the job. Joe Muggs

8/10

Luke Vibert 'Presents UK Garave Vol 1' (Hypercolour)

Retro rave is everywhere now: from Special Request to Nina Kraviz to Shed, the bass, bleeps and breaks of early 90s Britain are constantly being revisited and reworked. But if there’s one person guaranteed to bring a fresh twist to proceedings, it’s Cornish OG Luke Vibert. Here, he telescopes rave vibes together with pumping speed garage (think Double 99/187 Lockdown), but puts it all through his own particularly trippy kaleidoscope. All the samples and rhythms here you’ve heard a million times – but somehow, with this weirdness and his sheer panache as a producer, Vibert creates brand new rave dynamite, guaranteed to get dancefloors sweat-soaked and maniacal. Joe Muggs

7/10

Joey Negro 'Produced With Love' (Z Records)

Was there ever a time quite like the turn of the 1980s – an age when the embers of disco, house music’s nascent utterances, the birth of hip hop and synth pop were all thrillingly intertwined? Dave Lee remembers it, and his first Joey Negro album in two decades joins these dots with the kind of sparkling, euphoric productions that have become his trademark. Echoes of Chic and Diana Ross sashay around ‘Prove That You’re Feelin’ Me’, classic deep house tropes percolate through ‘Won’t Let Go’ and Lee even has the chutzpah to pull off a discofied reimagining of Kraftwerk’s proto-electro gem, ‘It’s More Fun To Compute’. Sunshine, in aural form. Stephen Worthy

7/10

Dauwd 'Theory Of Colours' (Technicolour)

From the very first forlorn keys that open up this beautiful little LP, you know you’re in for a treat. Dauwd’s progression as an artist has been steady and seemingly unaffected by the universal praise he’s picked up over the last few years: he’s stayed fresher under pressure and kept the good music rolling. This album, on Ninja Tune offshoot Technicolour, presents an idiosyncratic take on electronic music that’s imbued with deep emotional content, yet danceable. All the while his engineering capabilities shine through, giving the album a polished touch. It’s a collection of journeys within a journey, with tracks such as ‘Murmure’ allowing you to drift away from everyday life, while the likes of like ‘Glass Jelly’ offer more head nodding moments. Marcus Barnes

9/10

Rodriguez Jr 'Baobab' (Mobilee Records)

Olivier Mateu returns to Mobilee Records under his Rodriguez Jr alias, offering an eclectic, wide-ranging journey of evocative and emotive house. Written while travelling and influenced by his musical roots growing up in the south of France mastering the piano, ‘Baobab’ begins with ‘An Evidence Of Time’s intricate heartbeat, before Paris-based singer Liset Alea makes her first of several appearances. The Cuban-American’s soft vocal links different phases: on ‘Heal Me’ she touches on the complexities of being human, before showcasing vulnerability on the dream-like ‘Waste Tomorrow’. Enchanting highlight ‘Monticello’ ramps up the intensity, building into ‘Ellipsism’ and the anthemic closer ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’. Ben Jolley

7/10

The Mulholland Free Clinic 'The Mulholland Free Clinic' (Away Music)

Veering between atmospheric dark ambient, bubbling electro psychedelia and narco techno, these all-analogue pieces from experimental supergroup The Mulholland Free Clinic (Move D, Juju & Jordash and Jonah Sharp) are a wonderfully fluid entity. Edited down to album length from its original three-hour live session, its opener, ‘Vital Signs’, sprawls across 17 minutes in a droney wash of ambient tics and sinuous chords. On ‘Ebb & Flow’, flecks of druggy guitar and wonky acid arps head into DJ Harvey-style Balearic territory, but it’s ‘The Dawgs Are Alright’ that best sums the album up, morphing from abstract techno into a delicious, witching hour freakout. Stephen Worthy

8/10

Talamanca System 'Talamanca System' (International Feel)

It’s clear that between Gerd Janson, Phillip Lauer and International Feel boss Mark Barrott, there’s enough inspiration (and perspiration) to create a warm, unified vision of how they like their house to sound. There’s never been a better time, then, for the three of them to dive into this particular part of the Balearics. ‘Transatlantique’ is Italo-inspired piano house of the highest order,‘104’ channels early Tensnake classic ‘Congolal’ and ‘Ancona Ancona’ is the sort of instrumental house jam Shep Pettibone would approve of. Assured, emotional and with just the right amount of sun-drenched Ibiza chemistry (‘Distant Shore’ particularly), this is an LP that understands the history but never gets weighed down with reverence. Ralph Moore

8/10