July: 6 hard dance releases you need to hear this month

Technikore 'All That It Takes' (Draugen Anthem) (OneSeventy)

We’ve always been big fans of anything Alf Bamford does. One day, when he finally retires, he’ll be remembered as one of the greatest hard music producers in the scene’s history, and it’s brilliant to see him finding success on the hardcore side of things. ‘All That It Takes’ is simply outstanding from its first minute to its last, with its winning combination of uber-happy melody, a massive male vocal and incredible production clarity and power. This is a huge hardcore anthem and a must-buy record.

10/10

Alex Kidd & Mark Haven 'Jungle Massive' (Audio Surgery)

Kiddstock head honcho Alex Kidd makes his long-awaited Audio Surgery debut alongside Mark Haven. Their epic new release fuses ragga vocal cuts, pounding bass, dubstep wobbles, sirens and whatever else they can lay their filthy hands on; think everything-and-the-kitchen-sink and you’ll get the idea. The first drop is fairly tame, but the main slam-in is certified mayhem, with huge pitched kicks and a screaming lead.

8/10

Alf Graham 'Hold Me Tight' (Solid State Digital)

As the SSD train rolls on with strong releases, monthly mixtapes, merchandise and much more, Alf Graham drops a new summer hard house track just as the festival season gets underway: it’s got a big moving off-beat bassline, subtle hoover stabs and the kind of big diva vocal we’ve come to expect from him. Throw in a big piano breakdown and stacks of energy, and it’s on the fun side of the tough stuff.

8/10

Dash Berlin feat Do 'Heaven' (DJ Isaac remix) (Armada Music)

DJ Sammy’s commercial classic has returned with a stack of remixes. Dash Berlin reworked the original last year, and now his version has been given to DJ Isaac. He sticks pretty closely to the original (and who can blame him?): it’s hands-up, euphoric, feel-good cheesy music that will bring a smile to your face and have you singing along at the top of your lungs. Even with a massive hardstyle kick and bass combo under the familiar melody, it doesn’t shy away from what this tune should be about.

7/10

Scott Brown 'Pilgrim' (Outforce & Enemy remix) (Evolution Records)

At a time when hardcore is crossing the boundaries of several sub-genres and styles both in the UK and the US, Scott Brown’s Evolution label has stayed true to its grass roots of peak-time, big riff and off-beat hardcore slammers, with Outforce & Enemy smashing this incredible remix of ‘Pilgrim’. They put their own spin on an already brilliant original with a rap vocal hook on the first break, with a frantic riff powering things along nicely before a clever, pitched-down vocal stab leads through the main body of the track. Big energy from the boys.

8/10

Andy McCarthy 'Timebomb' (Synergy)

He’s the man behind Middlesbrough’s successful Atomic Sushi events, and now Andy McCarthy debuts on Energy Syndicate’s Synergy imprint with a heads-down reverse bass slammer for when your crowd needs a kick up the ass. ‘Timebomb’ doesn’t let up in either energy or chaos, giving us a little taste of things to come from Andy as he pushes things forward on the production side of his career. Big bass, big lead and a big track.

7/10