June: 6 bass & club tunes you need to hear this month

Joey LaBeija 'Violator' (Self-released)

A member of the illustrious House of LaBeija, producer, DJ and all-round New York nightlife stalwart Joey LaBeija says he started making music to bring the energy of the house outside of the vogue and ballroom scene. While his 2016 PTP record ‘Shattered Dreams’ was an often sombre and reflective affair, his new release ‘Violator’ is ruthless all the way through, like a soundtrack to a night that’s careening out of control in the best way possible. The album’s lead single ‘Xxxcuse Me’ is punctuated by yelping samples and hardstyle motifs; elsewhere, ‘Sucia’ works with plinking chords and a dembow rhythm to push the dance along. There’s darkness to be found in ‘Violator’, in the sense that the most effective club tracks always have a bit of an edge to them, but there’s also a pleasantly orchestrated mania to the songs, too. LaBeija knows exactly what he’s doing: he put out the EP himself and demonstrates his years of experience in the New York club scene through a perfectly executed signature sound. There are rapid rise and falls – high-tempo anthems interspersed with low, slow drops – but you’ll want to keep up.

9/10