Whether it’s full-throttle club or soft, atmospheric chill there’s always one thing that ties together NYC producer Anthony Naples’ sonic creations — and that is a hypnotic, engrossing quality that will take you away from whatever you’re doing in that moment and pause. His fifth full-length record ‘Orbs’ released via his Incienso off-shoot ANS, continues this grand tradition while in other ways diverging from the rest of his expansive catalogue. Across 10 tracks Naples experiments with structure and form, dropping us into a sea of soft synths one minute before bringing us back ashore with frenetic percussion and catchy rhythms. Highlights include the delicious lo-fi keys of ‘Tito’, the soothing jagged synthed-up vocals of ‘Gem’ and the electrifying juxtaposition of ‘Morph’. One of those records that feels like a gift to your prefrontal lobes, and a challenge to your auditory cortex.

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When a community creates something beautiful, it’s not just a celebration of an artist, but of an idea, of collectivity itself. On first listen to the highly anticipated debut album of South London house band Speaker’s Corner Quartet, that is something that hangs on every word spoken, on every grinding drum beat on every ecstatic flute note. Every one of the record’s 13 tracks is a piece in-unto-itself, with collaborators such as James Messiah, Lawfandah, Sampha, Kelsey Lu and more appearing not so much as ‘features’ but directors — with the band moulding around the work of the various spoken word artists and vocalists. Though Speakers Corner Quartet have come a long way from DIY spoken word nights in Brixton, they still bring that unified energy that brought so many people together. Most things may be shit right now, but at least Speakers Corner Quartet exist.

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Simultaneously a pioneer, flag flyer and disruptor of footwork, It’s difficult to not want to get behind RP Boo. ‘Legacy Volume 2’ - the follow-up to 2013’s game changing ‘Legacy’, a record that solidified the genre at the global forefront - features tracks created between 2006 and 2007, though it hardly feels like a retrospective. The pristinely positive disco sample in ‘Last Night’ sits alongside the steely fighting talk of ‘Eraser’ — in a way that can only make sense amid the chaos of RP Boo’s world. The delectable groove of ‘B.O.T.O’ doesn’t feel out of place when followed by the frenetic detonation of repetition heard in ‘Pop Machine’, somehow. It’s incredible to be transported back to when RP Boo was at his most speculative… to the point where now, a decade-and-a-half after he originally created these tracks, ‘Legacy Volume 2’ still feels like it’s tearing down the foundations of modern footwork and building it back up again. All hail RP Boo.

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The debut compilation from Black Artist Database’s label arm B.A.D. is a statement release in many ways. From AFRODEUTSCHE’s soaring opener ‘A New Love’ through rRoxymore’s jittery ‘We Can Do’, Amaliah’s urgent ‘Mespo Dance’, NIKS’ soundsystem-rattling ‘Badness, Can’t Work’, Lyric’s pounding ‘Don’t Need No Help’, DJ Holographic’s sizzling ‘Desire’ and Chmba’s nostalgic Afro-inspired, electronic-pop cut ‘Bwela’, the quality and diversity of the music is a fine testament to the collective’s mission to promote unrestricted Black creativity.

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In its 15th anniversary year, Night Slugs asserts its position at the bleeding edge of dance music from inception to present day with this 23-track compilation, calling on a host of the most innovative producers in dance music to rework classics from its catalogue. Many shades of the global club music spectrum that the label has been pushing and repping are presented by artists from across North America, Europe, Africa and its diaspora, bringing sounds spanning rave-ready jungle, punchy gqom, hypnotic UK-style ama, and more. Nu-skool favs such as River Moon, OSSX, Bored Lord and Jossy Mitsu slot comfortably alongside OGs such as Scotti Dee, Ikonika, Grandmixxer and Helix, reflecting the legacy and influence of the imprint and its affiliates. Girl Unit’s bright melodies still hit like they did back in the day, whether he’s remixing or being remixed.

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Toumba just keeps getting better. This latest EP from the hybrid club pioneer, on the urgent Nervous Horizon imprint, offers up more next-level sound design, fusing myriad influences into shapeshifting productions that add a new dimension to Levantine music. It can only be classified with his signature.

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The cream of Montreal’s alternative music scene feature on this 26-track charity compilation (with proceeds donated between The Native Women's Shelter of Montréal and Just Solutions Legal Clinic), showcasing the breadth of talent within the Canadian city. From the alt-pop styling of Victor Bongiovanni, gorgeous experimental pop of Ouri and aqueous techno of SIM to the more frantic end of the spectrum with Mossy Mugler’s haywire ‘Fuck’, which begins with as an atmospheric orchestral composition before flipping into a pneumatic club workout, the skittering sounds of Haitian Prince of Music, and collapsing melodies of Unknown Mobile’s ‘Brain Beat’, it’s an attention-grabbing listen as it flits between soothing and sending you spiralling.

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Cheetah, producer and co-runner of the Brazen Records label which Janaway founded, is making a mark on underground music. On June 2 , he linked up with DJ B to mint Brazen’s new “Brazemania” series with a heavy-hitting, four-track EP that seamlessly blends the old skool hardcore sound with the jungle-tek and footwork-jungle sounds loved by ravers of today. The foot stomping, A1 cut ‘Break Yo Neck’ opens a rhythmic, sonic stairwell of sounds and claps that, with the blurting of its titular demand, explodes into a vivid, head-bopping exchange in the language of sliced-up breaks, reverb and what seems to be pitch-altered, Nokia dial tone sounds. The end result is an irresistible footwork-jungle-tek fusion that retains the deeper and darker elements of the ’90s hardcore sound. The following three tracks match their predecessor, with catchy imperatives like “feel my mothafukin’ bass” glueing listening ears as they feel that bass overcome their body in electric vibrations. Though perfectly mastered for the powerful low ends of soundsystem rigs, this collection of tracks can just as easily enliven your existence by ping-ponging between the left and right ears of your headphones as you walk (probably a lot faster) about your day-to-day life.

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Though originally released in 1978, this beautifully remastered, extended play reissue of a classic example of ’70s Afro-Highlife sounds just as fitting for a summer evening now as it did back then. The opener provides just under 17 minutes of organ-led symphonic beauty, a perfect backdrop for the melodic horns and percussive instruments that support Ebo Taylor’s silken vocals. The following track ‘Peace on Earth’ combines uptempo Ghanaian Afrobeat grooves with jazz influences, creating a perfect backing track to a sunset activity. Taylor’s studying of Miles Davis compositions and chord progressions peej through in his work in the form of the idiosyncratic musical elements that have come to define his style as a composer. The final track ‘Atwer Abrorba’ is a classic ’70s Afro-funk track, with a dynamic, groove-filled arrangement akin to (though slightly tamer than) collaborator and admirer Fela Kuti.

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Berlin-based producer Moodrich’s ‘Dance Inspiration’ comes at the perfect time for a summer of raving like it’s 1989. Just listen to the first minute of ‘Your Pleasure’ with your eyes closed, and try and tell me those aren't the same high attack, punchy drum breakbeats that sent hands and feet flying in warehouses and fields up and down the M25. You can’t, can you? The drums make space for the funky, repetitive, and dance-inspiring vocals where the sampled speakers instruct us to “Dance, when the record spins” because “I’ve got your pleasures”. In response, classic happy hardcore arpeggios introduce a soulful wail of “I’veee got that feeelinggg!”, followed by a sharp woosh. The subsequent track uses a similar breakbeat-focused opening, but instead of taking us to the sweaty, colourful windbreaker-filled warehouses of Manchester, we’re taken to the (equally as sweaty) bass booming electro havens of ’90s Detroit. The penultimate track bleeds Haçienda, while the closer takes us on a scenic, charming magic carpet ride into nu-gen junglism.

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Taking a fresh look at Kai Campos’ half of last year’s Mount Kimbie album, a huge variety of names have taken on the challenges of twisting the tracks. Remixes come in from the likes of Beatrice Dillon, Octo Octa, DJ Stingray, Kush Jones, Ploy and more. Dillon has transformed ‘Zone 3’ into a soundscape of buzzes while Robert Hood has done what he does best by making ‘City Limits’ into a resonant techno track with hints of Detroit. A personal favourite has to be Octo Octa’s take on ‘Q Zone’, transforming it into a dream state of deep house with flutters of synth.

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Coi Leray has jumped into the limelight since the success of her pop single ‘Players’ but now, the US rapper has released a new album which plays with even more catchy samples. ‘Run It Up’ will make your speakers shake with bass and Coi’s auto-tuned singing, which sees her edge away from her typical rap approach. One of the most surprising factors of this album must be the features. The UK’s beloved Giggs joins Coi on the simple yet extremely catchy ‘Don’t Chat Me Up’ while David Guetta mixes up a heavily sampled ‘Pump Up The Jam’ for Coi.

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The legend is back and has done it again. Amaarae is the Ghanian-American trailblazer who is setting the tone for modern pop and R&B fusions. Exploring a range of different themes from relationships to desires, she has engineered a near-perfect album. Including some of her already well-known tracks such as ‘Co-Star’ and ‘Reckless & Sweet’, there is plenty more that echo a similar energy.

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Live instrumentalist Athlete Whippet and Rinse FM regular Amy Dabbs join forces on this three-track heater, ‘Into You’, combining their genre-spanning sensibilities and channeling them into a serene, up-tempo house record. From two vocal-led cuts to the record’s hardware style finale, ‘Into You’ is the perfect duality between club and home listening.

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Two multifaceted producers with a musical background in jazz come together on their most electronic-leaning work to date, ‘Archetype’. Joe Armon-Jones of Ezra Collective and producer Maxwell Owin have spent six years working together on this 12-tracker with features from the likes of Fatima and Lex Amor, dipping into their more experimental stylings with a number of R&B and rap numbers among a dozen soulful tracks.

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“Have you ever woken up and wondered where you are and why you’re naked? You’re now listening to Headache,” says a synthetic vocal at the start of ‘The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth’, a new eight-track spoken word project from Vegyn and Francis Hornby Clark under the new moniker Headache. This finely-tuned record - fusing trip hop, shoegaze, and at points glorious classical instrumentals - is entirely performed by an AI voice.

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