Yes we may have finally been granted a slice of sunshine, but with the end of festival season on the horizon, we can’t help but get a little excited for an excuse to throw ourselves headfirst into the dark depths of the club again. Our faces are simply itching to be melted by a towering soundsytem pounding out 160 BPM. Enter Brutalismus 3000’s new EP ‘GOODBYE SALÒ’, a six-tracker that playfully combines raucous gabber with full-throttle references to electroclash, trap and hardstyle. While the record rarely veers away from its murky soundscape, its anything but gloomy — dishing out cheeky happy hardcore on ‘9mm’ and some truly confetti-cannon Eurodance on ‘bad thiings (rip avicci)’ which features vocals repeating a tribute to the late Swedish EDM star.

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As the foremost authority in soul-stirring UK rave, 1-800 GIRLS strips things back on new EP ‘That’s Just How I feel’, utilising a smattering of warming synth stabs, shuffling hats and shiny bleeps and bloops to create a wholly sanguine soundscape that is featherlight without letting up on poignancy. That’s not to say the record is one note; while the producer plys soft bass across a treacly pitched-up vocal sample on ‘How I Feel’, ‘Guy Salmon’ delves into pillowy electro — allowing a twinkling array of bells and symbols to keep things effervescent and tender. Primed and ready for getting sentimental on the dancefloor… tissues at the ready folks.

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We picked out the title-track as a standout in our tracks round-up, but this full EP from New York’s Doctor Jeep on TraTraTrax is well worth your attention. Following on from his dubstep-meets-Baile funk debut, ‘Push The Body’ last year, ‘Mecha’ similarly pairs up full throttle Brazilian percussion with cavernous bass; getting hearts racing with a seemingly relentless cacophony of kicks on ‘Pika 2’, getting our temporal-lobe tingling with some mind-melting electro on ‘Macumba’, and piling on the G-force with some seriously scuttered percussion on the frenetic title-track. Remixes from Wata Igarashi (taking on ‘Macumba’), Ploy and Peder Mannerfelt (both reworking ‘Mecha’) give the tracks a new life, while maintaining the turbo-charged nature of the originals. Doctor Jeep is putting pedal to the metal.

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London experimental club revolutionary Kamixlo follows up his 2020 debut album, an emotional record of splintered, industrial sounds, with a nine-track LP that surges up to incandescent territory. Informed by pop and playing with writing hooks, it feels like the emergent release after the tortured soul-searching of its predcessor. This is all through a Kamixlo lens of course, there’s still jagged noise, gabber beats and headfuck rhythms of reggaeton and broken dembow, as well as track titles like ‘Pitch Black’ and ‘Death Forever’ that reflect his nu-metal influence. But more than ever, the feverish energy is bright, ecstatic and rave-ready, with features from the likes of Isabella Lovestory and Bladee adding underground star power.

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Wisdom Teeth co-founder Facta lands back on the label with a solo release for the first time since 2021, coinciding with the label’s 10 year anniversary celebrations. This four-track EP is an exemplar of the quality which has made the imprint, founded alongside childhood friend K-Lone, a linchpin of the UK underground over the past decade. Opener ‘A X I S’ follows a skippy minimal formula, but there’s a sense of instability that bubbles potently beneath the functional surface. ‘Brain Drain’ takes this further, sounding like it’s dripping in melted metallics; ‘De Oost’ is more ominous with eerie tones and clicky percussion; then light floods back in on closer ‘Innsbruck’, which sounds like prime Perlon with its bright pads and floor-primed groove.

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Compilations of this quality are a gift, opening up a whole new world of aural discovery, or bringing back memories of formative listening, depending on your personal background. The 13-track release is curated by Kampire, a Ugandan DJ who was born in Kenya and lived most of her childhood in Zambia, and it includes a panoramic selection of Eastern and Southern Africa music dating back to the ‘70s. Opening up on the bright, saccharine sound of Congolese soukous via Princes Aya Shara’s ‘O Wina Tienge’, the record celebrates multiple pioneering women in African music from the ’80s, as well serving up everything from the funky, uncluttered ’90s house stylings of Africa House Party Project to the jazzier sound of Samba Mapangala. “There are styles of music on the compilation which are often considered unsophisticated from rural areas. I and other contemporary African artists and DJs draw inspiration from them; it is part of what makes us ourselves,” said Kampire of the selections. With sounds such as these in her blood, it’s no wonder she’s among the world’s best DJs.

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ZULI has never sounded so expansive. While his music is often heavily textured with a volatile array of percussion, synths, samples and field recordings, it usually feels focused, whether to the floor or some sonically innovative aim. On his new album ‘Lambda’, he allows himself the space to loosen that grip. Opener ‘Release +ϕ’ immediately hits upon more ambient territory with a shimmering start and later introduction of blissful chimes. Though it’s not sunshine and light, with jagged noise also prowling below. This blend of wide-angled experimentation that toes the line between uplifting and intense continues through the record, exemplified by guest spots from MICHAELBRAILEY whose chamber-style voice wavers between choral elegance and severity. Personal touches, such as the reciting of a poem written by his father on the ominous ‘Fahsil Quesseer’, add to the feeling of grappling with the unwieldy spectrum of human emotions that this record reflects.

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It’s been almost a decade since we heard an album from HNNY, but now the Swedish artist has finally bounced back into our headphones. His independently released debut album ‘Sunday’ easily slotted itself into the realm of 2015’s dreaminess obsession, especially with his track ‘Cheer Up, My Brother’. With the odd single and remix released here and there, HNNY’s ‘Light Shines Through’ is the 10-track gift we didn’t see coming. Following on from his previous work, HNNY continues to weave in his ambient and jazzy house, while taking a new route of faster tempos and heavier drum beats to explore a more electronic yet ethereal sound.

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On the cusp of becoming a household name, salute’s debut album marks a pivotal moment in their career. The Austrian-born, Manchester-based artist has assembled a team of featured artists that make this project seem like it could be their honourary greatest hits album. Much like his fun-fuelled sets, salute jumps from genre to genre, including house, pop, jungle, UKG and French touch, with features from the likes of Karma Kid, Disclosure, Rina Sawayama, Empress Of, piri and more. This fast-paced, ecstatic rollercoaster ride of an album encompasses salute’s energy behind the decks with their dynamic sound fuelled by infectious motifs.

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Rema has taken on a new direction. After becoming the young star that lit up the world, he now pulls back into a more foreboding tone. Changing things up by moving on from his upbeat and charismatic music for a gloomy, deeper sound, the album swallows the listener up into a parallel universe. Tracks such as ‘HEHEHE’ and ‘OZEBA’ coin a darker version of the genre Afrorave, as Rema swaps out the acoustic guitar from his track ‘Calm Down’ or his 2023 album ‘Rave & Roses Ultra’ for bold bass and percussion. The messages embedded into the album float between the themes of greed, power and self-affirmation. Ringing loud and clear, Rema - unlike his previous work - keeps each track short at around the two-minute mark. Being wise with his words, Rema marches onto each verse with direction and precision. You’d never believe this is the same artist from his previous work.

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Finn’s ‘Greatest Hits’ album might have raised a couple of eyebrows due to the fact he’s still only 30, but the quality of his discography warrants the compilation. The project highlights Finn’s sample-heavy style, with selections ranging from the ramped-up synth-powered ‘Finn Theme’, to the catchy ear-worm of ‘Sometimes The Going Gets A Little Tough’, and the refined closer of the project ‘Forever Blue’.

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Japanese genius Yuu Adagawa makes the list with an impressive deep house and future jazz-tinged EP, which aptly captures the Tokyo-based artist’s love of sound synthesis and atmosphere alongside live elements. With a wide range of production influences which span Detroit techno, hip hop, electronica and more, she comes with a spiritual take on house music. Complete with remixes from deep house icon Fred Everything, as well as Brooklyn-based DJ JKriv, this project leaves room for introspection within the rave.

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The new album from SAULT … is it an album? Well it’s one 32 minute track which they’ve called an album, so we’ll go with that. Anyway, SAULT’s latest project 'Acts of Faith’ is a work of art, beginning with soul, jazz and then gospel-influenced vocals within the first 10 minutes, before the tempo then picks up with Afro-funk influenced guitar strums interlaced with orchestral intervals. As the 32 minutes draws to a close, a strings outro brings you back down to Earth and draws the project to an unwanted end. Another masterpiece from one of the UK’s most refreshing and elusive acts, and available only on WeTransfer via a cryptic Twitter message. See below.

After more than a year in the works, Ciel and CCL’s debut collaborative record ‘Tilda’s Goat Stare’ arrived in July on NAFF, a result of years of friendship and “musical ideas”. Alongside three joint tracks - which include vocal samples from the farcical, Tilda Swinton-featuring 2002 film Teknolust - the pair enlist Bristol’s Yushh and Quebec’s Priori (co-founder of NAFF alongside Ex-Terrestrial) on two psychedelic remixes.

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Brisbane’s Scalymoth makes her debut on Early Reflex with her first EP, ‘Lush / Humble Rumble’, weaving together field recorded sounds captured in India with experimental percussion. The resulting record is bass-weighted and packed with unusual textures, marking the culmination of “a few years of making, listening and learning,” she says. “All tracks were created on drum machines, inspired by random occurrences over the last year”.

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Miami duo INVT and Bristol-based producer K-Lone make a surprise appearance on The Martinez Brothers’ Cuttin’ Headz label with their first joint record, ‘Loca’. Across two tracks, the pair strip off their bass-centred sound and replace it with some tech-house sensibility in line with recent Cuttin’ Headz releases, but with a little added Latin flair, à la INVT.

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