New York newcomer No Sir debuts on Early Reflex with a sensational three-tracker spanning the breadth of leftfield bass music, where sludgy basslines make way for sharp kicks and on-point percussion. ‘Radial Burn’ is a true masterclass in deconstructed club music, sounding distinctly UK bass-tinged despite its production across the pond.

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Cameo Blush’s new concept record takes the form of an imagined radio station, shifting through styles that aim to show the versatility of the London artist’s genre-spanning productions. With everything from downtempo jazz house to hyperpop and bass influences, ‘Just Concentrate’ is guided by analog vox pops in a “story-like manner”, running through a myriad of styles.

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Informed by her experiences performing at queer and sober parties around the world, Maze’s latest EP on Permanent Vacation, ‘Morning Magic’, gets the balance just right between synth-laden deep house and simmering prog. "When I come and DJ at these parties, everyone is super present,” she says. “People are at one with their bodies and minds”.

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The wait is over, Djrum’s first release since 2019 is here, and while dancefloors have already been captivated by lead single ‘Codex’ since its release in September there’s even more to be found within the labyrinth-like depths of this 30-minute record. The result of six years’ work, ‘Meaning’s Edge’ sees Djrum take a featherlight approach to his trademark deconstructed soundscape — with fractured percussion and billowing bass that still clash and bash against each other, but instead of getting whiplash at the shifts in tempo, every new element feels delicate — allowing each twinkling chime or shattering drum exist in a sort of chaotic harmony.

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We’ve said it before (this month), and we’ll say it again… dance music needs CCL. The Berlin-based artist’s debut EP , ‘Plot Twist’, is only further solidifying our belief. Released via !K7, this knock-out four-tracker (plus two edits) builds upon CCL’s knack for creating deeply-emotional, narrative-driven dance music that still feels otherworldly and mystifying — all-the-while still putting form and danceability to the fore. Titular track ‘Plot Twist’ pairs up a dreamlike vocal sample with electrifying bass and scattered electro synths with a pared-back complexity, allowing for D. Tiffany collab ‘The Plot Thickens’ to build on the framework with more of a pumping house tip, while a rolling, Andrew Weatherall-inspired rework follows from Piezo, shining on its own accord while still weaving tightly into the framework of the record. ‘Strange Attractor’ feels like an odyssey in unto itself, slowly unfolding in intensity as CCL carefully turns up the tempo with contrasting percussive elements and climatic synths. Thank you for your service, CCL.

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Deep house master Trinidadian Deep delivers an exceptional three-track EP via independent record label Broadcite Music. Fusing Afro-inspired percussion with warm basslines, lush pads and the occasional echo of dub, the London-based artist takes you on an atmospheric journey across borders, immersing you in the intricate layers of musical influences that inform his productions. Having been mentored by the legendary Ron Trent, Trinididadian Deep continuously shows himself to be a master of a spiritual and hypnotic kind of dance music – dance music that takes your body to new dimensions. And this might be one of his best EPs yet.

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Scratcha DVA links up with fellow Hyperdub affiliate Cooly G for the third edition of ‘The Classix’, an EP series in which the producer reimagines classic tracks with the help of other artists. This time round, for ‘The Classix 3’, Scratcha and Cooly G put their twist on ‘Hit the Freeway’ by Toni Braxton, ‘Ghetto Heaven’ by Family Stand, ‘Make It Hot’ by Nichole Wray and Missy Elliott, and ‘I Remember’ by Deadmau5 and Kaskade. And each interpretation is different. Veering between Afro house, Afrotech, gqom, amapiano, UK funky and more experimental sounds, the artists bring the old tracks into wholly new realms, at times making them almost unrecognisable from the originals. Through all this, the EP is tied together by Cooly G’s distinctive sultry vocals.

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Dance duo TIBASKO have conjured up a high-energy EP that echoes their distinctive synth-centered melodies. Kicking the project off with a feature from rapper on the rise KAM-BU, we get a breakbeat with a swirl of UK rap bars. Halfway through the release, the boys flip things on their heads with ‘Snif & Snüf’ which has them crank up the bass with a cut that is like nothing we’ve heard from them before for its deep and industrial attitude. The full EP showcases their motif style with more bangers added to their repertoire.

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Soaked in Pa Salieu’s creative bars and poignant vocals, this album reminds us of what we were missing from the UK artist. Now back on the scene, Salieu uses a mixture of production sounds from melodic piano to choppy wood block that marks out a new chapter for the artist when compared to his previous 2020 album ‘Send Them To Coventry’. A perfect example of this is ‘Allergy’ which is more of a jazz track than a rap track with its stunning horns, fluid drum beat and Salieu’s soft singing. Overall, the artist has returned in a big way with the help of features that celebrate his new sound such as ODUMODUBLVCK, Black Sherif and Byron Messiah.

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Surprising the world, Kendrick has just dropped yet another masterpiece of an album. As always, Lamar pushes forth narrative and emotion paired with catchy and groundbreaking beats. Driving his anger into his lyrics, these words ride upon a spectrum of different sounds from ‘90s hip hop with ‘reincarnated’ to soulful R&B with ‘heart pt. 6’. Lamar has definitely taken more of a stripped-back approach to this release as he takes a step back from the cut-throat diss tracks. Oh, and let's not forget to shout out “MUSTARDDD!”.

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The first new Sade Adu track in six years is just the tip of the iceberg on this sweeping 46-track compilation spotlighting trans artistry. Featuring more than 100 artists, including legends such as Beverly Glenn-Copeland, ANOHNI, André 3000 and Pharoah Sanders and contemporary greats such as Jlin, claire rousay, L’Rain and Lyra Pramuk, it’s a powerful statement of celebration and solidarity with some of the best music you’ll hear this year. Split across eight chapters in a nod to the original rainbow pride flag, each section starts with a tone-setting track with the following cuts exploring themes such as Grief, Liberation, Acceptance and Reinvention. From the soothing tones of Helado Negro linking up with Eileen Myles to the Jlin and Moor Moother collaboration which has the power to rip you apart emotionally to the folk stylings of Cassandra Jenkins, Bloomsday and Babehoven, there’s so much powerful music and interesting combinations to indulge yourself in here.

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With cover art that looks like nature that’s been digitally warped and fractured, the sounds on this eight-track album from upsammy mirror a feel of organic matter pushed through a peculiar electronic framework. What sounds like field recordings of animal calls, insects chirruping and the general diegetic sounds of the natural world are threaded through off-kilter synths, whirring tones and other abstrance textues. The record even comes pressed on ICCS-certified bio-vinyl.

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TraTraTrax once again come through with a blistering compilation of some of the best club music going with the third instalment of its ‘no pare, sigue sigue’ (translation: don’t stop, keeping) series. The 16-track selection includes LWS’ fearsome ‘Gum Seleks’ that’s been doing dancefloor damage since the summer, 1OO1O dropping some heavy wobbles, 3Phaz melting brash basslines and scattered percussion together and atmospheric low-end pressure from Luca Durán & Atrice.

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Deep house darling of the 2010s Jack J continues his move into poppier territory on his latest album ‘Blue Desert’, with yearning vocals alluding to heartbreak sliding smoothly through catchy beats and blissful melodies. ‘Foolish Man’ deploys a wistful sax line, ‘My Other Mind’ has Smiths-esque guitar jangles, ‘Down the Line’ has a shoegazey tilt with crunch in the melancholic mix. But the LP still packs the power to move your feet on a dancefloor, particularly opener ‘Wrong Again’ which has a bubbly Balearic feel.

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San Francisco-born, LA-based sound design virtuoso Lara Sarkissian delivers a highly anticipated debut album, imbuing cultural influence from Armenia into its intricately layered and utterly captivating tracks. Described as “an album that's best absorbed like a film”, repeated listens are a must to fully take in the scope and beauty of the nine-track LP, which spans futuristic folk mutations, evocative sampling, experimental digital instrumentation, collaborations with Paris-based saxophonist Adrien Soleiman and more across its breadth.

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96 Back hails from Sheffield, known as England’s steel city for its industrial heritage, and for a time he was one of the most industrious producers in dance music with a slew of albums released in the early 2020s. He’s since moved on from his birthplace and this latest album - his sixth - is a reflection of time spent adapting and changing his approach as well as turbulent experiences living away from home. Narratively based around his years in Manchester and culminating decision to move to London, the LP is an impressive almgation of intense emotions and experimental production. Across 12 tracks, it swerves between atmospheres spanning hazy bliss, SOPHIE-esque synth plasticity-inspired chaos, agitated electro, mutant club sonics, cavernous bass, industrial spikes, intriguing IDM and mournful autotuned vocals.

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Detroit-hailing DJ Ryan Elliott makes a call-to-arms to reject Eurocentricity in dance music, spotlighting some of the best talents hailing from the fertile lands of the US dance underground with a curated 34-track compilation largely featuring artists from its scene. Put together across two years, the likes of Sister Zo, James Bangura, 2lanes, Titonton Duvanté, Jackson Ryland, Ladymonix, Sobolik and DJ Minx deliver house and techno perfection that ranges from heads-down, locked in grooves to to sun-kissed euphoria to slickly executed dancefloor dynamite. Topped off by international producers such as Ogazón, Sansibar and AIDA making their mark, this is essential curation from one of the best DJs in the game.

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