The eager anticipation for new Oli XL music turned nervous this month when the Swedish producer implied issues with record label Warp on social media, writing “#FreeOli” and suggesting he might have to leak a record that was being blocked. In a double dose of good news, he was having us on, and new music was readily forthcoming — dropping soon after in the shape of seven-track project ‘Lick The Lens – Pt.1’. It’s landed officially via Warp, though a voice in the record’s opening intoning “Sign a deal, big mistake” and the six year gap from his breakout debut album (along with a social media post describing “writing rewriting & rerewriting” the project at the start of 2023) indicate it hasn’t been the smoothest process to get here. The fact that self-released 2019 debut ‘Rogue Intruder, Soul Enhancer’ proudly contained “386 uncleared samples” may have something to do with it. 

Vocals mimicking Simian Mobile Disco classic ‘Hustler’ on the opening track quickly confirm his pop-plundering patchwork sound remains intact. Chanel Beads get a co-writing credit on ‘LOVE & POP’ for the heavy sampling of ‘Idea June’, folded into gently blissed-out, glitchy tones with Oli rapping verses in the thick of things: “Big smile, Chemical / Please don't make it worse / Breaking character / I don't know”. The standout track is the woozy ‘NOSEBLEED MELODY’, which comes with a guest feature from the lesser-spotted (of late) Ecco2k bringing breathy tones, while ‘DRIFT REGALIA’ sees Oli link up with experimental dreap pop musician james K on a track where sound panning is utilised like serotonin shots the veins. And best of all? “Part 2 coming later this year :)”. 

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Brooklyn producer Seepy, who’s been clocking serious attention on SoundCloud for his drill and rap productions for a few years now, switches it up with a debut house music album on TT. He makes the transition with aplomb, with the seven-track record brimming with an energy that feels schooled at the altar of vibey US greats like David Morales, Kerri Chandler and Ron Hardy. Opener ‘Sirens’ teases in with anthemic chords and crashing cymbals, before grooving into an irresistible bassline with infectious vocal chops dialling up the euphoria, while ‘Fireworks Night’ and ‘Dance So Fine’ are on more of a French filter house tip. Rap rears its head on CHRIST DILLINGER collaboration ‘Money Calling’, whose level flow rides the 4/4 pulse deftly and forms a perfect foil for the beat’s bright chords to shine. ‘Fushigi’ brings some breaksy bliss, ‘Hipster’ doles out diva house flair, and closer ‘Moment’ keeps the energy driving to the final seconds. 

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Following the clubby ‘Phoneglow’ from last year’s split release with Kode9, Burial takes it back to atmospheric ambient territory with his latest two-tracker on Hyperdub. ‘Comafields’ swells magnificently, before fading out around the five minute mark and introducing earworm arpeggios and eerie vocals ahead of another emotional build, that once again dips out into a swirling climax. ‘Imaginary Festival’ is another structurally experimental, soul-soothing number that massages the amygdala with resonant pads, humming vocals and forays into subtly trancey territory. 

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On Nourished By Time’s 2024 track of the year contender ‘Hell of a Ride’, the Baltimore musician conjures a thrilling mood-boster of a beat soaked in ecstatic vibrations and nostalgic feeling, while the lyrics ponder: “Young breathing in them toxins / Used to have a third place, now they got no options / And I don't see that shit stopping”. He makes music that juxtaposes a chest-beatingly rousing energy with the fatigue of modern day material realities. New album ‘The Passionate Ones’ is a tour de force on this tip, a timely, galvanising soundtrack to confronting late capitalism and refusing to let it suck the soul out of you, even if it takes everything else. 

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11 years on from its pioneering ‘Weightless’ compilation,  Different Circles is back with 12 tracks united by a newer connective sonic definition, ‘Ping’. “Like weightless, ping isn’t a genre. It’s an approach to anchoring and propelling sound without relying on the steady pulse of a kick drum,” explain label heads Mumdance & Logos. “Instead, a single percussive hit — the ping — holds the centre. Dry and high in the mix, or echoing distantly through space, it becomes a temporal anchor. Around it, the rest of the track can undulate, bend, float or collapse.” Contributions come from the likes of Mumdance, Logos, unearth, Lillia Betz, Klahrk and CORIN, exploring frosty tones, headfuck hybridity and dynamic instability in mutant club constructions.

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Australian artist Ninajirachi, purveyor of a sound she affectionately labels ‘Girl EDM’, releases a debut album that’s a love letter to the brash, emotionally impactful electronica she was raised on. Like that aforementioned genre tag, the music straddles a line between playful and sincere — the sound of a producer having a ton of fun while getting a bit misty-eyed from the nostalgia of it all. 

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London’s Funky Adjacent imprint is named and aimed for its MO to explore the “grey area between UK funky and world percussive genres.” Across its second V/A compilation, 12 producers interpret this brief with sweltering results. Blck Mamba sets a powerful tone with the stirring ‘Take Me With You’, before Kaval drops into wobbier territory with sub-bass enveloping its jaunty rhythms. Other highlights across the essential releases include Drumheller delivering playful percussive lines, Joe Milli contrasting weighty log drums and a hypnotic high-pitched melody, Chaitu’s murky ‘South London Percussion Function’ and Esther Denis’ enchanting vocal turn on closing Secret Agent Gel collab ‘Hell Of A Night’.

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Coming off the high of an electric UK and European tour, KAYTRANADA has kept the energy going with this ultra-vibey album. Across 12 instrumental tracks we’re reunited with the 2016 floor-focused KAYTRANADA we all still love dearly. The LP is brimming with groovy basslines, euphoric moments and tracks that will get the dancefloor moving. With a North American co-headline tour with Justice up next, expect more electrifying moments from an artist at the top of his game.

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Girls, are you ready for this? Well, Amaarae is about to blow your minds. Serving up 13 tracks fuelled by sultry lyrics and a sweltering hot club atmosphere, Amaarae explores a range of dance music styles, from ‘00s clubland and deep house to Jersey club and soft techno. I mean, no other artist could sing ‘ketamine, coke and molly’ in such a glamorous way before calling up thee one and only Naomi Campbell for a verse on her track.

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Back from his highlypraised 2022 album ‘The Forever Story’, JID returns with ‘God Does Like Ugly’. From a glance at the features of this new project, you’ll already know he’s gone all out on this one, with names including Clipse, Vince Staples, Don Toliver, EARTHGANG and an opening track with Westside Gunn. Simple beats, smart sampling and quick spitting runs throughout the record as each track stands alone as a carefully crafted piece of art — a certified no skips LP.

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Valesuchi’s new record ‘Futuro Cercano’ is a love letter to analogue music machinery and industrial gear – an experimental journey that begins at a slightly slower pace, and transforms organically through its 11 tracks. Described as being both “ancestral and futuristic”, this album is a reaction to her time living between Chile and Brazil, and finding “new spiritual meaning” – a technological feat through spontaneous productions. 

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It’s shocking that this stellar new album from Deki Alem is just their debut. The Swedish duo have all the hallmarks of a band who’ve been around for decades, and on ‘Forget In Mass’, they instantly hone their craft with eight pristine, expertly produced tracks bridging hip hop to drum ‘n’ bass. It’s punky, it’s gritty, and it’s nostalgic, with flickering reminiscence of Gorillaz, The Prodigy, and Mos Def all rolled into one. 

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The third compilation release from queer rave crew Big Dyke Energy is a journey through the senses, from the downtempo opening chords of Submarine fm’s ‘untitled ambient’ right through to the playful synths of the record’s closer, Billy Jack’s ‘Heidiseek’. Also featuring cuts from Or:la, FAFF, Jay Duncan, and J. Aria, this V/A is a beautiful meeting of minds, with every penny raised from it going toward Palestinian aid. 

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On his debut album, German experimental pop innovator Mechatok undeniably comes into his own. While the F5ve-featuring ‘Don’t Say No’ and the Isabella Lovestory-featuring ‘She’s A Director’ are more in line with dreampop soundscapes – albeit with a discernible edge - its within the fizzling synths on ‘Addiction’, the harp strings on ‘Everything’ and the bassline wobble of ‘When You Left’ that this record really showcases Mechatok's unique ability to create music that is narrative-driven, catchy and boundary-pushing simultaneously.

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Baltimore club diplomat JIALING’s debut on NYC imprint Sorry Records can be perfectly described as four-tracks of pure JIALING. Overflowing with tongue-in-cheek samples (‘CUNTY’ we’re looking at you), slapping hats and breaks so naughty you’ll have to call your nearest health provider to work out how to unlock your bass face – ‘WUPS!’ is proper, unpretentious dancefloor fodder that squeaks, pounds and flutters in all the right places. 

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At 24-years-old, DJ K is heralded as a pioneer for his help popularising the new-school Brazilian funk sound, bruxaria - or funk witchcraft to you and me. On ‘Radio Libertadora !’, the Diadema-born producer (AKA Kaique Vieira) explores the dark, electrifying recesses of the unnerving-yet-addictive mandelão sub-genre, teaming up with a huge roster of MCs from the bruxaria and São Paulo funk worlds and further afield. Maintaining the rebellious, fiery energy of his 2023 debut ‘Pânico no Submundo’ while installing an irrefutable polish, ‘Radio Libertadora !’ uses piercing, unnerving bass, hypnotic loops - often made up of gunshots and siren samples - decadent, rich synths and bouncing breaks to create DJ K’s very own “album against the system.”  

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