Welcome to the May section of our best tracks of the year 2021 rundown — read the full list here

‘Sink In’ is the second part to land from Tirzah’s forthcoming album, ‘Colourgrade’. Her mellifluous vocals trail, cooing sweet nothings over a fractured backbeat. The track’s intimacy, both in subject matter and production, hews to the work of her musical counterparts Mica Levi and Cobey Sey, who it was written in collaboration with. Buy it here

It’s sad to see Midland’s ReGraded imprint go - the label that gave us the likes of his own monstrous dancefloor hit ‘Final Credits’ and Hubie Davison’s ‘Sanctified’ - but it’s fair to say its final release closed things out superlatively. This track has been a weapon in Midland’s sets for a number of years now, sending clubs into raptures with its irresistible groove and sensuous vocals. Buy it here

‘Y’ is yet another incredibly solid offering from Hira, member of the Paul Institute. He’s been dropping off gems for a while now, with this single following 2020’s ‘Eclipses’ and ‘Don't Question it!/Just When I’. Bouncy production provided by Harry Craze and Mahir Mistry form the backdrop for Hira’s crooning. A blast from the past from the musician, with a sound akin the early 2000s R&B we all know and love, with a lick of extra flair. Buy it here

Vegyn’s take on Years and Years’ ‘Starstruck’ takes an already stirring and emotional vocal performance from Olly Alexander and flips the production on its head, switching the more conventional sounds of the original for metallic hi-hats and a kick that pierces through the mix in his typical style. The remix gives the track an entirely new feeling, within the space of energetic and mellow, an enjoyable listen. Buy it here

Recorded in 1980s Amsterdam but remastered over the last four years, ‘Catwalk’ is an absolute gem. Loaded with jangly guitars, misty synths and swathes of attitude, the track is a standout on the recently reissued full record. Buy it here

Taken from the EP of the same name, Nova Cheq's 'FUK.GOV.UK' is at its heart a simple track - it's hard, it's fast and it's an absolute riot. Beginning as a more traditional techno record, kick drums push over vocals declaring "all I do is smoke dope" before the introduction of high-tempo, acid-laden loops build-up to an earth-shattering drop halfway through - as the vocal changes to "f**k the gov there's no hope." It's interesting because it seems to fulfil all our expectations of what makes "hard techno" while still incorporating breaks and footwork-esque rhythm to make something that sounds fresh and exciting. Buy it here

Melbourne-based producer Sedgwick has said this track from his 'BODYHI01' EP is designed to "make you wish you were in a forest, in a field, on a beach or a dance floor with your eyes closed swaying about" and it's difficult to stifle the yearning for wild abandon as you traverse the soft breaks, delicate chimes and squelching acid in this subtle, but sensuous banger. Buy it here

Led by an infectious vocal loop, ‘If U Ever’ is Overmono’s latest uplifting anthem released exclusively via their fabric mix. The steel drum synths on this track put it in good stead for a summer replayer. Buy it here

Dark tunes are J Lloyd’s kryptonite. When one half of Jungle goes solo, it sounds like everything is good in the world - ‘Beato Classico’ is a glittery ode to all things funk. He finally supplies us with more than a minute’s worth of banger, too. Buy it here

Straight from her Hyperdub-released ‘Medieval Femme’ record, Fatima Al Qadiri’s nebulous ‘Sheba’ is unlike anything you’ve heard before. When the album leads you to this track, you might already be induced into a trance-like state; ‘Sheba’ is dark, dreamy, and fuses discordant piano to steadier kicks. Buy it here

A major link-up which produced a suitably massive dancefloor hit, pairing skippy production, shuffly percussion and twinkling melodies with Starrah’s magical vocals. For an example of the impact this one can have on a crowd, check out Sasha’s set in The Lab LDN. Buy it here