Ghoulish ‘Hold Tight’ (self-released)
Ghoulish’s name made the rounds over summer, and now, toward the end of the year, the DJ settles into some homemade productions. On ‘Hold Tight’, his recently self-released single, the producer pulls from his palette of speed garage and UK bass. In the lead up to its release, ‘Hold Tight’ even managed to turn the heads of the likes of I. JORDAN, Skream, and garage hero DJ Q.
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Iglooghost ‘Rust Genome’ (Supernature)
Over a year since his last solo release, Iglooghost returns with ‘Rust Genome’. Using a trap beat under his usual glitch soundscapes, the producer also plays with tempo in this new track, upping the pace halfway to create an intense sonic experience. And it wouldn’t be an Ighlooghost release if there wasn’t some kind of lore around the track: “‘Rust Genome’ was first heard when the ESPI Storm Network (an emergency weather channel) was hacked,” he says. “A rogue group of drifters compromised the airwaves and used it to broadcast their demo tunes. Similar illegal transmissions are becoming more & more frequent”.
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SBTRKT, LEILAH ‘FORWARD’ (SAVE YOURSELF RECORDS)
You may have recognised this track upon its release from having been first previewed in Drake and 21 Savage’s ‘Jimmy Cooks’ music video. As more of a lo-fi track, the production SBTRKT has put into ‘FORWARD’ is stunning, nestling electronic hums and LEILAH’s voice in a gentle piano riff. The elements aren’t overpowering, remaining delicate and sure to give you goosebumps.
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Jitwam ‘Fukswtiyu’ (College Music Records)
Facta ‘C Sequence’ (Wisdom Teeth)
If you’re in the market for a good old fashioned spine curler this Christmas, look no further than the undulating bass of Facta’s ‘C Sequence’ — taken from the London-based producer’s latest EP on Wisdom Teeth, ‘In Bloom’. At its heart, this rolling off-kilter track embodies the structure and form of a tech-house banger – it’s got a luscious double drop, a hearty kick and a soft vocal sample murmuring “yeah” over the percussive cacophony. However it’s playful, wobbling synths at the drop set it apart from the crowd. A must-hear for secret naughty tech-house fans wanting a headsy fix.
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Bored Lord x bastiengoat ‘Let Me Down’ (Self-released)
Combining the might of Oakland’s premier underground heroes Bored Lord and bastiengoat, ‘Let Me Down’ - taken from the pairs’ joint EP ‘Les Duez’ - wraps throbbing breaks and frenetic pads around a sample from Phyllis Hyman’s ‘Living In Confusion’ to create a ballad-cum-club-banger preened for tears on the dancefloor.
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LWS ‘Pendrum’ (Peder Mannerfelt Produktion)
Continuing in his series of presenting dancefloor-focused, creative bangers, Swedish techno-adjacent powerhouse Peder Mannerfelt invites Scottish producer and DJ LWS for the latest release on his label. Its looping but never-stagnant syncopated beat – dressed with swirling pads and intricate, detailed samples – peaks and ebbs with energy in a five-plus minute, extremely danceable epic.
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Kamikaze Space Programme ‘Dust To Dust’ (Natural Selection)
Having been making techno-adjacent music for the best part of two decades now, Christopher Jarman AKA Kamikaze Space Programme has made a career out of pushing the envelope of straightforwardness. His latest four-track EP for London-based label and crew Natural Selection is no different. Standout A2 ‘Dust To Dust’ is an industrial, wonky, occasionally perplexing slammer, with just enough drive to get bodies gyrating.
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Duowe & Picasso ‘Swingers McGee’ (Fraise Records)
Fraise returnees Duowe & Picasso have been slowly making names for themselves over the past twelve months, with appearences on Gene On Earth’s Limousine Dream, as well as Portuguese outfit Magic Carpet. The A1 off of their freshest fruity EP is a grooving-yet-glitchy, microhouse influenced ride, punctuated with the entrance of a glorious race-car synth in the middle of the track.
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