In true Metrist style, the SOSOSO label head’s “flip” of 96 Back’s ‘Laco’ is full of pure, frenetic energy. In a good way. Picking up where Joy O favourite ‘Bputch’ left off, the Timedance producer is in a rich vein of form when it comes to thumping and fervent left-of-centre techno. The “reworm” swaps out 96 Back’s brooding mood, abetted by a bassline that is in equal parts groovy and evil, for something that is unapologetically chaotic. This track is pure undistilled heat and primed for dancefloor mania.

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‘KALO’ began during a holiday to Australia, when Mulholland, inspired by an upcoming Sicaria Sound booking at an Amity party, the record label and event series he runs with Cam(alot) and Elpac, started working on a 140 tune to compensate for the FOMO. This track certainly does not lack wub, that’s for sure. Matched with fleeting breath samples and pitter-patter percussion that speeds up and slows down, the track starts very atmospheric and dubby before locking into a beat with razor sharp hats and snares just before the halfway mark. Mulholland’s trickery does not end there, as the track flicks between psychedelic ambience and functional club music for the remaining two-and-a-half minutes. Combining elements of UK soundsystem culture with high-end, bewitching sound design, ‘KALO’ is very Bristol and very good.

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When ‘Park Plaza’ begins with rattling percussion and one of the fattest kick drums you’ll hear, you’re expecting the track to go one way rather than the other. What follows is a mastery of panning, pitch, and poise for a beautifully introspective ambient dance track which even Four Tet would be proud of. Plucked synths, luscious pads and the smoothest bass make for a precious track that perfectly rounds up a strong run of releases on the label in 2023.

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The girl's night out just racked up another anthem. The princess of rap Flo Milli dropped this viral track alongside an alternate version featuring Lil Yachty. It may have a melancholic melody yet its howling vibrato effect is an addictive listen. On top of this, Milli’s lyrics reflect how a woman should be treated in a relationship echoing the line: “Tell me you’ll never want to lose me”. Yachty compliments Milli’s flow in his featuring verse, using the same rhyming pattern which feels like a nod to her bars. He doesn’t try to out-rap her, he shows respect fpr what Milli has crafted.

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Pushing forth with a pulsating beat, GRRL has dropped a tireless new track that throws synths and a steady kick drum in the air with a dancefloor energiser landing. Playing with the pitch and bass of the melody, they then slap in a fast-paced version of the ‘Think Break’. That sample and the sound of a wheel-up makes ‘Ultra Heaven’ a heavenly slice of dance music, nodding to the genre’s heritage and while delivering a late-night club weapon. But realistically GRRL’s description of their new track sums it up nicely: “this is like if a beach ball was a song u feel me”. You are so right GRRL.

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Flowdan is king of the collabs in 2023, and what better way to end the year than with one final blowout, perhaps one of his best since his explosive ‘Rumble’ with Skrillex and Fred again.. in January. ‘Forward Forever’ is the latest single to land from Innellea’s debut album, lending some post-dubstep sensibility to Flowdan’s ever-gritty low-end lyricism, a track fit for London, produced by the Munich-based artist.

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Tom Jarmey (AKA Ocean Stirs) closes out the year with ‘Cosma Dance’, the final release on his Wing Theory imprint, with a lead track that strays from the usual suspects you’ll find on his label in 2023. This one goes darker, deeper, and murkier - a trance-inducing cut layering menacing pads and reverberating 303s to a driving effect, all wrapped up in a dreamy six minute package.

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Kelela’s dancefloor-inspired second studio album ‘Raven’ was perhaps always destined for the remix treatment, so it’s no surprise the R&B singer managed to enlist some of the best and brightest for the record’s remix edition — with Loraine James, Yaeji, DJ Swisha, Karen Nyame KG and more all set to contribute tracks to ‘RAVE:N, The Remixes’ when it drops next Spring. As a first taste of what’s to come, we were treated to Flexulant and BAMBII’s remix of ‘Closure’, featuring vocals from Rahrah Gabor & Brazy — with the two expertly transforming the ethereal original into a heady, percussive club banger. The deep spoken word vocals perfectly contrast with Kelela’s soft tones to create something deep and complex, while a sprinkling of kicks and bleeps helps add underground flavour while maintaining the tempo of the original.

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Italian techno wizard Donato Dozzy has always demonstrated an ability to apply emotion and heart to his productions, but if the first single from his upcoming album ‘Magda’ is anything to go by, the new record could be his most poignant to date. The new record is inspired by his upbringing in the Adriatic, as well as his beloved auntie – and across Lucrezia’s nine minute span, inflections of a flowing coastline can be heard in the atmospheric synths, while a clear sense of reverence is present in its delicate bleeps and soft percussive thuds. A tear jerker, that will have you ringing up all the women in your life to tell them how much they mean to you.

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A gorgeoous taste of NYC staple Eamon Harkin’s upcoming EP ‘Noetic’ on Singapore label Darker Than Wax. ‘Ask A Beautiful Question’ is closing cut, a sublime piece of ambient music that will make your soul glow.

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TO READ OUR FULL RUNDOWN OF THE TRACKS OF THE YEAR (JANUARY - DECEMBER 2023) CLICK HERE.