First Spin

the dance charts, GRiZ revealed the events schedule for his annual holiday charity extravaganza, Beyoncé, RÜFÜS DU SOL, ODESZA and more got nods in the dance/electronic categories at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Gryffin’s “Alive” debuted at No. 3 on Dance/Electronic Albums and we broke down what the heck phonk is, what it sounds like and why you should care.
Beyond all that, it’s a big week for new electronic music. Let’s dig in.

LP Giobbi Feat. Monogem, “Body Breathe”

Have you ever chased an idea or a goal so hard that it only seemed to get further away? Sometimes the best thing you can do for your problems is let them go. When you stop, slow down, free your mind, inhale, exhale and allow yourself to do literally anything else; you’ll often find the solution meets you in a sudden rush of inspiration. 

LP Giobbi’s latest track is an invitation to enter that freeform state; to close your eyes, get lost in the rhythm, and see what you might find. “Body Breathe” is a calming sort of invigorating melody. It’s a little bit psychedelic, a lotta bit dreamy, and it features a magical vocal mantra from Los Angeles-based vocalist Monogem. The two met when Giobbi booked her for a show in LA, with their shared love of jazz leading to this jam.

“I booked Monogem way back in the day to play W Los Angeles after discovering her on a Spotify playlist,” Giobbi says. “I loved her voice, and she turned out to be a really kind and wonderful person. We stayed in touch and set up a studio session in my studio in L.A. My studio doors were open, and I was at the piano playing [Bill Evans’] ‘Peace Piece’ warming up and killing time before Monogem got there. She walked in while I was playing, and we started talking about our shared love for jazz. As I continued to tinker around on those chords, she started singing ‘take all the time you need, open up your body breathe…’  Although those chords weren’t right, they got us to her amazing vocals—and that vocal got us to the track.” – KAT BEIN

Romy & Fred Again.., “Strong”

Back in January, Romy and Fred Again.. (alongside HAAi) made magic with their rousing collaboration “Lights Out,” which set a high bar for 2022. Just as they opened the year, the pair are closing it by teaming back up again for Romy’s new single “Strong.” A nostalgic trance throwback, “Strong” is music that moves your heart before it moves your body. “You’ve been so strong for so long / You learned to carry this on your own,” begins Romy in her wistfully haunting voice. From there, the emotion and sonics build up to a glorious, stadium-sized swell of strobing synths, cascading strings and out-of-body euphoria. With a message as healing as its production is piercing, “Strong” is, quite simply, a bonafide banger.

“‘Strong’ came from a moment in my life when I was processing past grief,” says Romy. “Whilst writing the lyrics I was thinking about my cousin Luis, we both have the shared experience of our mums passing away when we were young. I recognize in him the same trait I have which is to try and hold emotions down and put on a brave face. The song was a way to connect with these feelings, offer support and ultimately find a sense of release in the euphoria of music. Luis is with me on the single cover and in the music video too which was really special.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Gordo & Feid, “Hombres y Mujeres”

Having retired his Carnage alias, the producer born Diamonté Blackmon hasn’t waded into his new Gordo project so much as cannon-balled. On the heels of co-producing multiple tracks on Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind, Blackmon is back and collaborating with another global star, Feid, on new single “Hombres y Mujeres.” The Colombian singer talks naughty over Gordo’s tech-house production, which bumps hard and feels appropriately grimy, like a club floor at 4 a.m. with its sticky percussion and eerie synths. According to Gordo’s Twitter, “Hombres y Mujeres” is the first single from his forthcoming third studio album, which he says has been four years in the making. — K.R.

Nico Losada, “Waking Love”

Wait for it. After slowly coming to life with a full minute of shimmery synths and then a lightly tapped hi-hat, “Waking Love” by Colombian born, Brooklyn-based producer Nico Losada then explodes into bright complexity with not just the addition of a beat, but handclaps and a pair of vocal samples that both chant and sing. Altogether giving Sixteen Oceans-era Four Tet vibes (which is to say it’s very good), the song comes from Losada’s debut album Nueva Generación set for release via Ultra Records on in March 2023. — KATIE BAIN

Tibasko, “Hawt”

It was only a month and a half ago that U.K. duo Tibasko dropped its debut EP, but there’s already more where that came from. After teasing the euphoric-rave vibes of “Hawt” on social media, the energetic anthem is officially unleashed, bringing with it a saucy mix of melodic bounce, pitched-up vocals and pumping rhythms. It’s spicy, but it goes down smooth, and it was directly inspired by the rush of excitement Tibasko’s Ken Petalcorin and Andy Bowden felt while traveling the U.S. on their first Stateside tour. “We’re finally dropping our most requested track to date,” the duo says on Instagram. “We’re so excited to share this track to the world, this has been an absolute weapon in our sets.” – K. Bein

NERVO Feat. Ace Paloma, “Is Someone Looking For Me”

This past summer NERVO dropped an unreleased song during their Tomorrowland set that featured the refrain “is someone looking for me?” Not only were the lyrics delivered by Liv Nervo’s three-year-old daughter, Ace Paloma, the question she posed in the driving progressive house production alluded to the track’s deeper meaning. Now out in full, “Is Someone Looking For Me” is a collaboration between NERVO and Hopeland, a New York-based organization that works to prevent children from becoming separated from their families and to help prevent children who’ve experienced such separation from being trafficked. Released via SPINNIN, the track comes ahead of UNICEF’s World Children’s Day this Sunday (Nov. 20), with all proceeds from the song (and a NERVO show VIP experience being raffled off in conjunction with its release) going to Hopeland. — K. Bain 

This week in dance music: A-Trak spoke out about the “the extremely hurtful & alarming” surge of antisemitism, VASSY performed at a Denver Nuggets game, Flume celebrated the 10 year anniversary of his debut album with an unreleased song from the LP, we spoke with Ghazi and Moody Jones of EMPIRE about their recent acquisition of Dirtybird, Fred again..’s Actual Life 3 debuted at No. 3 on Hot Dance/Electronic Albums and Kygo surprise-released his fourth studio LP, Thrill Of The Chase.

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Beyond all that is a hot week of new releases. Ready? Let’s dig in.

Channel Tres, “6am”

Channel Tres is living the high life on his new single, “6am.” The latest preview from his forthcoming debut album, Real Cultural Sh*t, “6am” finds the Compton-raised artist on the tail end of a long night out— one filled with “private afterparties, red carpets, real Barbies,” as he begins in his nonchalant baritone. But for Channel and his crew, the party’s far from over. With its infectious energy — built upon a chunky, carbonated groove somewhere between euphoric Detroit techno and sun-kissed French Touch — “6am” is joyful defiance turned anthem through its choral refrain: “We ain’t leavin’.” The new single arrives with a Tajana Williams-directed video in which Channel and co. dance their way through the city with slick choreography and equally slick outfits.

“‘6am’ is a happy song, and I never really let myself make happy songs,” writes Channel. “For me right now, this song represents the grind, and sometimes when things get hard you just gotta dance your way through it. I wanted to create a song for people to come together and dance. Some people get off work at 6 am, some people leave the club at 6 am and this can be the soundtrack to it all.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

The Blessed Madonna, “Seratonin Moonbeams”

What was the soundtrack to those back-in-the-day parties that made you fall in love with raving and also fall in love with everyone at the rave? For The Blessed Madonna, that sound is an effervescent confection of piano stabs, bass drum kicks and a good deal of whistling, with the producer’s latest coming as an homage to the ’90s party scene that formed her. The aptly titled “Serotonin Moombeams” is the Kentucky-born, London-based producer’s first new music in five years and her first release upon signing to Warner. It features vocals from clubland favorite Uffie, who declares “serotonin got me screaming love love love now!!” — a sentiment to anyone who’s ridden that late night neurochemical thrill ride can surely relate to.

“We talked about what it was like to fall in love in the Vicks Vapo-rub, candy soaked raves of the 90s,” the producer born Marea Stamper says. “It’s about ‘cuddle puddles’ and the intense emotional, physical and spiritual connections that can form when serotonal conditions are right. Barriers that might exist in a normal dating atmosphere evaporate and strangers can become intimate and beloved figures in an instant. It’s gotten an incredible response since I tested it the first time in Brazil on tour. It was written on one of those days where I was running from the production console to the sofa to bang out lyrics with Uffie and Jin Jin. I remember being so embarrassed to suggest, ‘Bet I hit you with that bad bitch, thunder lightning, super frightening yeah!’ But when I did, they just howled and we knew we were onto something.” — KATIE BAIN

Chris Lake feat. Aatig, “In The Yuma”

A lot of producers we’ve talked to found the pandemic trying on their inspirational motivation. A lot of them get their ideas from playing live in front of hundreds or thousands of people, and it’s tough to make a “put your hands up” anthem when you’ve been stuck staring at the same four walls for months on end. 

Chris Lake, on the other hand, somehow made it happen. His latest single “In The Yuma” is a beautiful bit of rhythmic meditation, where the modern tech house icon successfully channeled the energy of his Coachella 2019 performance (in the festival’s Yuma tent, get it?) and recreated that sweaty, funky get-down into a lively tune that fits on futuristic dance floors around the world.

“The pandemic was a shitty time but great things came from it,” Lake says. “It was great to be doing music whilst being live on Twitch in 2020, and one of the best memories I have from that time is making this track. When I finally got around to testing it out live (over a year later) I couldn’t believe how well it worked. I’ve been playing it ever since.” – KAT BEIN

Maya Jane Coles feat. Moxie Knox, “Freefall”

It’s been over six months since we’ve heard new music from Maya Jane Coles, but rest assured, she’s not yet finished with 2022. The producer recently shared that she has three EPs coming out before the end of the year — and today we get the first of them with Freefall. The title track is rich with Coles’ dark yet danceable enigmatic sound, as spectral synths, delicate drums and looped vocal hums swirl together atop a velvety bassline. Singer Moxie Knox highlights that dark softness with her dreamy, floating vocals, which swell and fade into the background like ghostly beings. “Freefall” is as much moody R&B for the witching hour as it is dancefloor heat, and it also comes with two bass-heavy remixes from ZeroFG and Ruff Style. — K.R.

SIDEPIECE, “Reborn”

What started as a side hustle is fast becoming a main event. Party Favor and Nitti’s Sidepiece is Grammy-nominated and ready to take the world by storm. Case in point: the duo’s latest single “Reborn.” It struts, it bumps, and it’s scientifically-formulated to set booties on fire. It’s the secret weapon groove that’s about to be unleashed on crowds across the country as Sidepiece heads out on its Kiss And Tell: Second Base headline tour. Let the high-powered house rhythm wash over you, and be “Reborn” in the waters of bass and melody. – K. Bein

Sega Bodega, “Kepko”

The best nights out are a chaotic blur, and Sega Bodega’s latest tune “Kepko” captures that spirit in full-tilt maddening glory. Manic and beautiful, the Irish-Scottish producer-singer lays a languid melody over a frenetic beat, creating the same swirling intensity you might feel at 3:00 a.m. when your body is begging for sleep but your soul is spinning out on club vibes. The video is right there with it, filmed by the artist and his friend Lydia Ourahmane during a night on the town.

“Lydia’s camera is haunted,” Bodega says. “Everything we filmed went back into the laptop all destroyed and glitching like this. A gift.” Like any good night out, the clip features lots of friendly cameos. See if you can spot Caroline Polachek, Uffie, Virgen Maria and a few others. – K. Bein

VASSY, Bingo Players & Disco Fries, “Pieces”

Only those impervious to the effects of soundwaves will not feel uplifted by “Pieces,” a bright-as-the-sun collab from Dutch producer Bingo Players, U.S. producer Disco Fries and Aussie fav VASSY, whose voice soars to the heavens, and brings you along for the ride, with on this one. The anthem is about how finding the right person to love can build you up “piece by piece,” but we say that given the way this one makes us feel, it’s as much a self-empowerment anthem as well. The track is out now via SPINNIN. — K. Bain

Chace, Belated Suffocation

What would it sound like if Justin Bieber made a deep house album? It’s a crucial question answered by proxy via Belated Suffocation, the debut album from Chinese producer Chace. Having made history in 2017 as the first Chinese artist to play the mainstage at Tomorrowland, the album finds the now 23-year-old producer even more fully formed, with it delivering 11 tracks on which Chace delivers pillow talk lyrics in a voice with the R&B shimmer of Changes-era Bieiber over moody, sexy productions reminiscent of Zhu and Bob Moses. The LP is out via Astralwerks and Fabled Records, the imprint launched by Live Nation’s Asian electronic dance music division earlier this year. — K.B.

This week in dance music: The scene went international, with the MTV EMAs announcing that David Guetta and Bebe Rexha will perform at the awards happening in in Düsseldorf, Germany on November 13. (The pair is nominated for best electronic and best collaboration for their unstoppable collab “I’m Good (Blue),” which they will also presumably perform.) Even further afield, Tiësto and Tate McRae partnered on the single “10:35,” which was created in partnership with Dubai’s new ultra-luxury resort Atlantis The Royal. The song is accompanied by a music video highlighting the new high-end destination, and will appear on Tiësto’s upcoming album Drive, due out Feb. 24 via Atlantic Records.

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Whether you yourself are getting out this weekend or hanging closer to home, we’ve got the tunes to fill your headphones. Let’s dig in.

John Summit feat. Hannah Boleyn, “Show Me”

Few dance artists have had as big a 2022 as John Summit, the hard-partying mega-productive house wunderkind who’s been tearing through clubs and festivals in a post pandemic blaze of glory. The latest from the Chicago producer is “Show Me,” a wind-up house-leaning electropop heater with an intoxicating earworm vocal loop from London singer Hannah Boleyn. “from edc to coachella to ultra and more, Show Me has been my go to track all year and it’s finally out,” Summit wrote upon the track’s release at midnight. Now available for your on-demand listening pleasure, “Show Me” comes in at just under three minutes as a petite but mighty slice of peak time intensity. That said, we recommend the five and a half minute extended mix, both of which are out via Summit’s own Off the Grid imprint. — KATIE BAIN

Jason Derulo & Shouse – “Never Let You Go”

Have you been yearning for the big room anthems of the peak EDM era? This new one from Jason Derulo and Shouse taps a bit into that epic feeling, but with a modern and tempered R&B twist. Mr. “Want to Want Me” delivers a silky-smooth and sultry vocal performance over the Australian-New Zealand duo’s synth-heavy house rhythms. “Never thought the legend Jason Derulo hearing our music evrywhere [sic] in Ibiza would lead to a collab like this,” Shouse writes on Instagram, “but love what he’s done!” Let this one play loud when you’ve got to dance yourself clean of a heartbreak, or are just looking to let loose from Friday to Sunday. – KAT BEIN

Mount Kimbie, MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning

The setup of Mount Kimbie’s latest double-album, MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning, is a bit unusual. In the vein of OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the LP is presented in two halves, each half produced by one of members Dom Maker and Kai Campos. No surprise then that they’re also stylistically different. Maker’s Die Cuts, inspired by his move from London to L.A., takes advantage of his new collaboration-ready environment to build a feature-stacked (slowthai, Danny Brown, James Blake, Kučka, et al.) record swirling with rap, R&B, and soul. 

Meanwhile, Campos’ City Planning goes deeper into electronic music’s futuristic roots, producing almost sketch-like, textured instrumental loops, each some combination of driving, dreamy, and industrial. In its entirety, City Planning could be the soundtrack to a 4:00 a.m. drive, perhaps on the way home from a warehouse party. Somewhere between the drum-focused drive of opener “Q” and the white-noise ambient of closer “Human Voices,” “Transit Mat (Flattened)” plays out like a tense highway trip in pouring rain. With its relentless rhythm, waterlogged atmosphere and blunt blockiness, it instantly evokes stark, grayscale images of concrete, metal and bright headlights softened by the storm. MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning is out now on Warp Records — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Skream & Jansons, “World Is Empty”

Lace up your roller skates and put on your blacklight reactive neon. Skream and Jansons just dropped a freestyle bass banger that feels like adult night at the entertainment-plex. A beautiful vocal sample from The Surpremes complements a haunting vibe, thanks to the deep, dark and minimal production, matching the emptiness of Diana Ross’ broken heart. Truly, the synth organ breakdown is downright spooky, but the bumpin’ ‘80s beat pits this night time tune squarely in the dance floor space. It’s a cool one, and it’s out now on CircoLoco Records. We even think the extended seven-minute version is the proper way to catch the electro groove. – KAT BEIN

Hugel & Blond:ish feat. NFasis, “Tra Tra”

After Hugel remixed Blond:ish’s single “Sete” earlier this year, the two producers have teamed up for their own collaboration, “Tra Tra.” Like on the former song, Blond:ish continues to explore different cultural influences alongside international collaborators, this time pulling up with the Latin house-loving Frenchman as well as Dominican rapper NFasis. Together, the three made a total bump-and-groover of a track: the production seems most at home in an Ibiza superclub, with a bass-heavy rhythm that’s as melodic as it is hip-grinding, and as dark as it is sexy, while NFasis’ gravelly vocal delivery feels like a command to dance and never stop moving. With a recent shout by Pete Tong on his BBC Radio 1 Dance show, “Tra Tra” already has a big stamp of approval. — K.R.

The Toxic Avenger, Yes Future

The Francophile vibes are strong on the latest from French producer The Toxic Avenger, who’s back with his first album in 15 years. The all-around excellent Yes Future gives heavy French Touch, synth and electro vibes, giving equal parts Justice, Kavinsky and the best of The Toxic Avenger himself. Released in September, the album’s lead single (the aptly titled “Getting Started“) is a stunner, and the rest of the LP is also equally tough and sensual and tres, tres cool. — K. Bain

Gryffin & Maia Wright, “Sometimes You Know”

Gryffin has long been a purveyor of brightly massive bangers big enough to fill the large-scale venues he frequently plays. No surprise then that the producer’s latest LP, Alive, is absolutely full of them, with the high-energy, high-emotion LP containing a flurry of previously released singles including the recent and exceedingly sleek Tinashe collab “Scandalous” along with the pop-forward chest-beater “Sometimes You Know” featuring Swedish singer Maia Wright. Alive is the San Francisco producer first album since his 2019 debut Gravity, which hit No. 1 on Dance/Electronic Albums, and the fanbasae that sent him to the top spot is still clearly here for Gryffin, who this weekend plays a pair of headline shows at Los Angeles’ 20,000 capacity State Historic Park. — K. Bain

This week in dance music: we recapped the whirlwind that was ADE 2022, the dance world mourned the loss of producer Mighty Mouse, we went inside the Kyiv club that opened for one night amidst the ongoing war, we got exclusive Dirtybird Campout West 2022 sets from a trifecta of acts, we met the production wizards behind Porter Robinson’s Second Sky festival this weekend, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha hit the apex position of Dance Mix/Show Airplay and the CW Network announced that it will air the U.S.’s first ever all electronic awards show in May.

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As for new music, we’ve got that too. Let’s dig in.

Fred again.., Actual Life 3 (January 1-September 9 2022)

It’s here. After months of waiting and what’s felt like an open faucet of singles — including scene-uniting collaborations with Four Tet and Swedish House Mafia — Fred again..’s Actual Life 3 is out today. AFter becoming the moment’s most relevant electronic producer following a post-pandemic run of buzzy, teary sets including Coachella and record-setting Boiler Room performance, Fred Again..’s latest album makes good on the considerable hype, providing 13 sonically and emotionally nuanced tracks cobbled together from digital ephemera, pulling off the rare achievement of being as rich in meaning as they are effective on the dancefloor. — KATIE BAIN

Alison Wonderland, “Down the Line”

When you’re feeling low and the future looks dark, one of the best forms of medicine is a scream-along anthem about being down in the pits. Alison Wonderland is a magician when it comes to moody lyrics and spirited drops, and her latest single “Down the Line” is exactly the sort of re-energizing depression candy any good “I can’t get off of the couch because life sucks” moment requires. 

“We need the dark times in order to get to the light,” the artist says. “We need that experience to know that it’s going to be okay one day. The track is me acknowledging that I was alone during a difficult time but knew that I was going to get through it and be okay, down the line. We’re all going through a dark time right now, and sometimes we need to be reminded that it’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, we will be okay.” – KAT BEIN

Jimmy Edgar Feat. LIZ, “EUPHORIA”

With his new single “EUPHORIA,” Detroit producer Jimmy Edgar shares another preview of his forthcoming album LIQUIDS HEAVEN, out on November 11 via Innovative Leisure. The track is a concentrated dose of ear candy, made of pastel synths that swirl with the richness and silkiness of milk chocolate, and bright background melodies that sparkle like sonic Pop Rocks. And like how eating sweets leads to a woozy sugar rush, “EUPHORIA” too is about chasing that buzzy peak in love. Through the track’s chest-swelling builds, vocalist LIZ declares: “I’ll keep looking for you / I’ll keep looking for euphoria.” Edgar’s latest is all confectionary goodness without the risk of cavities. — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Anyma & CamelPhat, “The Sign”

CamelPhat make their debut on Tale of Us’ Afterlife Recordings with “The Sign,” a collaboration with producer Anyma. A moody, multi-movement progressive house soundscape made for that moment late night turns to early morning, “The Sign” delivers a lot of head nodding deep in the dancefloor moments along with a few satisfyingly crunchy synths, all over an urgent beat that sounds like it’s being beamed to your earholes from deep space. — K. Bain

Ten City, “Love Is Love” 

When you know, you know, and true love can’t be stopped by parents or friends or ne’er-do-well of any kind — not when it feels this silky smooth. True Chicago house and R&B legends Ten City come through with a jazzy, feel-good number that’ll get you real cozy on the dance floor with your favorite cuddle buddy, and remind you that “Love Is Love,” no matter what form is takes. In the words of Ten City co-founder and vocalist Byron Stingly, it’s a “modern Romeo and Juliet meets West Side Story!” This is for the grown and sexy among us, but it’s a message that will resonate with anyone who’s found themself enamored or thinks they’ve found the one, and certainly those among us who have been told their choice in partner isn’t “right,” even though nothing about it could ever feel wrong. It’s the second and titular single from Ten City’s forthcoming album Love Is Love, due out in 2023. – K. Bein

J. Worra feat. Nathan Nicholson, “Lightning to Strike”

From opposite sides of the Atlantic, Los Angeles’ Insomniac Records and London’s D4 D4NCE—Defected Records’ imprint for rising stars—have joined together in a new collaborative venture. Their first joint release, the single “Lightning to Strike,” comes from J. Worra, who’s previously graced both labels with her modern house sound. On “Lightning to Strike,” J. Worra dips into a bolder palette with a bouncy, retro-futuristic bassline; melodic keys and laser-beam synths which balance out Nathan Nicholson’s breezy croons and wispy vocals. Altogether, they create a song that’s as mellow and melancholic as it is hopeful. — K.R.

This week in dance music: The first full-fledged Amsterdam Dance Event kicked off in the Dutch capital on Tuesday (watch for our full recap early next week), Claude VonStroke’s iconic Dirtybird label was acquired by the San Francisco-based EMPIRE, Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz hit the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, and we went deep with one of the actual inventors of electronic music Jean-Michel Jarre.

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And bangerz with a Z? We’ve got those too. Let’s dig in.

Bonobo, “Defender”

Before Bonobo completes his North American tour this weekend, he’s leaving a parting gift. New single “Defender,” out on his Outlier label in partnership with Ninja Tune, is another surprise drop following previous loosie “ATK.” Both deliver on the producer’s rich, textural electronica, but whereas “ATK” was bouncy and more straightforwardly upbeat in its approach, “Defender” sees the return of his tender touch. Floating above propulsive drums, the crystalline thumb-piano melody is light as a lullaby, joined by a gentle vocal scat. Even when blaring foghorn synths add heaviness, Bonobo keeps the magic alive with swirling synths and accents that twinkle like stars at midnight. “Defender” might not be your first thought when it comes to club tracks, but we’d still rave to this any day (or night). — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Fred again.., “Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This)”

If you don’t know about Fred Again.. by now, you probably just won’t ever. That said, to quote Drake, if you’re reading this, it’s too late and you have now been bitten with the collective Fred-a-mania. Much like aforementioned hip-hop superstar, the pop-hit producer-turned-hypest act in electronic dance loves to turn bits of voicemails, samples and IRL recordings into divine slices of melodic funk, and he names these tracks after the friends and artists he folds into the music. His latest portrait is dubbed “Delilah (pull me out of this),” and he paired the video with a recording his buddy nabbed at a festival in Los Angeles.

“So a few days ago I played a show in LA and my friend theo was filming stuff in the crowd,” Fred tweets. “He stumbled across this absolutely beauuutiful moment right at the back of it all. 

To me this song is about a time I sorta had a panic attack in a club and needing your person to pull you out of it, so the moment at the end when they both stand up and jump away feels particularly muchhh to me. There’s obviously a whole story that’s goin on for them too, you can see on their friends faces at the end! I’ve spoken to them about it, i think it’s maybe better not to explain that, cos like different people think different stuff when they watch it, n that’s always great to me.”

He also had some good news to share in the YouTube description box: “Okayyyy,” Fred writes on YouTube. “SO I am so so really very VERY happy to say that Actual Life 3 will be out on October 28th!!!!!” After months of hype, we can confidently say we’re very happy, too. – KAT BEIN

Gorgon City feat. Flirta D, “Sidewindah”

Gorgon City lean deeper into their U.K. roots on new single “Sidewindah.” The track has been a frequent fixture and requested ID in the duo’s live dates for a hot minute, and it’s clear why. Their dancefloor-friendly house music gets a grime infusion courtesy of veteran MC Flirta D, whose altered vocals stutter and skid with short-circuiting delirium. Add some serpentine synths, hyperspeed shakers and gigantic, gelatinous bass wobbles, and you’ve got a good time. In addition to releasing “Sidewindah,” Gorgon City have just announced their return to Colorado’s famed Red Rocks next April for a Realm label showcase. — K.R.

Lastlings, “Get What You Want”

Getting up off the couch and getting after your dreams is hard, but music can help. The Rocky theme is a bit played, and while it’s great and all, “Get What You Want” from sibling duo Lastlings has a sultry motivational groove that can move your body, heart and mind toward your greatest self with a bit more electronic edge. 

“We spent a week writing in 2021 and this was one of the first songs that came from the session,” the group’s Josh Dowdle says. “We had two rooms. One writing room for Amy with a piano, and one for me where I made the instrumental.”

“It explores mental health and the relationship that I have with myself,” Amy Dowdle adds. “It’s about putting myself out there and not letting doubt get in the way of what I truly want. ‘I’ve got a lot of enemies that live inside my head.’ This song isn’t about love for another person, it’s about my relationship with myself. ‘You’ refers to a darker version of myself that I am trying to fight and overcome.”

The brother and sister band are signed to RÜFÜS DU SOL’s label Rose Avenue, and this single marks the first bit of original material since its debut album First Contact, which dropped in 2020. – K. Bein

Tiësto’s DJ Mix

Our mainstage main man Tiësto is taking himself on, via a flurry of edits of his own tracks. Produced exclusively for Spotify, the playlist includes edits of hits including “The Business” and “The Motto,” and comes as part of a series that includes similar packages from Aluna, Yung Bae and BLOND:ISH. All of these acts have released these edits in conjunction with the Amsterdam Dance Event, which is wrapping up today in The Netherlands. To celebrate, Spotify is tonight hosting a release party at ADE, during which each act will unveil their edits with an accompanying drone show.

“When playing my mix I hope listeners can feel the energy of my live set,” Tiësto says. “Play it while you workout, while gaming, in your car, anywhere – wherever you play it, it should feel like the soundtrack to the best day or night of your life!” — KATIE BAIN

This week in dance music: we were there for the pair of shows Zedd played to honor the ten-year anniversary of his debut Clarity, we caught up with Wreckno about the special meaning behind their Electric Forest set this past June, we went deep with Kerri Chandler on the occasion of his most recent album, and we saw the queen Björk hit Hot Dance/Electronic albums with her latest, Fossora.

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And new music? You know we’ve got it. Let’s dig in.

David Guetta & Artbat feat. Idris Elba, “It’s Ours”

Is it future rave? Melodic techno? A cryptic spoken-word ballad featuring one of the world’s best-known actor/DJs uttering heady musings about “the connection… the absolute purity…” in baritone? “It’s Ours” is in fact all of these things, with the fearsome foursome that produced it — David Guetta, Ukrainian duo ARTBAT and aforementioned multi-platform star and noted good-looking person Idris Elba — tossing their respective skillsets in the mix for the darkly hypnotic heater. The track is fairly experimental output (particularly for the typically melody-centric Guetta), and really excels in the extended eight-minute version, which plays like the soundtrack to an actual movie. — KATIE BAIN

SG Lewis & Tove Lo, “Call On Me”

Ladies and gentlemen, right this way through the holographic door into a dark-lit, dystopian disco where the champagne flows like spilled blood and the only soundtrack is the sinister thump of SG Lewis and Tove Lo’s insanely hard-hitting single, “Call on Me.” There’s just something desperate about this song’s insatiable funk. It seems to promise that if we turn its maximalist production up until it red lines, for three blissful but very-sweaty minutes, we might forget that there’s such a thing as human pain.

“Call on Me” is the latest single from Lewis’ forthcoming double album AudioLust & HigherLove, which he says “explores the differing ways in which we approach love and relationships, and the cyclical nature of those feelings.” It also appears on Lo’s spankin’-new LP Dirt Femme, which sees the Swedish singer peeling back the layers on her personal demons in a way she’s never quite exposed before. Of course, all this over beats that will breathe life into any dance floor. These two can call on us literally any time. – KAT BEIN

Sohmi, “Somebody”

After playing Coachella for the first time earlier in April, Sohmi has entered a new and more high-profile era in her career. The producer-singer-songwriter is back today with her first solo release since last year, “Somebody,” through which she revisits her past. “‘Sit on the floor little darling / know what you’re worth,’ Mama told me,” she begins. She builds upon the premise of working long and hard to become “somebody,” the refrain echoing like a lingering dream across a driving soundscape filled with pummeling drums and fluttering synths. It’s dark yet dreamy, heavy but hopeful and lyrically relatable while also being some of Sohmi’s most personal material yet.

“Somebody” is also the first taste of a new EP due out early next year. “A lot has happened and changed since my last release,” Sohmi says, “and I’ve spent a lot of time diving deeper into my own personal history in order to better understand who I am; why I hurt the way I hurt, why I love the way I love. All of it has been at once challenging and fulfilling at the same time, but most of all, it’s been beautiful to confront who I am as a person and how that’s shaped the artist I am and strive to be today. I think ‘Somebody’ is sort of the first piece of that story, as it takes a step backwards into some personal history of mine while looking ahead and forward, sonically.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Agents Of Time, Universo

After taking a giant step into the mainstream this past January via their killer remix of The Weeknd‘s “Take My Breath,” Italian duo Agents Of Time are closing out the year with their sophomore album, Universo. The 13-track LP melds melodic techno with an expanded pop sensibility (particularly in the vocal-driven tracks), altogether delivering dually sophisticated, hypnotic electronic music you can live with at home or on the dancefloor. Universo is out now via Kompakt. — K. Bain

G Jones & Eprom, “R.A.V.E.”

Have you been to a rave lately? It really does feel like stepping outside of society into a more perfect union of souls. When a rave is done right, it’s like going to church and a bacchanal all at once — which we suppose at certain moments in history is exactly what going to “church” was like. Raves make you feel like a better tomorrow is possible, so maybe that’s why inimitable texture gods G Jones and Eprom named their latest laser attack anthem “R.A.V.E.,’” aka “Realizing Alternative Visions for Earth.” A monster tune that will break your windows and smash your skull, the track is everything we love about these two producers: funky, groovy, an absolute assault of the aural senses — and also just mean, and therefore, so nice. The track comes from Jones’ Illusory Tracks EP, out next month. – K. Bein

Coco & Breezy feat. Baby Sol, “Magic”

Some tracks are made for banging out in the club, and some are meant to be set free in the outdoors. Coco & Breezy’s new single “Magic” falls into the latter group. In an exploration of their Afro-Latina heritage, the twin-duo deliver a track shrouded in mysticism, pairing driving drum rhythms and menacing bass with vocal chants and wolf howls as vocalist Baby Sol teases, “I got that magic.” There’s a communal spirit within “Magic” that evokes images of midnight forest raves, where among the silhouettes of looming trees and nocturnal birds, it might sound right at home.

“We all have that magic when we step into our power,” write Coco & Breezy. “It truly feels like we are tapping into our ancestors with the vocal chants in the background. “Music is healing, and words are powerful. Creating a song for people to dance to, and repeat the affirmation ‘I got that magic,’ is powerful.” — K.R.