Palms
Out
Sounds

Wiki – “Park”

Big Dope P & Littlez – “Trapanese”

Ital Tek – “The Ice Is Thin”

Jake Back – keep it simple/rytm start

New music from Jake Back, the LA-based artist I covered a few months ago. I hesitate to call these two new ones from Back part of the subgenre ‘outsider house’ — partly because the term was always reductive, but also because these are really more in the world of the subsubgenre ‘lofi house’ with their shared focus on bleached chords, romantic vocal bits, and comparatively clean drums. But I have a hard time using that term either; don’t get me wrong, I do love when sound gets distressed and weathered, but ‘lofi’ feels too ambiguous at this point (and the lofi girl kinda ruined it, right?). Really, these are best described as deep house, but talk about a once-wonderful subgenre becoming associated with so much schlock. So we can’t call it outsider, we can’t call it lofi or deep either–let’s just describe it: both of these are warm, well-composed, and supremely pleasant. Maybe that just makes them effective house tunes in the grand old tradition. Grab these on bandcamp or find them for streaming all over.

Jake Back – “keep it simple”
Jake Back & Sabbia – “rytm start”

Zach from sales – Want u back

Speaking of good house music, we’re blessed by yet another new one from Dutch producer Zach from sales. This might possibly also suffer from the subgenre syndrome I described above, so let’s not rehash that again; instead, let’s learn from our mistakes and just describe the damn thing. Crisp piano stabs, a warning refrain (is it a threat?), a perfectly staggered 4th kick drum to keep you on your toes. This has gotta be my favorite bit from Zach thus far — so much so that I’ll even dispense with the ironic corporate speak this time — and that’s saying something, because I’ve really loved the prior ones I’ve covered over the past few months. Zach was kind enough to let me share the mp3 with you all here again, but you can also support him by grabbing this on bandcamp, or help him rack up the pennies on your streamer of choice.

Zach from sales – “Want u back”

never leave – Colour

Finally tonight, we leave the realm of four to the floor for something a bit more ambiguous stylistically and shuffled rhythmically. Exactly two minutes of tightly packed, amorphous, and emotive bedrooom club music from Danish duo never leave (Leo Peter Larsen & Benjamin Konge Henriksen), this is full of accessible melodic character and enough mildly glitchy ear candy to fill a track twice as long. But none of us have super healthy attention spans these days, do we? Besides, 2:00 is the new 3:30. Kidding aside, this really is a nice one–a deservingly captivating finisher for an evening full of overwhelmingly hyggelig dance music. No bandcamp, unfortunately, but the duo was nice enough to let me post the mp3 for you here (you can also stream it in the usual places).

never leave – “Colour”

Hominid – Wind Chime

First up tonight, this is from Play Fighting, the new EP by Hominid (Benny Jennings), an artist based in Te Whanganui a Tara, NZ. “Wind Chime” marries brick and glass — the fuzz of a blown speaker cabinet reverberating against an untreated room sits beneath glittering crystal tones. These give way to a brief moment of clarinet-driven serenity, and then a swift return of windchimes against the clang of industry. The rest of the EP is similarly concerned with fusing disparate elements into something greater than the sum of its parts. Very worth a listen. Grab the EP on bandcamp or find it for streaming wherever you do that sort of thing.

Hominid – “Wind Chime”
Hominid – “Moon Weight”

SUUNCAAT – bite

Next up is a track for dancing on cement floors. SUUNCAAT — real name Fanny Brouillard, an artist from Montreal — delivers detached near-whisper vocals atop sludgy donks, digital squelch, and hoover stabs. Where her previous work sat more in the realm of effervescent hyperpop (though that genre name turns out to have been re-coined for the modern era by an in-house Spotify curator, so let’s not use it), this song is decidedly more bloodshot. I came for the beat not beam tourisms, she murmurs; It’s about going to the club solo, and attempting to become invisible amidst the crowd, avoiding the social elements and engaging only the music. That used to be one of my favorite activities, and the music captures it vividly. Grab this on bandcamp or find it for streaming all over.

SUUNCAAT – “bite”

sofiee – .pryr

Finally this evening is a song that reminds me of that moment in the early aughts when indie artists all seemed to decide to buy korgs and samplers, and the result was this endearing breed of butchered, twee indietronica chaos. Though definitely drawing on the legacy of that era, this track from sofiee (Sofie Clarke) is a bit more refined than were most of the products of that time, probably owing to her competency as a producer. She explains that the song is an attempt to draw a thread between her own experience navigating psychosis and the group-dissociation we’re all experiencing in the face of crumbling political systems, the loss of objective measures of reality, and internet-driven apathy. Instead, the song suggests we should seek to recapture our own innocence, embracing “radical earnestness,” to ward off the “collapse of meaning.” I absolutely endorse this approach; nothing feels more like a stab in the heart than watching my young daughter slowly develop self-conciousness. I would give my left arm if it meant she could maintain her innate sense of confident playfulness forever, and remain unafraid of showing the world every side of her mind without compromise. No bandcamp for this song unfortunately, but sofiee was kind enough to let me share the mp3 with your below, and you can also find it for streaming.

sofiee – “.pryr”

asteraceae – apparitions

Tonight’s mailbox roundup is focused entirely on succinct cuts of online jungle–the type of thing I keep finding my way back to, most of which is less homage to the East London forebears than it is an embodiment of internetcore and perpetual ode to WipEout 2097. First up is two minutes of celestial pads and breakbeats that are as much phaser as they are drum. This is honestly a bit more refined than most of the neo-jungle/neo-breakcore I encounter, and genuinely affecting. It’s from Atlanta-based asteraceae, the only other things about whom I know is that their name is Steph Bayes–and that their bandcamp is full of gems like this. Grab this one on bandcamp or find it for streaming — asteraceae was also kind enough to let me post the mp3 here for you all.

asteraceae – “apparitions”

i9incher – Menu Racer

Second up is a track that isn’t just an example of jungle inspired by gaming culture, but is in fact from the soundtrack of an upcoming racing game (called Neo Kinetic)–as song’s the title no doubt alludes to. The track does a lovely job of actually sticking to the more traditional jungle building blocks, without straying into the chaos of breakcore and syrup of re-re-resampled pads (not that those things aren’t fun). Instead it fuses jungle with some acid flourishes–perhaps evincing an understanding on the producer’s part that jungle was born not just of the wellspring of soundsystem culture and dub, but also of rave and hardcore. The track is from i9incher (aka Justin Franklin), a producer from Kansas City. No bandcamp for this one, but you can grab it below or find it for streaming all over.

i9incher – “Menu Racer”

Ovcharka DJ – Dreams

Last up tonight is a one that strays a bit further, edging out of the world of jungle and into the world of jazzy liquid 160, with more tightly gated crispy breakbeats, Rhodes chords, and multi-oscillator bass stabs instead of pure sinewave subs. The song is from Tbilisi, Georgia’s Ovcharka DJ (Vladimir Sivolovskii), whose artist name is a reference to the Caucasian Ovcharka, a magnificent breed of livestock guard dog native to the Caucasus (including Georgia). The track is really enjoyable stuff, but honestly, now I’m going down a rabbit hole of learning more about this gorgeous dog breed; respect to a DJ whose whole outward identity is dog-focused. Dogs are such good dogs. No bandcamp for this one either, but you can grab the file below, or find the track for streaming wherever you do that.

Ovcharka DJ – “Dreams”

Big Dope P – FDBU

Monster 160 g-tech tune from longtime Palms Out favorite Big Dope P, the prolific French producer based in London. This man is the definition of grind–he seems to produce and release nonstop and runs one of the most stylistically consistent labels of the past two decades (next year is the 20-year anniversary of this classic). I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing him DJ, but I imagine he brings a lot of fun to the floor. This is from his upcoming six-track EP, Life Hits Hard But These Traxx Hit Harder, out July 16, and up for preorder now.

Big Dope P – “FDBU”

Sensu & Eloq – Ur Way

Speaking of Palms Out favorites, here’s a new one from old friend ELOQ (August Fenger), whose very first EP came out on Palms Out way back in 2011. Produced in collaboration with Swiss producer Sensu (Jasmin Peterhans), this track really crystalizes the energy of so many contemporary dancefloors: open [again] to syncopation and genre fusion, obsessed with hitempo 2 step/UKG shuffle, and not averse to some bubblegum synths. The press release references Hed Kandi when describing the synth sound here, and that’s definitely on the money, but I also hear plenty of naughties Dutch house and a bit of “Exceeder” in there. I’m here for it. This is out now for streaming, but Sensu and ELOQ were kind enough to let me share the mp3 with you all here.

Sensu & ELOQ – “Ur Way”

Ekforce – Chiaroscuro

Last but not least tonight, two tracks from French artist Ekorce (Kyrian Nicolay-Kritter), whose name I had not run across before now. When I heard these, it was evident there was some deep technical talent behind them–but I had no idea where to place these musically. Not that categorizing music does anyone much good, but I find it difficult not to do so automatically when I hear something–but I lacked the right references here. It isn’t that any of this sounds particularly unfamiliar–it’s plasticky, rubbery, twangy downtempo electronic music, all really pleasant sonic qualities in my book, but it just doesn’t quite sound like anything I’ve heard before. Ekorces’s bio describes it “oscillating between Psybass, Psydub, and Psychill,” which admittedly are all genres I’ve essentially never heard of (I assume they’re all from the Psytrance family?). The closest reference point I have that gives a little idea is Vapor Twitch, or whatever Cashmere Cat and his friends were making in the mid-2010s (I think it got called “Future Bass” which is among the most reductive and meaningless genre names ever coined), but neither of those quite fit either, because Ekorces’ album is much more varied than those references would imply–and at times quite restrained and deep. Whatever this is, it’s really good. It makes me feel a little like I’m inside one of my daughters’ bouncing balls. Both of these songs are taken from Ekorce’s newest LP, Chiaroscuro, which you can grab on bandcamp; you can also download one of the tracks below, or find it all for streaming.

Ekorce – “Blur”
Ekorce – “Page Blanche”

9ms – M€mo

Wading slightly into the world of experimental dub and Krautrock, first up tonight is this strange and wonderful song by Munich-based drummer-duo 9ms (Simon Popp & Florian König). The second single from their just-released third album Lunch–most of which is almost exclusively percussive–this song is an outlier, and draws its melodies from the drums themselves with really clever use of a drum resonator. The melodic result is elusive, as if the melody were a few milliseconds (9?) ahead of or behind the percussion, creating a sense of a sort of slow-motion chase between them. It’s an almost unnerving feeling to experience the drums and melody in this way, but ultimately becomes soothingly hypnotic. Popp and König are machine enthusiasts and build unique custom rigs to allow them to interact with their gear in atypical ways. They describe having the goal of “becoming one with their mystic machinery”; on Lunch, they used infrared and magnetic field sensors to translate their movement into control voltage, which they used as synth and effects triggers. The whole album is really worth checking–you can grab it on bandcamp or for streaming, but Popp and König were also kind enough to let me share with you the mp3 of this song below.

9ms – “M€mo”

Old Owl & Wings of Time – Wisdom is Drums

I’ve taken a bit of a left turn tonight, stylistically. A leap further, next up is this perfect bit of authentic roots dub from Swiss artist Jah Bast aka Old Owl aka Wings of Time. I don’t cover proper dub very often, but I love it deeply, so it’s nice to have the opportunity. All of Jah Bast’s work is as authentically crafted as it gets–he’s essentially a one man band; playing most everything himself, recording everything to tape, doing all the dubs and fx by hand, and releasing 7″s–the way this kind of music should be made. That dedication to the original form definitely shows; all his records are warm and forgiving, but this instrumental he sent me recently is the standout. Unfortunately the 7″ is sold out, but you can grab the file on bandcamp or find it for streaming.

Old Owl & Wings of Time – “Wisdom is Drums”

aeoni – Blossom

Last but not least tonight is a new album from Greek artist-physicist aeoni (Ioanna Theofilakou), whose last record Lifetime I reviewed back in January. That record aimed to map each stage of life in music. This new one, Blossom, appears similarly concept-driven, with each song named for a species of flower–but also for each flower’s corresponding figure in Greek mythology. The album as a whole is hard to characterize. Theofilakou doesn’t seem to see the flower as something delicate, but rather treats it as something robust and weighty–most songs are heavy in their melancholy, grounded in plodding rhythms. That weight, however, may be meant to convey tragedy, which in itself may be somewhat of an acknowledgment of the fragility–or at least the duality–of a blossom (and us). The album’s other concept-layer makes this more explicit. As an example, my favorite song from the album, “Hyacinth,” is inspired by Hyacinthus, Apollo’s beautiful young lover. In Ovid’s version of the myth, Apollo mistakenly kills and desperately tries to save Hyacinthus, to no avail; Apollo then creates a flower from the boy’s blood in remembrance and inscribes alas on its petals. Theofilakou’s music is serious, but not overwrought. She clearly uses her mind first to make her music, but she doesn’t seem to overthink it; it ends up direct and personal in form and layered in intent. You can grab Blossom on bandcamp, or find it for streaming all over.

Leaches – Turbulence

Beautifully carved metallic left-field techno three-tracker from London’s Leaches (real name Jack Reardon). This EP is an example of where a hardware rig can really take techno into more captivating territory. It’s a cliché to say that getting out-of-the-box makes music more “organic”–plenty of artists are capable of gorgeous, vibrant texture in a DAW–but there’s something to be said for the way machines (or instruments) invite both expression and experimentation. Maybe it’s the limitations they present versus the choice paralysis of working on the computer, or maybe it’s just simply that they force you to use a different part of your brain while working. In any event, Reardon seems to be benefiting from the machine spell. For as rigid as this is at first blush, it’s also delightfully liberated; it doesn’t give me that gauzy, sinus-plugging sensation that so much modern dark techno does. It doesn’t feel like navel-gazing techno, it feels free. No streaming here (for a change), but the EP is available on bandcamp on Power Station (a great label). I’m also including a track from Reardon’s previous self titled EP that I love; perfectly glitchy broken-beat techno.

Leaches – “Turbulence”
Leaches – “Mammoth”

1oftheothers – come and get it

In what’s shaping up to be a gritty edition of this feature, here’s a really fun bit of hi-NRG dark breakbeat from 1oftheothers, the new passion project from Danish electrohouse producer Mike Hawkins, who’s put out a ton of big records, but is probably best known for his collaborations with David Guetta (one of which earned him a Grammy nomination). But this project is totally different from his past work–it feels more like police getaway music, or what the soundtrack of a new Midnight Club game might sound like, or music that would fit the bloodstorm club scene in Blade (I think I reference that scene at least a few times a year on this blog). Whatever it is, it’s vital and rejuvenating. No bandcamp, but Hawkins was kind enough to let me post the mp3 here–you can find it for streaming wherever you do that.

1oftheothers – “come and get it”

Forbes Barclay Jr – Let’s Pop

More buzzy breakbeat up next, this time from Forbes Barclay Jr., a West London producer whose pseudonym is either an ironic wink at the growing corporate dominance in dance music over the past two decades or a bare exercise in manifesting success–maybe both? Probably more the former, but no shame either way, we all gotta make a living. His name aside, the track insists on the listener’s attention, with a near-constant buzz that sounds like the harmonics of the 50/60 Hz hum that generate when you touch the end of a TRS cable over a PA. The tone is so insistent it manages to become almost meditative at times, especially under dub sirens and ear candy that litter the track’s turnarounds. It took me a few listens, but I really came to like this one. No bandcamp for this either, so you’ll have to suffice with streaming, or this 192kbps mp3.

Forbes Barclay Jr – “Let’s Pop”

NESYA – PUT THE FRIES IN THE BAG.

The intention of an artist like NESYA is not to create pure pop music. The daughter of a Nebraskan preacher and subjected to religious and sexual trauma, her aesthetic is wholeheartedly goth, punk, and a little vampiric–she even has a video that borrows liberally from that famous scene in Blade that I love so much. But even though her vibe is dark, I can’t help but get the same thrill from this song as I would from stuck-in-your-hair bubblegum pop. It’s catchy as fuck and reminds me of the electro pop I posted so much on this blog back in the early aughts, when it was at its peak. It hasn’t gone unnoticed over here that there seems to be a resurgence of that sound lately, and it’s not just (or even primarily) about bloghouse nostalgia. I’m not convinced anyone is really that nostalgic for most of that stuff, but there was an underlying freedom about the crassness of that sound and aesthetic that I think is naturally working its way back into the collective consciousness. It was just fun, and so is this. This is the first single from a forthcoming album; no bandcamp, unfortunately, but you can grab the track below, or find it on all the usual outlets.

NESYA – “PUT THE FRIES IN THE BAG.”

So Durand – Downforce / Corners

It’s been a minute since I covered Ottawan producer So Durand (Simon Robichaud-Durand). Too long, in fact; he’s always got something good up his sleeve, and this is no exception. His latest is a two-tracker on Something Public Records that sees him reworking two of the tracks on his Downforce EP from last year. Where the originals were club-focused 4×4 and breakbeat, these reimaginings take the songs far deeper and darker, exploring the peripheries of dub techno, 2000s garage, cumbia, and a bit of everything in between. Durand’s stuff is always correct, but it turns out he shines brightest when he gets a bit weird with it. These are out now on bandcamp, or available for streaming.

So Durand – “Downforce” (Slow Mix)
So Durand – “Corners” (Closing Mix)

SIDELINES – Just Say Yes

Speaking of getting a bit weird in the club, this track from Dublin’s SIDELINES (Jay Childs) is the result of letting your nose (or ears, as the case may be) lead you to whatever works. Created around a voicemail his kids left him unknowingly while having an argument with each other, Childs hummed in a bassline and programmed the rest of the song around that. The result is something simultaneously unsettling and liberated. I suppose it captures well the experience of parenting young children–awe of their visceral abandon and mild terror at the unpredictability of their motivations. Being a young kid is like slipping in and out of an LSD trip every 15 minutes, so a big part of parent’s role is just to ride that wave with them as best one can. I’ve also included Childs’s previous single, which is a little more straightforward but still shows his knack for letting a good sound or sample lead the song-writing process. No bandcamp for these, unfortunately, but you can grab the most recent one below and find both for streaming all over.

SIDELINES – “Just Say Yes”
SIDELINES – “Broken Harp”

Jacana People & Vraell – Paper Thin

A pristine slice of organic electronica from UK duo Jacana People, with vocals and guitar by Vraell (Alessio Scozzaro). This is sunshine on a cold spring morning, melting the frost, and turning dew to vapor. I’ve also included their previous single–bouncier but still pillowey and soft around the edges–it lands more as a modern take on what might have been a B-side of an off-album Orbital 12″. Both songs are from Jacana People’s upcoming EP, Breaker, out June 26, but you can grab them both on bandcamp now or find them on the streamers.

Jacana People & Vraell – “Paper Thin”
Jacana People – “Nudge”

Gryr – Hymn

I wrote about Gryr (Jonatan Josefsson) just a few weeks ago, sharing the first two songs from his Hymn EP. He just released the title track to that EP. While I described the last two songs he shared as trancelike and perfect for driving across the tundra, this last one lives up to its name, abandoning most of the rhythmic pulse in favor of elemental spiritualism and tranquility. Instead of a cool, long-sighted view across the horizon, this feels more like the ripple of spring water passing through your fingers. No bandcamp for this, unfortunately, but Josefsson graciously let me share with you the mp3 here; you can also find this for streaming all over.

Gryr – “Hymn”

Symbol World – The Door

Finally tonight is a track from Symbol World (Justin Gohl), a Detroit-area producer I don’t know much about–which may be due to the fact that he seems to have just recently started to release music. This is another one that at first seems like it wouldn’t be out-of-place on a late 90s Orbital or Underworld record. Creamy FM pads, gentle synthetic Karplus-Strong bell strikes, buried snare fill risers–all wonderfully referential. But three quarters of the way through the song, just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, there’s a sudden pseudo-drop that takes it into distinctly modern territory. Promising stuff here. You can grab this on bandcamp or find it for streaming, but Gohl was also kind enough to let me upload the mp3 for you here.

Symbol World – “The Door”

Alex Zhang Hungtai – Mother

These two pieces from Alex Zhang Hungtai (of Dirty Beaches, among other projects) are alchemical. From his upcoming double album Orion/Mother, Zhang describes the music as “like something that was dormant is starting to awaken.” True to its title, the second disc’s second track indeed feels as if it is being wrenched from the primordial soup, Zhang’s trumpet sounding sustained, exhausted birth calls over halting percussive clatter, as if marking the last stretch of marathon labor. The albums were formed from a collage of years-old improvised rehearsal sessions recorded with an ad-hoc group of New York musicians and then restitched in the present by Zhang, using his trumpet as thread. Orion/Mother is out June 19, but these two songs are available now on bandcamp.

Alex Zhang Hungtai – “Mother”
Alex Zhang Hungtai – “Sidewinder”

Absorver – “Phantasmagoria”

Lacelike, coffee-stained IDM from Slovakian artist Absorver (Adam Mészáros). These are from his recent EP, Phantasmagoria (a term that originally referred to a 19th-century form of horror theater that used hidden lanterns to project spooky images onto a screen). Both songs speak to that concept: they are full of eerie sound design, ephemeral melody, and worn and rusted percussion–haunting, but comforting in the way horror somehow often manages to be. You can find the EP on bandcamp or for streaming.

Absorver – “Interloper”
Absorver – “Phantasmagoria”

Bodo Bifroest – Fading

More nostalgic downtempo electronica tonight, this time from German artist Bodo Bifroest (Felix Gerlach), whose pseudonym is a reference to Nordic mythology, where Bifröst is the burning tri-color bridge between heaven and earth. Tender and frank, “Fading” is meant to represent identity loss and perseverance. Gerlach spent years away from music amidst a long-term illness; the song communicates both the fragility of that time and his will to return to himself. I relate to that, having set down my musical pen for years to pursue something more concrete, eventually returning to it at the margins of my life. Making art your identity creates such profound vulnerability that can be as rewarding as it can be devastating. “Fading” is available on bandcamp or for streaming, but Gerlach was also generous enough to let me post the mp3 for you here.

Bodo Bifroest – “Fading”

PUR100 – Nobody Can

Ice-cold and club-ready cut from Parisian producer PUR100 (Florian Jozefowicz). This is one of those tracks that could work just as well as a transition tool as it could as a peak time roller. Falling somewhere between midtempo throwback UK hardcore and breakbeat-driven electro, this has all the puzzle pieces in their right place: sharp drums, gritty reese, minor-key synth melodies, and nicely detached vocal sample. Big choon here. PUR100 was kind enough to offer this up here as a free download, but if you’re enjoying this, consider throwing him a few bucks on bandcamp (it’s also available on the streamers).

PUR100 – “Nobody Can”

SLEEPYLYCHEE – Deep Bongo

More music tuned for the club, these are from New York’s SLEEPYLYCHEE (Yuwei Shang), who sent over two dubby bits of left-field techno a few weeks ago. I don’t know much about SLEEPYLYCHEE, but apart from producing and DJing, she curates common.wavs, a collective and party series with a monthly on bedcrumb show. Their next event is May 20th at Mood Ring. If SLEEPYLYCHEE’s own productions are an indication, I expect the music there will be really good, and the party absolutely worth checking out. You can find both of these tracks on bandcamp or for streaming, but SLEEPYLYCHEE was also kind enough to let me share with you one of the mp3s below.

SLEEPYLYCHEE – “Deep Bongo”
SLEEPYLYCHEE – “Hard Miracle”

cupsy – code_ex

Finally is a new one from cupsy (Reese Rose), a Colorado Springs-based artist whom I’ve written about a couple of times before, the last time in 2023. In the time since, she’s really refined her production–edging away from manic breakcore and online jungle into a realm of precision-programmed micro drum and bass. This track still has the pleasant freneticism of breakcore, but it’s been buffed into something hyperclean, with only whispers remaining of the source breakbeats amidst a barrage of darting sequenced drums. The melodic content, though definitely enjoyable, is almost superflous; the song means to draw all attention to the drums’ serpentine paths. No bandcamp here, but you can find this on streamers, or grab the mp3 below.

cupsy – “code_ex”

Valfi – elsi.Hasht

More micro-tonal perfection from Berlin’s Valfi, who describes his music as crafted for three settings: on the metro, in the club, or while ignoring texts. Built around darbuka drums, Arabic maqamat, and samples from pre-revolutionary Iranian commercials, my impression of this brilliant new one is that it might well work in any of the three aforementioned settings. As crisp as the drums are here, though, it would probably take a special club night to lend itself well to the intricacy of Valfi’s programming on this, so I’d probably lean toward enjoying this in headphones. But that’s just me; I get the sense that Valfi’s label out of Istanbul, Bounce, puts on some really fun nights there that might be perfect settings to dance to this properly. “elsi.Hasht” is out now on bandcamp or for streaming.

Valfi – “elsi.Hasht”

Chase.:R – Be Here Now

Next up is a succinct bit of IDM from Seattle’s Chase.:R (Chase Richman). “Be Here Now” is playful, personal, and full of ear candy (including the intermittent and fun use of a camera flash charge sample); this is just the kind of thing that I enjoy listening to these days. It comes from Richman’s latest long player, Crushed Orchid, which is out on Leipzig’s 110100100.global label. The whole album is full of concise ideas that nicely balance healthy doses of stuttering glitch with simple and accessible melody; I’ve included a couple of other good examples below as well. Grab the album on bandcamp, or find it for streaming at all the usual outlets.

Chase.:R – “Be Here Now”
Chase.:R – “Terra Firma”
Chase.:R – “Dreamscape”

Diverse – Haunted

Soothing in its overloaded qualities, this is a lovely cut of emotive, bassy 2-step from Swiss producer Diverse (Gabriel Barta); probably the most club-focused track today. Though still a teenager, Barta has been prolific in recent years, already releasing dozens of songs since he started putting his stuff out in 2022. This is the latest release on androids dungeon radio, which released that fabulous Starkey record a couple of months ago, and has become a real hidden gem worthy of more attention. Grab “Haunted” on bandcamp or for streaming.

Diverse – “Haunted”

Casha Mour – Toluca

I wrote about London’s Casha Mour (real name Daniel Alan Smith) a couple of years ago. The song I featured then had this wonderful, drunken, meandering quality to it; I remarked at the time that under that comforting tilt seemed to be lurking something sorrowful. In the time since, getting to know Casha Mour’s music, that sorrow rises to the surface. The first of these two new singles he sent over a few weeks ago, “Toluca” reminds less of the pleasant warmth of the first brown shot descending through your esophagus than it does the long, unfocused stare of someone considering a transformation into a barley-mood. (I always assume the mean drunks are actually the ones with deep-seated repressed sadness.) It’s no worse for it; the song is sparse and strict, but nonetheless deeply hypnotizing in a shoegazing kind of way. The second single, “thirteen” is a warmer, yearning, tune; this time it’s taking home the charming and handsome sad drunk, but finding he really just wants a bosom on which to rest his head. Both of these are available on bandcamp and on the streamers, but Smith was also kind enough to let me post the mp3s here.

Casha Mour – “Toluca”
Casha Mour – “thirteen”

Ocean Hope – Τώρα Δε Με Νοιάζει

Sublime modern pop from Ocean Hope, Greek brother-sister duo Angeliki Tsotsoni and Serafim Tsotsonis. “Τώρα Δε Με Νοιάζει” (translated to “Now I Don’t Care”) is a view over the Corinthian coast at dusk–the last group of kids running around; relaxed in their joy, eager to get in as much play as possible before being called home for dinner. Where much of Ocean Hope’s previous work resides somewhere in the periphery of synthpop (and what they refer to as “chamber pop”), this song integrates Angeliki’s near-naive and leisurely vocal style into deeper electronic territory. Serafim also sent over a recent solo piece, a magnificently ambitious 14min+ ambient voyage; a score to a film that lives only in his occipital lobe. Both songs are exquisite. Grab the Ocean Hope single below or on bandcamp, and Serafim’s solo piece below, or on bandcamp as well.

Ocean Hope – “Τώρα Δε Με Νοιάζει” (Now I Don’t Care)
Serafim Tsotsonis – “Waves Unseen”

Drifting in Silence – Moving Forward Into

Finally, tonight is a dulcet piece of ambient by Drifting in Silence, the longstanding ambient project from composer Derrick Stembridge, out of Raleigh, NC. This captures the moment of serenity when you slip into a warm bath; it would be a perfectly fine replacement for Epsom salts and magnesium to calm one’s nerves. Everything in this song is round–even the rimshot–there’s not a sharp edge in sight, just curves and waves and temperatures just a touch below body temp. Not much more needs to be said about this; just have a dip. Grab this on bandcamp or find it for streaming all over.

Drifting in Silence – “Moving Forward Into”

Zach from sales – Party next door

After a long day at the office synergizing and level-setting, I need to leverage some low-hanging fruit: house music. Per my last post about him, Zach from sales and I are always on the same page. He’s motivated; he always gets the ball rolling, never forgets to circle back, and his music always moves the needle. I don’t have the bandwidth for a bigger brain dump on this, so I’ll put a pin in it there. You can grab this on bandcamp or find it for streaming. You can also grab the mp3 directly below.

Zach from sales – “Party next door”

Just Geo – INTO/THE/VOID

Next up is a new one from London’s Just Geo (George Thomas). I’ve followed him for a minute, but have yet to write about him. He’s a say no more type guy, so I won’t belabor this with too many explanations. He’s a family man who makes lovely, balanced dance music in a fusion of styles, as is often the case with his countrymen. His stuff is straightforward but tends to have plenty of shuffle and crack– and also has enough tenderness to evince that he’s probably a pretty well-adjusted and emotive guy. He sent over this new one that I like a lot, and I’m also sharing an older one from his last long player that I found quite nice but neglected to post at the time. Grab his stuff on bandcamp or for streaming. He was also kind enough to let me post for you the mp3 of his latest track; if you like it, go support him on bandcamp.

Just Geo – “INTO/THE/VOID”
Just Geo – “IN/ESSENCE”

Rony Rex & Mayela – Switch Off

Last up tonight is a pair of high-energy collaborations from Rony Rex (Rony Vartio), a fixture of Helsinki’s dance music scene for the past decade. Vartio is known in Finland for his radio show on national radio–but also for lighthearted antics like taking a cold plunge in the middle of a DJ set (the only thing that could make that any more patriotic would be if he finished the set from the Sauna), and setting up a b2b with a reindeer (don’t ask me to explain). He recently sent over his newest single, a collaboration with Venzuelan vocalist Mayela, which is a sharp marching romp that falls somewhere in the realm between Latincore and midtempo 4×4 rave. I’m also including a single he released last year with Australian artist LÂLKA, a technicolor, breaksy heater that I also really like. Vartio was kind enough to let me share with you the mp3s of both below, but show him some love on bandcamp, or find his catalog for streaming all over.

Rony Rex & Mayela – “Switch Off”
Rony Rex & LÂLKA – “Dopamine”