And we’re back! After a weird start to the new year, the fact remains that dance music has the power to not just distract, but uplift.
So far, 2021 has seen releases from the legend Paul Kalkbrenner, who delivered a deep house slow burn inspired by watching Sesame Street as a boy in East Germany, a squelchy electro banger from heavyweight duo deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner, a tech house body-mover from Green Velvet and CamelPhat and all the new music below.
Ready? Let’s dig in.
Black Coffee & Diplo feat. Elderbrook, “Never Gonna Forget”
Frankly, there aren’t enough dance tracks that evoke the steamy feeling of the 1989 Chris Isaak classic “Wicked Game.” South African star Black Coffee and a pair of heavyweight pals are here to amend that with “Never Gonna Forget You,” a spacious house track built on a moody guitar lick Isaak would likely approve of, which sits beneath pretty, delicate layers of percussion and synth. Featuring Grammy-nominated vocalist/producer Elderbrook and Diplo — showing up here in his underground-oriented Higher Ground persona — “Never Gonna Forget” is the final single to drop because the Feb. 5 release of Black Coffee’s forthcoming LP, Subconsciously.
LP Giobbi feat. Hermixalot, “Move Your Body”
Oregon-born, Austin, Texas-based producer LP Giobbi returns with her frequent collaborator Hermixalot, and together the duo deliver some serious (like, dead serious) heat. “Move Your Body” is a gospel house epic laden with strings, breakbeat, swirling synth and piano stabs played by the producer/classically trained jazz pianist herself. LP Giobbi’s debut release on Insomniac Records, Hermixalot’s potent vocals instruct you to “Dance until your physical becomes the instrument that renews the spiritual!” It makes sense when you do it!
Anturage & Alexey Union, “Bad Romance”
Disco Halal, Tthe label from Israel-born, Berlin-based producer Moscoman, has been delivering a consistently excellent streak of projects that continues today with the single “Bad Romance.” A collaboration between Bulgarian producer Anturage and Russia-based artist Alexey Union, the track fuses elements of Darkside and Depeche Mode, making something urgent and alluring. The release also features a host of remixes, along with an extended edit from the frequent collaborators.
CamelPhat feat. Lowes, “Easier” (Sub Focus Remix)
CamelPhat’s massive 2020 anthem “Easier” get an equally massive remix from scene hero Sub Focus. The English producer’s edit speeds up the original and reconfigures it with the high-energy D&B element that’s made him famous, adding a bit of brightness and a lot more urgency. The remix package also includes an edit by house legend MK, along with an acoustic version of the track.
Illenium, “Hearts On Fire” (Timmy Trumpet Remix)
After dropping his Lights collaboration “Hearts On Fire” on Christmas Day, Illenium does a quick follow up with a remix by mainstage stalwart Timmy Trumpet. In Trumpet’s hands, the singalong future bass anthem get the syncopated EDM bounce that’s made him a worldwide favorite. This remix comes ahead of additional “Hearts On Fire” edits coming from Lucas & Steve and Bassjackers later this month and in early February.
Rochelle Jordan, “Got Em”
British-born, Los Angeles based producer/singer Rochelle Jordan makes her debut on Tokimonsta’s Young Art label with the scintillating “Got Em.” Co-produced by KLSH and Machindrum, the track’s UK garage bassline lightly evokes Daniel Bedingfield’s 2001 classic “Gotta Get Through This” and serves to showcase Jordan’s simultaneously robust and feathery voice.
“I wrote it in 2017, a time where I had an intense epiphany about life,” Jordan says in a statement. “I started to become much more spiritually aware than I have ever been before. All the repetition in this song is my way of being able to meditate on these words of encouragement and confidence, affirm and push through. Talking my shit in the first verse, to speaking and encouraging whoever is listening in the second, I just wanted this song to seep into the veins of whoever needs to be lifted.”
