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.”

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RCA’s leadership changes announced earlier Thursday (Jan. 14) reflect the label’s decision to “lean further in on hip-hop and R&B,” RCA chairman and CEO Peter Edge tells Billboard.

Mark Pitts rises from RCA’s president of urban music to RCA Records president, while John Fleckenstein – who has served as co-president with Joe Riccitelli since 2018 — has been upped to chief operating officer. (Riccitelli is exiting the company.)

Pitts has had a pivotal role in signing, developing and advancing the careers of many R&B and hip-hop artists throughout his more than 25 years in the industry, including The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, Miguel, J.Cole and Chris Brown, and has led the label’s efforts to usher in a new generation.

“We’ve been one of the leaders in R&B for quite a few years, that’s not new territory for us,” says Edge, citing SZA, H.E.R., Bryson Tiller, Khalid, and Jazmine Sullivan’s resurgence. “We’ve been in the middle of that and we’re going to be building more of a hip-hop roster.” RCA is already experiencing break-out moments with female rappers Flo Milli and Mulatto, both of whose debut projects spawned gold certified singles.

Edge stresses that despite the lean in, RCA, home to acts like Foo Fighters, P!nk and Alicia Keys, will continue to sign acts of all stripes, heralding burgeoning singer-songwriter Tate McRea and her success with “you broke me first.” “If an artist is great, I don’t get stuck on genre,” he says.

Other moves in the restructuring included the departure of Riccitelli, who was well regarded as a top radio promotion executive. RCA will continue to work with Riccitelli as a consultant.

Many labels find themselves rethinking their radio promotion strategy as the largest terrestrial radio programmer, iHeartRadio switches to more centralized programming and, more importantly, streaming becomes a bigger part of the listening experience.

“We have to approach promotion in a broader fashion,” says Edge of the evolution that has been progressing over the last several years. “The truth about how records are breaking is it’s not just radio, radio plays a part, but it’s social media, DSPs, TikTok. It used to be go to radio and get your record played and have a hit. Now there’s many different ways to get a hit. We have to evolve and put resources into digital marketing and promotion in addition to radio and have a broader view.”

Edge declined to address if any other specific changes were coming in the radio promotion division, saying, “we’re still in radio promotion, but we’ve diversified in all aspects. We’re taking a few different tacks instead of focusing so heavily on radio alone. It’s about getting your audience.” He also notes the importance of terrestrial radio in strong hip-hop and R&B communities like Atlanta and New York, where “there is a strong culture around the mix shows and morning shows.”

In an earlier, previously announced change, executive vp/GM Geo Bivins left the company in December. Edge says his position will be filled from within and expects to make an announcement next week.

RCA’s overall market share in 2020 was 4.66%, compared with 5.18% in 2019, according to MRC Data, while current market share dipped to 3.57% in 2020 from 4.38%.

Grammy best new artist nominee Doja Cat provided RCA with its top-selling album last year. Her Hot Pink album moved 845,000 album consumption units in 2020, according to MRC Data.