This week’s list of freshly curated tunes is packed with soulful house, a warehouse anthem, introspective experimental bass, and more.
KETTAMA – HIGHER (STEEL CITY POWER HOUSE) [STEEL CITY DANCE DISCS]
Galway producer and rave master KETTAMA injected his signature full-on “powerhouse” sound to Mall Grab’s Steel City Dance Discs with this new gem. “Higher” marks his debut on Australian/London-based imprint SCDD, who have been championing genre-fluid music and artists for the last five years-a perfect home for KETTAMA’s raucous bass-heavy output. This is a fast, relentless, in-your-face barrage of heavy drums beefed up with hi-hats and all the percussion in the shop, spiced with febrile female soul-drenched vocal riffs. Breakdowns with jumping keyboard chords or swoony white noise barely let up on the onslaught on the senses; this is one to get temperatures sky-high for summer ravers and we absolutely cannot wait to hear it on the dancefloor.
OLIVER KOLETZKI – ‘MADE OF WOOD’ LP [STIL VOR TALENT]
Oliver Koletzki’s ninth studio album, Made of Wood, is not to be overlooked. The 12-track LP sees him carve out deeply personal sonic sculptures with a confident, learned hand while experimenting with a broad range of thrilling ideas and fresh textures. A perfect representation of his classic organic twinge, Made of Wood naturally concludes trilogy of albums Koletzki embarked on releasing with The Arc of Tension and followed with Fire in the Jungle.
Initially written in Tulum, Mexico, during the pre-pandemic winter of 2019, Made of Wood is physically entwined with the primeval forests that continue to inspire its maker: In the subsequent year it took to complete the album in Berlin, Oliver, aided by numerous live musicians and vocalists, brought his sketches to life with a focus on wooden instruments like djembes, marimbas, santoors or duduks, sculpting a natural sound that’s warm in timbre, rich in groove and literally made of wood.
ANYMA – ‘CLAIRE’ EP [ROSE AVENUE RECORDS]
Pioneering musical concept Anyma, the brainchild of Tale Of Us’ Matteo Milleri continues his experimental brigade with a 3-track EP on Rüfüs du Sol‘s esteemed label, Rose Avenue. Title track and EP opener ‘Claire’ sees Anyma deliver a sparkling dose of indie-electronica. Co-produced by Faroe Islands composer Janus Rasmussen, it’s steeped in emotion and punctuated by the haunting vocals written and sung by Delhia De France. ‘Forevermore’ is similarly emotion-driven, channeling a modern trance sound characterised by ethereal melodies and subtle breakdowns. EP closing track ‘Sonder’ sees Anyma explore this sound further, tapping into the integrative algorithmic consciousness’ remarkable skill for crafting electronic music with humanlike levels of sentimentality. A second stunning EP in the span of two months, ‘Claire’ again sees Anyma demonstrate exceptional talents for electronic music production.
HANS GÖRAN x FLYCKT – LIMONCELLO [BISOUS]
Lucas Nord has been a busy man as of late, releasing music under the names of three different aliases (Hans Göran, Moodshift, and his own moniker), all while continuing to produce for other artists. Serving as his house-leaning side project, Hans Göran has allowed Nord to delve deeper into the feel-good realm, producing an array of summertime tracks built for warm weather listening. Uplifting in every way, shape, and form, ‘LIMONCELLO’ percolates in the ears like a glass of warm sunshine, titillating the senses with infectious good vibes. Accompanied by a short music video depicting the production of the Italian lemon liqueur, limoncello, the single leaves us thirsting for more.
LIQUID STRANGER x LUZCID – SNOW MELT [SSKWAN]
“Snow Melt” is not your average Liquid Stranger track. Despite his role as label head honcho, the single doubles as his official debut on SSKWAN. Joining forces with longtime friend and psychedelic bass star LUZCID, Liquid Stranger dials back his usual uncompromising freeform bass sound for an introspective sonic experience. Staying true to the phonetics of his alias, “Snow Melt” boasts a ‘liquid’ flow tailored for relaxation, meditation, and elation.
