Apart from having a cool cover that looks like it could’ve been an Asia album, Karassimeon‘s AethernovaEP is loaded with hot beats, killer cyborg synths, and dance floor jams that combine his homeland’s French disco with Italo disco, synthwave, and a touch of industrial edge.
“Panique Synthétique” is a track you’ll want played whenever you walk into either a nightclub, a gym, or a haunted house…or a haunted gym below a nightclub. The horror movie scream and police siren samples, the spooky synths, and the classic rave sounds bring back a lot of memories for this original raver. It’s sibling track, “Analog Anxiety,” is, somehow, a bit creepier and the edge sharper…like a giallo film maniac lurking around the fringes of the dance floor with a straight razor in his or her black gloved hand.
The title track is a sizzling breakbeat cut that will have you stomping the pedal in your real car or the one you’re driving in the latest edition of Mario Cart. “Final Flash” closes the EP with bumping techno tailor-made to launch you out of your seat or off your spot on the wall and shove you onto the dance floor. This is a perfect track to get over that “Why am I doing this?” moment during a cardio workout.
Underworld are one of those bands I wasn’t certain I’d get to see live. Most of their tours are in the UK and Europe, and I didn’t get to see them the last time they were in the Midwest at Detroit’s Movement Music Festival years ago on a Sunday night.
Lo and behold, they announced a brief U.S. spring tour with only five stops, and one was in Chicago at Radius. I snagged tickets from the presale as soon as they were available. To my further delight, they announced it would be an “open to close” show with two full sets and no opening act.
They brought in a big crowd and instantly had us dancing with them. They barely let up during the first set, banging out classics like “Low Burn” and “Techno Shinkansen” while a simple and effective light show played out behind them.
During the twenty-five-minute intermission, I met a family of three who’d flown in from Atlanta, Georgia for the show. The mom and dad had brought their fourteen-year-old son (It was an all-ages show.) there for his first concert ever, and they all had a great time. I’m sure there were many people like them in the crowd, as Underworld was only doing six shows on this U.S. tour: One in Brooklyn, the Chicago show, and then four out west — Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Bakersfield, California. It was a rare opportunity to see them east of the Mississippi River.
The second set was loaded with fan-favorites, including “Pearl’s Girl,” a fun version of “Dark & Long (Dark Train),” “Two Months Off,” a faster, almost jungle version of “Cowgirl,” a hard-hitting version of “King of Snake,” and, of course, “Born Slippy” to close it off.
As we walked back to our car after the show, I could hear behind us a father asking his daughter if she enjoyed it. She did. He explained how “Born Slippy” “was from this movie called Trainspotting. It’s a really good movie that’s from before your time.” Most of Underworld’s music is from before his daughter’s time (They are still making excellent albums.), so it was great to see so many younger people at this show and for Underworld to make it an all-ages performance. We need more of that…and them.
I found this two-disc collection of great French techno, house, and jungle tracks in a record store’s used CD bin for less than five bucks. It practically felt like I was shoplifting it. The Wagram Music collection from 2008 has thirty-one tracks on it from heavyweights of the genre and covers a wide ground of EDM.
Dim Chris starts us off with jungle (“Sucker”) and then big-time DJ David Guetta drops “Baby When the Light” on us to get the floor jumping. Charles Schillings‘ “Be Gone” is pure house, while the “Mike 303 & Baxter Baxter radio edit” of Superfunk‘s “Electric Dance” has so much thick electro-bass that it might clog your speakers. “Samplemousse” by Brian Arc is a fun house jam that builds just like you want a house jam to build. You’ll definitely want to get down to Antoine Clamaran‘s “Get Down,” and David Vendetta‘s “Bleeding Heart” (the “Arno Cost remix”) is quirky, funky, and junk-in-the-trunky.
Kiko‘s “Requiem for a Dream” brings in a touch of synthwave to the mix. Arias‘ “Flynn” practically reinvents “The Percolator” for 2008. Jaochim Garraud‘s “Street’s Sound” is a house track that’s both lush and a bit creepy. Are you looking for a naughty song to put on the next bedroom mix you’re planning for your lover? Look no further than DJ Gregory‘s “Breeze.” “Naughty” barely describes it. It borders on “filthy, almost to the point of absurdity.”
Alex Gopher goes big beat on us with “Aurora,” bouncing loud, bright synth sounds off the walls. “Punk” by Etienne de Crecy is a salute to Daft Punk, who appear with the “Para One remix” of “Prime Time of Your Life” after Surkin‘s “White Knight Two.” There’s even a bonus remix of ZZT‘s “Lower State of Consciousness” by Justice to round out disc one.
Yes, all that is just on the first disc. The second disc is a collection of fifteen “classics” (from way back in 2000, just eight years earlier than the tracks on disc one). “Intro” by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke starts it off with a great bass-heavy house track, and Cheek‘s “Venus (Sunshine People)” continues the house party feel. Bob Sinclair‘s “Visions of Paradise” ups the disco beats to keep you moving. Martin Solveig‘s “Heartbeat” takes that disco groove to Italy and back.
Julian Jeweil‘s “Air Conditionne” is a cool introduction to Super Discount‘s bossa nova-touched “Prix Choc.” The “Todd Edwards Vocal Radio Edit Mix” of St. Germain‘s “Alabama Blues” is a showcase of mixing techniques that will leave you impressed. The bass groove on “Use Me” by Alex Gopher with Demon Presents Wuz is infectious to say the least. Daft Punk returns with a fun remix of I:Cube‘s “Disco Cubism.” Arno Cost then returns, along with Arias, for their synthwave banger “Magenta.”
Da Fresh drops a “Fuckin Track” on us that’s as heavy as the growling synth bass on it. Didier Sinclair‘s “Lovely Flight” sounds like (and, by now, is) an old school house track. Speaking of old school, Sebastien Leger harkens back to old school raves when he suggests you “Take Your Pills.”If this song doesn’t take you back to dancing in an old high school gym with a leaky roof and the floor covered in straw, then Jack de Marseille‘s track will “Bring Back That Feeling.” The compilation wraps up with Laurent Garnier‘s “Wrap Up,” which will give you enough energy for the afterparty.
This whole thing is solid, and a fun mix of old school, house, jungle, and even synthwave. Start crate digging for it.
Montreal based multidisciplinary artist Annie-Claude Deschênes returns with new single “Main de Fer“, out now via Italians Do It Better & Bonsound.
On “Main de Fer”, Annie-Claude Deschênes fuses minimal techno with avant-garde to trigger a disorienting exploration through emotional isolation. An invisible grip engulfs the mind and erases the contours of the self, leading to a silence where breath is extinguished as the soul dissolves in the shadow of control. Its disturbing soundscapes and fragmented textures challenge the blindness of the self and others, offering us the opportunity to free ourselves from our inhibitions in a controlled chaos.
As a key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for the last two decades, she has left her mark as a performer & visual artist with Duchess Says & PyPy; two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying live shows as they are for their artistic sensibilities. Always forward, her exploratory approach takes her into uncharted territory with her debut as a solo artist. The urgency that characterises her work remains, but frustration & aggression give way to introspection & vulnerability.
Over the course of her career, Annie-Claude Deschênes shared the stage with a number of renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes & Buzzcocks, among others. Her debut solo album titled ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ was released last year via Italians Do It Better & Bonsound.
Sextile’s new album, yes, please. is a floor-filling, club-shaking banger that encourages us to embrace life and not let the bastards get us down. It’s a record that skewers misogyny, politics in general, the United States’ health care and education systems, and the music industry…all while giving you a rave freak-out.
After the early 2000s video game opening credits-like “Intro,” we’re let in on the not-so-secret information that “Women Respond to Bass,” with Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn instantly making you sweat within the first throbbing bass riff. This song will make you want to turn your lights on and off at rapid pace to simulate a strobe light if you don’t already have one within arm’s reach. Keehn takes over lead vocals on “Freak Eyes,” in which he sings about the pressure of making the album just as good, if not better, than the last, and to make it now (“I’m trying to get my shit together. People say I should be working faster.”). The warped sounds are probably reflective of how his brain felt at the time.
“Penny Rose” delves into what schools and education will become in the near-future thanks to AI and carefully chosen subject matter. Hip hop artists everywhere will want to steal the beats and bass on this. “Push Ups,” with guest vocals from Jehnny Beth, builds and builds until your workout becomes a mid-1990s aerobic VHS tape played in fast-forward. Speaking of fast-forward, wait until you hear the bass on “Kids,” which seems to be going faster than anything else on the album. It’s pure trance music that will lift you off the floor (and listen for the additional vocals by Izzy Glaudini of Automatic).
“99 Bongos” is a fun one, with the titular drums slapping down sick beats while synths never seem to stop rising around them and someone tells a tale of tripping on acid and taking a road trip they were lucky to survive. “S is For” has Scaduto spitting a sexy tongue-twister that is probably being played in S&M clubs even now. “Rearrange” calls out how many things have been changed for everyone, and not for the better for most of us. Scaduto’s vocals sound like they’re coming through a staticky radio tuned to a pirate channel. Its sister song, “Resist,” calls / yells for women to fight for their reproductive and health rights. The pulsating bass on it is fuel for action.
“Is this it? Is there something I’m missin’?” Keehn sings on “Kiss.” He’s wondering what the hell happened around here, how did he end up in the middle of it, and what does he do now? Apparently, you dance until you’re a sweaty mess because the last half of the track is a full-on industrial ripper.
If you’re wondering why so much of this album is about calls to action and to embrace life and, let’s face it, pleasure, part of it is because Scaduto spent a good chunk of time before this album was recorded in a New York nursing home after an accident that almost caused the loss of a leg. “Hospital” and “Soggy Newports” detail the experience, with “Hospital” being the wild synth-wave dance cut about her trying to figure out why health care is such a damn mess, and “Soggy Newports” being the low-key song about how health care can be so damn depressing (“Please get me out of here, because I’m going out of my head.”).
If you’re looking for a hot dance record, look no further. If you’re looking for a sexy record, look no further. If you’re looking for a boring record, look elsewhere.
Los Angeles duo Sextile are celebrated for a stylish, albeit unflinching electronic punk sound. Today, the band shares the new single “S is For,” which arrives ahead of the album, yes, please., out May 2, 2025 on Sacred Bones. The track is a defiant clap back at feminist connotations, with singer Melissa Scaduto leaning into lyrical repetition “Sex / S*** / Swell / Stiff / Slag / Snap / Shut,” she repeats, her talk-singing outlined by bloopy synthesizers and techno drums. Like the best Sextile songs, “S is For” marries danceability and heartfelt spunk. The video accompanying the track follows Sextile on their exhilarating recent tour with Molchat Doma.
On the track, Mel Scaduto of Sextile shares:“It’s not super relevant to Sextile but with my other project ‘S. Product’ I was always asked what the S is for – it’s always really been a Scaduto product to me. But this song is sassy way to explain how many things the S could be.”
“The video originally had a completely different concept and was scheduled to be shot a week before leaving on a 7 week tour. However due to the heartbreaking and tragic LA fires the video shoot was cancelled of course and we had no other choice but to shoot the video while on the road. The video is a collage of performances, audiences and backstage moments across several different shows during our US tour with Molchat Doma.”
LIVE DATES
May 23 – London, UK @ Wide Awake Festival
May 24 – Bristol, UK @ Dot to Dot Festival
May 25 – Nottingham, UK @ Dot to Dot Festival
May 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
May 28 – Manchester, UK @ White Hotel
May 29 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East Instore
May 20 – Brighton, UK @ Dust
May 31 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds
June 01 – Margate, UK @ Where Else?
June 03 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
June 04 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
June 05 – Le Havre, FR @ Le Tetris
June 06 – Saint Point, FR @ Les Mouillotins Festival
Cie‘s newest EP, Adventures II, contains four rock solid tracks of booming, bumping deep house that you’ll want to throw on at your next party or anytime you need to feel like a bad-azz mofo.
The opening, swirling, pulsing, grooving bass of “Reichenstein” grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go for the next six minutes and fifteen seconds. “Der Turm” (“The Tower”) has cool tribal beats that put a neat spin on this house track. It’s a well-crafted blend of house, jungle, and a bit of synthwave. Nicely done, Mr. Cie.
Side B of the album contains two versions of “Stenzelberg” — the original and a remix by Mar io. The original’s funky bass groove is enough to sell you on the entire EP, and the rest of it is a flat-out house banger (Do I sound ancient using that term?). The remix is almost a minute longer and swaps out the house funk for more jungle flavor and darkness along the edges.
This is one of the best house music EPs I’ve heard so far this year. Go snag it.
Pascal Hetzel‘s 2022 album, ASLM, gets an update three years down the road and becomes ASLM Remixes – featuring a lot of sharp talent and enough beats to power your next workout or dark afterparty.
Starting with JakoJako‘s remix of “RBBRMN” (“Rubberman?”), the album drops snappy electric percussion and throbbing sub-bass that gets into the back of your brain. GAEL‘s remix of “TWST” (“Twist?”) pulses like the heart of a final girl in a slasher film.
Up next is Kaiser‘s remix of “SLT” (“Salt?” “Slit?”), which you’ll want for your next HIIT workout because the bass on this makes you feel like you could either dance all night long or kickbox a dozen opponents. It’s followed by another remix of the same track, but this one by Projekt Gestalten. Their version adds an underlying sense of menace, almost like you’re dancing in a club with hornet nests hanging from the ceiling that might drop at any moment if the beats get too heavy.
The record ends with Luis Flores‘ remix of “PPPR” (“Pepper,” right?) throws you into some sort of futuristic, slightly dystopian sci-fi movie battle sequence with its buzzsaw synths, mechanical beats, and orbiting war machine bass. Good stuff, really.
Los Angeles duo Sextile – celebrated for an unflinching, electronic punk sound injected with trance-pop grit – have announced their bold upcoming album, yes, please., out May 2, 2025 on Sacred Bones.
Much of yes, please. is being performed on a current North American run of dates supporting Molchat Doma into March. Sextile has also shared the single “Freak Eyes,” which pushes their dark, pulsing signature sound to new heights. It opens with a nasty bass growl, which abruptly gives way to a techno beat peppered with clanging cowbell and sharp hi-hat. “I feel the pressure / Man the pressure I feel when we’re together,” vocalist Brady Keehn cooly, albeit firmly yell-sings in the opening lines. Inspired by the ways in which pressure can provoke challenges and improvement alike, “Freak Eyes” conjures electrifying images of seedy Sunset Strip backrooms and leather clad warehouse dance floors.
On the track, Brady Keehn of Sextile shares: “”Freak Eyes” is aboutthe pressures of making art, living, and aspiring. The sound was inspired by house parties we went to in NY, where certain tracks had the conversation stopping power. If you were in the middle of convo with a friend and heard certain songs, it didn’t matter what you were talking about, you stopped and joined the party in the collective release of emotion, singing, dancing, and drinks flying everywhere. It was like in that moment, nothing else mattered but that energy that we all collectively felt. And I felt like I hadn’t seen that at a party, or anywhere in a while, and wanted to try to bring that feeling back into the world again.”
Keep your mind open.
[Look! The subscription box is just to your left!]
Berlin-based producer and DJ Barker (aka Sam Barker) announces Stochastic Drift, his new album out April 4th via Smalltown Supersound, and presents its lead single, “Reframing.” Following 2023’s Unfixed EP and his first full-length release since his 2019 debut album Utility, Stochastic Drift builds on Barker’s singular process to capture life’s chaos and reflect on just how much has changed. If his previous records showcased the artist “using ambient materials to remake techno” (Pitchfork), Stochastic Drift pushes Barker’s approach even further into harmonic chaos and dreamy freeform float.
Utility, the fullest expression of the beatless techno experimentation Barker excavated on his cult classicDebiasing EP, arrived to critical fanfare from The Quietus, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, and Mixmag (who named it their Album Of The Year). The years since the release of Utility have been marked by intense unpredictability: Barker’s own shifting attitudes towards production, moments of professional transition and, not least, a global pandemic, necessitated somewhat of a reinvention.
Stochastic Drift sees Barker creating tracks with a fresh deftness and appreciation for the unexpected. “I’d been working with an approach that was quite deliberate and goal-oriented before, but I realised this wasn’t so helpful in the context of uncertainty. Being suddenly unemployed and stuck at home for an indefinite amount of time, with one disruption after another, it was like the target kept moving and I didn’t know what to aim at,” Barker reflects. “I noticed this unpredictability starting to creep into what I was making, and tracks were ending up a long way from the intentions they started with. So the challenge for this record was to try to embrace that process, to let go of expectations.” The serotonin-spiking lead single “Reframing,” titled after psychological technique for reinterpreting a situation in a positive way, unfolds like a brittle reimagining of Sasha’s eternal prog trance standard “Xpander” until it begins to drift through uncharted territory.
Throughout Stochastic Drift, Barker dives deeper into the world of mechanical instrumentation. Barker explains: “My interest in mechanical instruments is not to replace a human performer, but to explore the tool in a different way, maybe dehumanize it a little bit and look for the potential outside of what humans have already perfected.” Addressing anxiety about the influence of automation in music making head on, Barker emphasizes that, regardless of the technology implemented and how this might enable the artist, machines of all sorts, be they robots, synths or instruments, are simply tools. It’s the creative act that remains resolutely human.
“I wanted to explore the link between my internal and external realities, between the chaos of the time and how that was manifesting in my music and ideas,” Barker says of Stochastic Drift. “It’s a transition between lots of shifting realities, describing a process in a window of time that was full of change.” As though finding comfort in unpredictability, the artist pieces together a new sound and in so doing finds a salve for uncertainty.
Barker Tour Dates Sat. Mar. 15 – Dublin, IE @ The Complex (Live) Sun. Mar. 23 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Panorama Bar (DJ) Sat. Apr. 5 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (Live) Sun Apr. 13 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Panorama Bar (Live) Fri. May 2 – Basel, CH @ Sudhaus Basel (Live) Thu. June 5 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound (Live) Sun. June 29 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Panorama Bar (DJ) Sat. July 19 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Panorama Bar (DJ) Sun. Sep. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Panorama Bar (DJ) Sat. Nov. 1 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain Panorama Bar (DJ)
