Roundup, November #4
From reworkings of dance music classics to unexpected explorations into new styles, we roundup our favourite releases of the week. In no particular order:
Sevdaliza – The Great Hope Design
There’s always been something sanctimonious about the music that Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza puts out. Her songs play like unearthed rituals, spoken in reverence to some ancient higher power. Her latest single for Believe Music, The Great Hope Design, follows suit and touches on themes of faith and existence. “Eat my flesh, Drink my blood.. I am my own God,” she worships over a simmering trip-hop beat and rapturous bass so deep it feels sacred. Download and stream it here.
VTSS – Trust Me
Rising German techno star VTSS has a penchant for deep, woody percussion that bangs in a way that’s almost tribal and the reworking of familiar sounds from queer club culture. Both are on display on her first single off the forthcoming debut album Projections, albeit briefly. Trust Me is as good a teaser as you can get; a short piece of VTSS’s signature twisted techno that serves as an appetiser to whatever main course Projections promises to serve up. Like it’s title it’s both a command and a dare, and now that we’ve had a taste we’re hungry for more. Pre-order Projections here.
David Morales – I Feel Love
That Donna Summer’s I Feel Love has seen countless re-workings and re-imaginings is a testament to the brilliance that is Girogio Moroder. The song and synthline seem destined to continue to inspire and influence dance music for generations to come. For his take released on DIRIDIM, David Morales switches up the melody of the main hook and chooses to focus on the glowing synth harmonies heard behind the original’s iconic modular arpeggio. A jiving afrobeat groove forms the backdrop, and while parts of it recall Afrojack’s recent rework, it’s great to see a classic being taken on by Morales, a classic in his own right. Download and stream it here.
The Bug – Treetops
Earlier this year, The Bug released some of the best music of his career on the album Fire. His aggressive and disarming grime and bass had never sounded so ferocious, soaked in the gasoline of his potent anti-establishment angst. Treetops (released on Ninja Tune) sees The Bug team up with lead vocalist of electronic post-punk duo Sleaford Mods Jason Williamson, and while it’s jarring to hear Williamson spit bars over a signature Bug beat, it works. The raspy pub-drunk jeer of the chorus is sung just a touch off beat, and Williamson’s drawling Lincolnshire accent makes the sense of disquiet all the more arresting.
Bonobo – Otomo
The latest single to be shared from Bonobo’s upcoming album Fragments (released in January on Ninja Tune) continues to offer more surprises from what is being lauded as his most ‘diverse’ work to date and his self-professed masterpiece. Rosewood saw him dip into micro-house, elevating his BPM to new heights. Otomo (featuring O’Flynn) opens with Bonobo’s signature chill wave and a primordial sample of a chanted Bulgarian folksong. Then, things get a bit strange. A pulsating midsection of clanging techno synths give way to the unmistakable bass modulation and two-step pattern of garage, an unexpected yet entirely welcome foray into the genre from an artist who’s otherwise made a name from chilled out slow burners.
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