This week in dance music: A new compilation of music of rare disco and funk from the former USSR was released via Ostinato Records, Charli XCX teased a new project, the DJ Awards announced that they’re coming back after a four year hiatus with an October ceremony in Ibiza and a sprawling pool of nominees, Kaytranada, Ravyn Lenae and Channel Tres performed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson’s “Symphony” spent a second week at No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
And, on a singularly busy release day, here are the best new dance projects of the week.
Fred again.., Ten Days
Before Fred again.. embarks on his North American tour, he’s shared his fourth studio album, ten days. A follow-up to his Grammy award-winning Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 23, 2022), the new LP is similarly diaristic, comprising “ten songs about ten days,” as he writes on Instagram. Fred shines in his ability to make his music feel infinitely emotional, simultaneously larger-than-life and intimate – where a song played to a stadium-sized crowd touches everyone on a personal level, as if it were made specifically for them. Where songs like “Fear Less” and “Just Saw You” offer a soft but powerful slow burn, others like “Places to Be” and “Glow” — a seven-and-a-half-minute joyride made with with old pals Skrillex and Four Tet, along British producer Duskus — are more outwardly energetic, a fast-pass to euphoria.
“There’s been a lot of biggg mad crazy moments in the last year but basically all of these are about really very small quiet intimate moments,” Fred writes. “Some of them are like the most intensely joyful things I have felt, and some of them are the other side of things. And some days i don’t want to speak about loads cos I’m not the only person it was an important day for it that makes sense.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Nero, The Unknown
EDM era titans Nero return with their first album in nine years, Into the Unknown, a 13-track demonstration that the trio’s still got it. Via a coalescence of jungle, drum ‘n’ bass, UKG, bass and genres beyond, the sleek, pristinely produced album explores themes of apocalypse, global disconnection, the growing influence of technology and nothing less than the progression of humanity itself, a sizeable message for a sizable, powerful project. Coming nine years after their last album Between II Words, Into The Unknown completes a trilogy started with the group’s 2011 debut Welcome Reality, and longtime fans will certainly recognize the epic sound and style (and Alana Watson’s umistakable voice) that first brought Nero to the fore. — KATIE BAIN
The Chainsmokers with Kim Petras, “Don’t Lie”
There’s something absolutely breezy about The Chainsmokers new Kim Petras collab, “Don’t Like,” with the duo shooting off a slinky, infectious production that trades big drops for a more tempered but very effective garage-y IDM vibe. Petras pulls her weight here as well, with her breathy vocals giving a classic Kylie vibe with the song’s earworm melody. And the video, about a deliciously messy renegade desert party (starring The Chains behind the deck and Petras as the mini-skirted star of the dancefloor), is just eye-candy fun. — K.B.
Aluna & Aqutie, “Ghostin“
Hailing from the deluxe edition of Aqutie’s Coolest in the City EP, “Ghostin” has the feel of the city itself, with a siren going off over a scintillating beat that conjures a vibe of subway tunnels and dark alleyways. Vocals here are from Aluna, who’s also releasing the project on her Noir Fever label, with the the two artists recently taking part in the label’s first writing camp at Empire’s San Francisco headquarters. Of pairing up with Aluna, New York City based Aqutie advised that “when two queens link up honey, and the combos communicate, unstoppable.” Meanwhile, the next Noir Fever showcase will feature artists including Aluna and Coco & Breezy next month in Brooklyn.
Ninajirachi & MGNA Crrrta, girl EDM
Australian producer Ninajirachi releases her full length project girl EDM (disc 1), a 10-track package on which she synthesizes the 2000s and 2010s electronic music that influenced her and puts it through her own crunchy, ephemeral, but also quirky and also hyperpop influenced filter. To that end, standout “Angel Music” is the 2024 female equivalent to Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites-era Skrillex, with Ninajirachi taking the pummeling vibe of that era, updating it and making it her own. — K.B.
Alan Walker, Joe Jonas & Julia Michaels, “Thick of It All”
Sometimes you just want to get lost in a big, hooky, feel-good, tearjerky anthem — which Joe Jonas, Julia Michaels and Norwegian electronic giant Alan Walker deftly deliver on “Thick of it All.” Walker laces the pop-forward singalong with a light drum ‘n’ bass influence, a foundation for Jonas and Michaels to belt globally relatable lyrics like “One, there’s no one to blame/ Two hearts don’t break the same way/ I know we’re in the thick of it all,” which swell to a climax of pretty harmonies. The song is out now on Monstercat. — K.B.
Microfilm, Futureproof
Portland electronic music duo Microfilm achieve a major milestone with the release of their tenth studio album Chimeraz. Packing 11 songs into just over a half-hour, it’s an exploration of what the pair call “mutant pop,” trekking across frenetic soundscapes that touch upon styles like footwork, electro and techno. “The impetus was to make a collection of tracks something like ‘George Michael on Warp Records’ or ‘Modeselektor producing the Pet Shop Boys,’” says member Matt Keppel. On songs like “Quaaludes,” “Collabz” and “Shade,” brash beats meet prismatic melodies and vocals like bubblegum pop thrown in a blender, while “Rabbitholez” gleams with the ominous atmosphere of a full moon on Halloween. Chimeraz’ many textures and layers make it a brain-tickler in the best way. — K.R.
Yunè Pinku, “Half Alive”
In the leadup to her Scarlet Lamb EP, yunè pinku shares her latest single “Half Alive.” It’s a bittersweet affair, where dense breakbeats cast a shadow against the lightness of dreamy synths above. pinku’s falsetto floats even higher overhead; her reflections on experiences with anxiety and depression imparting a deep wistfulness. The Billboard 2023 emerging dance artist has been expanding her sonic universe on this project, with her previous offering “Believe” leaning into something more alternative-indie. Scarlet Lamb is due out on October 4 via Method 808. Following its release, pinku will join Caribou on a North American tour, which includes stops in L.A., Brooklyn, and Toronto. — K.R.
Mat Zo, “Disco Boy”
Skinny jeans, EDC in L.A., EDM’s infancy and all things neon: Mat Zo’s latest single is an instant portal to the late 2000s in all their maximal glory. Marking the London-based producer’s return to deadmau5’s mau5trap label, “Disco Boy” is a raucous shape-shifter of a track, moving from frayed-out electro-house to shimmering disco with Animorphs ease. The groove is gritty and head-thrashing, peaking with a hoovering build that threatens to suck out your soul and leave you whirling into the night. (And, if you listen to it three times in a row, Cobrasnake shows up to snap your photo.) — K.R.
