Fr-fr-fr-fresh – some of very best new releases

First of all let me apologise to bass music lovers – there isn’t much for you to get your teeth into here. I don’t know why, perhaps it’s just down to the balance of popularity among genres, but we just seem to get inundated with house and techno, so, invariably that’s the style we end up covering the most.

We try our best to offset this, though, and that’s why we have dnb & dubstep aficionado, Suzie P, on the team, who we really can’t give enough credit to for her brilliant reviews, and another bass music expert writer starting very soon…

But there are other genres that we sometimes overlook as well and when we realise we’re doing it, it frustrates us hugely because we want to be a place where fans of electronic music in all shapes and sizes can come and get the lowdown on what’s happening in their scene. I remember how much I used to hate the fact that house music got 20 pages of reviews in DJ Mag, while hard house got about two.

Most recently, I was reminded by Dr Karenza Moore (look her up – she’s doing some fantastic work on behalf of a lot of people reading this post right now) that we don’t cover enough trance.

To be honest, I completely forgot about that reminder and went about compiling this playlist the usual way – seeking out some of the finest new releases. I wish I could say that I took head of her advice and endeavoured to include some trance, but I didn’t, it just so happened that the two trance records in this list were among the best new dance music I heard this week.

Henry Saiz – ‘Reality Addendum’

One of electronic music’s very finest, Henry Saiz, a man whose creative vision is quite possibly unparalleled, releases the follow-up to his 2013 LP, ‘Reality Is For Those Who Are Not Strong Enough To Confront Their Dreams’. Available on double-CD or as a digital download, ‘Reality Addendum’ is a natural extension of the original LP that brings together a collection of cohesive B-sides for another awe-inspiring journey across the extraordinary soundscapes of which only Henry is capable.

Doorly & Sonny Fodera – ‘For Me’

There’s a whole lot of people out there who’ve been counting down the days to the release of Doorly’s Toolroom Knights compilation. One of the most highly anticipated of the series, it’s a heady collection of 32 solid house groovers, including five brand new and exclusive tracks from Doorly (pictured), Sonny Fodera, Rory Lyons, Eric Sharp & People Get Real. We’ve included our favourite of the bunch here. Those who have seen Doorly play live and experienced his mastery of samplers and FX units won’t be disappointed with the full-length mix, either.

Mihalis Safras – Indian (Butch remix)

Two of the most exciting “ones to watch” of late, Mihalis Safras and Butch come together on this remix, which quite simply isn’t suitable for anything but peak time hours in a club with a hefty sound system. The bassline is nothing short of relentless and the percussive flow is unstoppable. If Tim Westwood played house music, he’d definitely drop the bomb on this one.

Steve Bug – ‘Pelican Glide’

There aren’t many Pelicans to be seen in the UK, so I can only imagine that Steve Bug has been spending a lot of his time in far warmer climes to find the inspiration for this title. Whether or not the glide of a Pelican was the inspiration for the track, however, is unclear, but what we can tell you is that this is one dark and dynamic bit of 4/4 material that falls somewhere between minimal and tech house. It fully deserves to have been signed by Poker Flat, put it that way

Krankbrother – ‘Electric Lucifer’

Defected’s recently established offshoot is arguably starting to challenge its bigger brother for recognition now, especially on the house underground. This latest release goes some way to explain why that might be. People have been making electronic music for more than three decades and, let’s be honest, in most scenes it’s become largely formulaic, but once in a while, some bright spark turns out something a little bit different, and that’s exactly what Krankbrother has done with ‘ Electric Lucifer’.

James Poulton – ‘Elevate’

We’re ending the new release playlist on a trance note this week and I’m suddenly feeling a bit lost for words because, despite having listening to nothing else for several years of my life, I’m not sure exactly how to position a track in the scene as it is today. All I know is that the enduring purpose of trance is to make people happy and, if possible, cause them to reach for the lasers. With ‘Elevate’, James Poulton manages both, and with no small amount of accomplishment.

Audiocells – Asia (Liam Wilson Remix)

Liam Wilson is a friend of TNG and a local lad who is not only part of a massive group of clubbing mates, but also a brilliant DJ and producer. His latest offering is not in this list as a favour or due to any kind of special treatment, but simply because it’s a brilliant track. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be here, and we’re not the only ones who think this – Beatport considered it fit for their home page. I think I speak for lot of people we know in saying that we’re hugely impressed – to say the least – at how quickly Liam has tapped into his talent for production.

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