Let’s just say it clearly: there is so much great new music this week.
In the past five days we got a vibey new single from Bob Moses and Zhu, Inner City released its first album in 30 years, Zedd dropped his first new music of 2020 and, incredibly, Kygo collab’d with Tina Turner.
Plus, Aluna, Princess Nokia and Jada Kingdom dropped the deliciously slinky “Get Paid,” Alex Metric and Riton released the excellent “How Could I Ever” under their Kuu moniker, white-hot producer Haai dropped the spooky, ambient single “Head Above The Parakeets,” Dombresky remixed Tokimonsta‘s “Come and Go” Benny Benassi and Cece Rogers established their bromance on “I’ll Be Your Friend.”
But wait, there’s more. From house to deep house to experimental house to techno to pop, these seven tracks captivated our ear space this week. Let’s dig in.
Love Regenerator and Steve Lacy, “Live Without Your Love”
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Okay first, let’s get our names straight. The slinky house anthem “Live Without Your Love” is being released by Love Regenerator, the new-ish alter ego of one Mr. Calvin Harris, who was born Adam Wiles. Ya following? Good, because Wiles is the name that the future dance music titan used when he submitted his early tracks to the venerable U.K. house music label Defected. “Live Without Your Love” — a collaboration vocalist Steve Lacy — is the first Love Regenerator track to feature vocals and is also Wiles’ (and Calvin’s, and Love Regenerator’s) first-ever Defected release.
A press release for the track calls it “the outcome of a long-held ambition for him. His love and respect for the U.K. house music label goes back over 20 years when he first submitted his demos to the label well before his success under the moniker Calvin Harris.” We like everything about it.
Maya Jane Coles, “Would You Kill (4 Me)?”
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Maya Jane Coles returns with the three-track EP, Would You Kill (4 Me)? The deep house-oriented title song is a bit less intense than the name suggests, bouncing along on a blend of dark house beats and bright flourishes that have an altogether hypnotic quality. Coles’s work has always walked a sophisticated line between light and dark and this a song — ideal for very late nights and rather early mornings — extends this dreamstate duality quality of her catalog.
J. Worra, “Now Ya Know”
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Proving that synths can be a deeply funky as any bass guitar, J. Worra is strutting into the weekend via her latest track “Now You Know.” The song’s star elements are Worra’s feathery vocals and a kind of sassy future house bassline that will surely put some saunter in your step as well. “Now You Know” is out via Noizu’s Techne Records.
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande, “Rain On Me” (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
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Purple Disco Machine works his magic on Gaga and Ari’s summer smash “Rain On Me,” adding his trademark disco influence and funk guitar to the mix and in the process making an already undeniable dance jam that much harder to say no to.
Rome In Silver Feat. Chæ, “Friends”
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There’s two key elements at play in “Friends,” the latest from SoCal-based producer Rome in Silver. Featuring vocals from L.A.-based singer Chae, the track bounces back and forth between breezy, deeply listenable house to a sort of pleasantly glitchy version of that same sound. The first part is what makes it good, but the second element is what makes it interesting, proving once again that Rome In Silver — who’s had previous releases on San holo’s Bitbird label — is one to keep an eye on. “We went through so many versions,” the producer says of the new track in a press release, “but ultimately this version (the lyrics specifically) kind of hints toward a place we are both sitting at mentally. I’ll leave it at that.” “Friends” is the producer’s first release via Monstercat.
Nora En Pure, “Bartok”
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There’s something positively grand about “Bartok,” the latest from Swiss/South African phenom Nora En Pure. The chunky wall of sound she builds plays in deep contrast to the ephemeral, kind of holy sounding moments featuring just strings and layers of her own voice, and when we say that music is helping us get through quarantine, this is the kind of tear-jerking material we’re talking about.
Tiësto, “Five Seconds Before Sunrise”
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Listen, this is not “Jackie Chan”-style Tiësto, so if you’re looking for pop stars and big hooks, head on back to the figurative mainstage. With “Five Seconds Before Sunrise” the Dutch producer debuts his VER:WEST project, throwing back to his earlier days with five minutes of complex, warmly melodic and altogether very effective deep house that one can indeed see themselves dancing to with their eyes closed in those rare and special moments after which the song is named. VER:WEST will make his performance debut at the Tomorrowland 2020 Digital Festival, happening next weekend.
