Heavy Rotation: the latest tech house, ambient, and indie electronica
Here’s our round-up of our favorite dance music sent to the blog in April so far. All of this music has been on heavy rotation here at TNLF HQ.
MOLØ x Slackin Beats – Don’t Change
First up, we have a collaboration between Berlin-based trailblazer from Stockholm, MOLØ, and Malmö’s finest beat peddler, Slackin Beats. Their new single, “Don’t Change,” bridges MOLØ’s affinity with ethereal soundscapes together with Slackin Beats’ penchant for boundary-pushing production techniques.
Dos Mentes – Loving You
Nick Taylor is the LA-based producer behind Dos Mentes. His new single, “Loving You” is a funky, soul-driven house cut that explores the ups and downs of love. It is underpinned by a bit of disco feel and layered up with strings, piano, and sax. There is even a familiar Hall & Oates sample tucked in the mix.
Bronze Whale – Catching On VIP
The indie-electronic duo from Austin, Bronze Whale, step the tempo up a bit with their newest single, “Catching On.” This is their VIP version of the single —an edit that flips the original into a harder, house-driven cut built for their live set.
WAKYIN x Vibarco – Matador
With strong Dominican and Puerto Rican roots, Christian Rivera-Joaquin (aka Wakyin), was exposed to lively rhythms of merengue, bachata, and salsa from an early age. As a result, he enjoys fusing genres, and creating a unique signature that resonates with audiences far and wide. For his latest single entitled “Matador,” Christian teams up with Colombian producer, Vibarco.
Haskell – The Power of Speech
Haskell’s decade-long journey through electronic music is marked by his embrace of tech-house’s rhythmic propulsion and groove-focused minimalism. Here he brings some choir-inspired vocals mixed with some serious tech-house (and a pinch of cow-bell) on his new single, “The Power of Speech.”
Overtracked – Burning
Dutch producer, Michael Engel (aka Overtracked) has just dropped a tech-house banger called “Burning” that will be lighting up a dancefloor near you. Growing up in the house and techno scene in the Netherlands, Engel has become an established name in Western Europe over the years.
With two studio albums under his belt and loads of EPs, Engel’s sound is often characterized by punchy kicks, stabs and synths combined with acid sounds. “Burning” just keeps it simple though. A bouncy dutch-house beat with some melodies sprinkled in.
CAPYAC – “U Know Y”
The queer electronic trio, CAPYAC (cover photo), began in Texas as a collective before moving back to the home of the two original founders in Los Angeles. The trio take inspiration from Detroit house and French Touch, and distill it into a heady mix of funk-influenced electronic music.
Their new track, “U Know Y,” was created to ease the pain of your daily doldrums.
JMSN – Soft Spot (Just Geo edit)
Just Geo gives us a tidy old school edit for this JMSN tune, “Soft Spot.”
Mel Blue – 2 Go
Oscar Sharah, Jacob Siles, and Luke Gerber are the founding members behind Australian outfit, Mel Blue (a name that comes from shortening “melancholic blue”). Their music simultaneously imbues indie dance music with retrospection and modernity.
Their latest track, “2 Go,” blends elements of drum & bass and indie house to create a love letter about living in London. “We wrote ‘2 Go’ around the faster breakbeat and electro tempos we’d already been exploring,” explains Gerber when talking about the new single. “[It is also] about asking for forgiveness and mending broken relationships. This was one of the first songs we wrote for the album, and it symbolizes how we were feeling about the project at the time. At that point, we were at a bit of a standstill. We had thought that moving to London would take the next steps for us. It was anything but! Instead we needed to listen with an open mind, be patient and humble ourselves, and then make our own path. ‘2 Go’ captures a real fighting energy. And that comes out of us pushing ourselves, growing, and fighting for the project to continue.”
Lan + Nick – Soul Of The Dancefloor
Belgian duo Lan and Nick (aka Lan + Nick) have joined up to focus on the more classic, groovy deep house productions. Their latest cut, “Soul Of The Dancefloor,” features some old school vibes and a touch of 90s piano house magic.
eta, Casey Zanni – 0072
Born in Hawaii, 24-year-old producer Casey Zanni is making waves in the electronic music scene from his current base in Phoenix, Arizona. Drawing inspiration from acclaimed artists like Ben Sterling, Marco Carola, and Paco Osuna, Zanni’s music style is a fusion of house and disco that creates a unique blend that pays homage to beloved classics while pushing boundaries with new sounds.
For his latest track, “0072,” Zanni teams up with fellow Arizona-based producer, eta (pronounced “eh tah”), to sync up some head-bouncing beats.
ERASR – Mind Control
ERASR’s sophomore release deconstructs Orwellian themes through innovative electronic soundscapes, challenging genre conventions with its bold experimental approach.
“Mind Control” marks ERASR’s second release, showcasing this live electronic artist’s sound that draws influence from Radiohead and Rufus Du Sol. The track explores the challenges of discerning truth in an age of pervasive propaganda, examining how constant information streams affect our perception of reality and ability to form independent thoughts.
Theatre Of Delays – Untangled
And last, but certainly not least, we’ve got a new track from Theatre of Delays. We’ve been following and supporting his music for the last 12 years (almost as long as this blog has existed) and as a result, we have the privilege of hearing a lot of his music before it is released.
ToD’s journey began long after early forays into Detroit electro and the algorithmic labyrinths of IDM. Seven years ago however, the journey took a dramatic atmospheric turn, which saw his music taking a deep dive into the realms of ambient, noise, and drone. Today, Theatre of Delays continues to push boundaries, fusing gossamer ambient textures with subtly distorted, time-dilated rhythms. It’s a sound that exists in the liminal space between beat and atmosphere, a dark and emotive exploration of electronic music’s vast potential.
His latest track, “Untangled,” blends ambient electronic atmospheres into evolving synth textures. The result is something that is both melodic and cinematic.
Cover photo: CAPYAC
