New Music Friday is intense. Hundreds of songs drop from artists around the world, and you’re supposed to somehow find the best ones. It’s fun work, but it’s time-consuming — so we at Billboard Dance want to give you a hand. Each week, we sift through the streams and dig in the digital crates to present the absolute must-hears from the wide breadth of jams.
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As the year winds down, the dance world keeps it moving.
This week’s output ranges from a pair of mega-ambient singles from Thom Yorke, Burial and Four Tet to the straight-up pyro and confetti bangers on Timmy Trumpet’s debut LP. We’ve also got a new single from Chris Malinchak, a vinyl reissue of Bonobo’s Black Sands in celebration of the album’s 10-year anniversary, another reissue of The Glitch Mob’s debut LP, Drink The Sea, an instrumental rendition of Tokimonsta’s March album Oasis Nocturno, a deep house single from Kaskade and Will K, an extremely pleasant Jayda G remix of Romy’s “Lifetime,” and all the hot ish below.
Let’s dig in.
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Anna Lunoe Feat. Nakamura Minami, “Ice Cream”
Anna Lunoe dips in with her first track of 2020, “Ice Cream.” Featuring 31 flavors of chunky synths, skittering drums and sirens, the track is also sprinkled with lyrics from Japanese rapper Nakamura Nimani, who offers a rallying cry we can all get behind: “I like ice cream.” Equal scoops rave-y and fun, the track is an altogether sweet treat that Lunoe will surely play during her set later this month at Brisbane’s Factory Summer Festival. Yes, Australia is currently allowing music festivals, and yes, it’s summer there right now. Sounds pretty yummy to us.
San Holo, “bb u ok?”
San Holo poses a simple question on his Counter Records debut, “bb u ok?” Rendered in a distorted and pitched-up voice, this titular query is in fact the only lyrical content of the track, which is otherwise composed of warm beat pad synths and the producer’s own shimmery guitar work. “Life is so fast paced these days, we often don’t take the time to answer this question genuinely,” the Dutch artist born Sander Van Dijck says in a statement. “It’s so easy to fall out of touch with yourself and the people you love. We need genuine conversations and connections to keep going… So, reach out to someone close to you today with a simple ‘bb u ok?’” Honestly, that’s good advice. Text your peeps now.
Logic1000, “I Won’t Forget”
Industry co-signs? Logic1000 has those. Christine & the Queens and Caribou have both tapped the Australian-born, Berlin-based producer for remixes, and she counts Four Tet as a mentor. But while such bonafides can take you pretty far, undeniable music can take you further, and Logic1000 has that, too.
Her latest production is “I Won’t Forget,” a warm and immersive IDM slow build featuring a murmuring vocal that eventually breaks through into full fledged singing like the sun emerging from behind the clouds. The track is the lead single from her from her forthcoming EP, We’ve Got the Whole Night To Go, out Jan. 22 via her own label, Therapy. “I wanted to create a mood that was hopeful for a brighter future,” the artist born Samantha Poulter says of the song. “I look forward to playing this one in a festival setting, hoping to get everyone’s hands in the air!” We look forward to seeing her name on lineups when dancefloors open back up.
Monki, “Queen of Hearts”
U.K. producer Monki grew up listening to the Chemical Brother, Prodigy and 808 State, with this head start on rave music no doubt fueling her current career as a producer and dance world tastemaker. She’s played such revered clubs as fabric and Plastic People, has a slot hosting on Radio 1, has released on Defected and Jamie Jones’ Hottrax, as well as her own label, & Friends.
It’s from this imprint that the latest Monki track, “Queen Of Hearts,” emanates. The seven minute house heater really lifts off with the sinewy, ’80s-inspired melodic synth, which should do well in raising your heart rate whether you’re running, dancing or just aggressively tapping your feet. And in regards to physical activity, the artist born Lucy Monkman, is also a current player for London’s Dulwich Hamlet F.C. Ladies soccer team, having also worked on projects with the Women’s World Cup, Adidas, Nike and more.
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Baauer, The Boptape
On Instagram, Baauer called this mixtape, “19 very stupid tracks, as a thank you to you if you’re reading this.” You’ll thank yourself for pressing play on The Boptape, which was created live on Baauer’s Twitch stream (which was itself hosted by comedian Patti Harrison) and gives very HARD Summer 2013 vibes. Silly, frenetic, fun and generally satisfying, the mixtape comes in conjunction with a deluxe edition of his Grammy nominated album Planet’s Mad, which includes feature-length visual album four new Baauer tracks and eight new remixes.
Yolanda Be Cool, “We Speak No Americano” (Silash & Doppe Remix)
Ten years ago, Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool bounced into the scene with their absurdly catchy “We Speak No Americano” a club-centric edit of the 1956 Italian classic classic “Tu vuò fà l’americano.” (Movie people will remember this as the song Jude Law and Matt Damon perform together in the club scene of The Talented Mr. Ripley.) Today the duo are celebrating the decade anniversary of their hit with a remix collection that includes an edit by Romanian duo Sllash & Doppe, who cut a lot of the brassy pizzazz of the original and trade it for hand percussion and steel drum, taking this one from Naples to the club to the beach and spanning more than sixty years of music history in the process.