The latest record in my collection is a Record Store Day 2023 exclusive, released on the 22nd of April. Scuba’s Hardcore Heaven is a 12 inch wax disc which is six tracks of a fresh take on euphoric 90’s style hardcore with production features such as hard-edged beats, euphoric breakdowns and helium vocals.
I haven’t bought many records in a while due to attempting to save money during the cost of living crisis, however when I saw a few video snippets of the EP being played on Old Skool Hardcore’s Instagram page, I immediately fell in love with track 5, Yesterday. With this being a RSD exclusive release, at the time I bought this there wasn’t a digital copy to buy online (however there are now streams on Spotify and Soundclound if you do want to check it out yourself without paying for a physical copy), so I headed to google to see where I could purchase such an audible beauty.
I bought it from Horizons Music, who have a massive catalogue of records on their online site. I have never bought a record from them before until now but I will definitely be buying from them again. They sell records of all genres – not just dance so be sure to have a nosey at what you could also pick up from there too https://www.horizonsmusic.co.uk/ !
I love both versions of hardcore (punk sub genre and the dance genre) and this is the first dance hardcore vinyl in my collection. Not only does it sound brilliant, but it is also a really pretty number to add to my collection with the green splatter across the neon yellow.
Germany’s DJ Swagger released his Fleg EP in November of 2022 on Dr Dubplate’s Original Pirate Material vinyl series which debuted in 2021, and is the fourth release in the sub-label. The EP nods towards continued evolution in the ec2a sublabel’s sound, centred in darker corners of bass, garage and 140 realms and is DJ Swagger’s second release on the label.
The first track, Sssweat kicks things off with no restriction. A trippy and cheeky 2-step that packs a punch, there’s chopped-up vocals, chunky basslines and many a twist and turn, this is nothing short of a dancefloor mind-melter. Moving onto track two, Confu is bass-heavy yet stripped back and vulnerable. It is melodramatic, with airy synths that carve a deamy path into the dubstep nostalgia that follows. Flip over to side B, and Ghos has Swagger return to his usual mischief; this is a bumping house track that is bursting at the seams with old school energy, barely-there vocals, vinyl scratches and banging kicks – this is one for the real ravers. Closing off the EP with more of a blissful, psychedelic atmosphere is Crotch feat. Flying Solo which wanders through techno, trance and dubstep. An ape-shit vibrator that would sure enough unsettle a few dancefloors within sets.
One release I have checked out this week and really liked is one from September 2022. Want U is a two-track single from Dutch producer Coco Bryce, alongside a remix from Breaka, on Yanis Koudjo aka Dr Dubplate’s label, EC2A. The single was released digitally and is/was available on a limited edition 12 inch vinyl, as part of a series called Twelvez, a vinyl offering from the label which is a nod to the classic club ready 12 inchers, with one track per side at 45 RPM for extra bass weight and emphasis. Twelvez is a powerhouse for darker, bass-heavy club sounds with the coldest onboard.
Opening the single, Coco Bryce delivers an RnB vocal sample, which is commonly featured within his jungle tracks. Alongside the vocal, there is a 160 4×4 pattern fuelling the energy throughout the track.
For the remix, London born, Leeds based Breaka introduces keys and pitched up vocals for fans who prefer just that extra little bit of oomf. He is a Rinse FM regular with a signature sound of prominent basslines and unique percussive rhythms, and his work has taken him to creating mixes for Mixmag and even to the tiled walls of Berlin’s HÖR bathroom.
EC2A was born in 2020, and it’s name is an ode to the post code of Plastic People’s Curtain Road days, a former London clubbing institution where the UK bass scene began and formed a nest for many of the early sounds that have continued define eras of UK music. Recognised by Electronic Beats, Dance Wax, Mixmag and more for his spirited and no-nonsense approach to the industry, the future looks bright for Dr Dubplate and ec2a.
As the year draws to a close, I am preparing my final favourite tracks I have loved this year and drawing the written version of On Repeat to a close. Here are November’s favourite tracks:
English Teacher – R&B – First up for November is from a Leeds originating band called English Teacher. Their song R&B was released as a single in April 2021 and is about impressions people have on artists based solely upon appearance. The song is sang by lead singer Lily Fontaine with the remaining members providing backing vocals alongside initially interlocking guitar and tight rhythm before the energy is switched up with nerve shredding riffs.
Fontaines D.C – I Love You – A band I have fell in love with in the past few months is Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. They are definitely one of the best indie bands of this generation, with three incredible albums already in their catalogue. I Love You is from their latest album, Skinty Fia released in April this year. I saw them play at Leeds Festival this August and I specifically remember them playing this song which I think is my favourite of theirs so this moment in the setlist really stands out for me, this sparked my urge to listen to them more. It opens with some stunning guitar shortly followed by Grian Chatten’s vocals featuring his alluringly beautiful Irish accent. Whilst its not a love song, it certainly is a passionate perspective of the current state of affairs and political climate
Viagra Boys – Sports – Another band I have discovered lately and am really enjoying is Sweden’s Viagra Boys, who are an alternative, post-punk band who first formed in 2016. Sports is from their 2018 debut album, Street Worms. The song is a parody of hypermasculinity displayed by men when playing or talking about sports; within the narrative of the song there is a beach party going on with frontman Sebastian Murphy throwing out various types of balls used for sports, party-goers are eating hot dogs, smoking cigarettes and dope. Meanwhile the music grows with the tension, with vocals becoming increasingly deranged with Murphy screaming out “sports” as though clinging on to his manhood for dear life.
Jeff Buckley – Nightmares By The Sea – One of my favourite musical discoveries this year has been Jeff Buckley. Of course I have always known of him and his incredible cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah but this year I have really listened to his work and explored his creations. Nightmares By The Sea comes from the 1998 compilation album Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk, released a year after his death. The album features recordings he made in 1996 and 1997 as well as alternative mixes and demos. The song opens with eerie guitar which matches up with the vocal themes in the song. As well as his incredible voice, Jeff’s guitar playing is nothing to shy away from, some fantastic arrangements on so many if not all of his releases.
Porij – Figure Skating – The first dance release for November is Manchester’s Porij with Figure Skating, a lovely little bit of liquid drum and bass supported by sweet vocals from Eggy. The track was released in February this year as a single and is about “intimacy and sensuality in moments that aren’t overtly sexual” the band explained in an interview with NME. I really like this track as it clearly shows the band’s ability to experiment with other genres and it is something other bands and artists out there should admire and maybe even try themselves.
Mick Jagger – Gotta Get A Grip (Kevin Parker Remix) – It took me until I was 23 to like The Rolling Stones, and much to my surprise I even came across this Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) remix of Mick Jagger’s solo song, Gotta Get A Grip. The original version was released in 2017 as part of a 2 track single, alongside England Lost which featured Skepta. The remixed versions then followed shortly after with editions from Kevin Parker, Seeb, Alok and Matt Clifford. For his remix, Parker added fuzzed out guitar and his signature reverb to create a grittier, even more rock and roll version of the song.
PJ Harvey – Big Exit – I have also started listening to PJ Harvey throughout November, all thanks to me rewatching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. In an episode, Tristan buys Rory tickets to PJ Harvey’s concert in the hope he would go with her on a date (just for some context no one asked for). I’d heard of PJ Harvey before and I’m familiar with her work with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke but had never really listened until now. Big Exit is from her 2000 album, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, which was inspired by her time within New York City.
IDLES – When The Lights Come On – Here is another IDLES song, who I have featured in September’s edition with Samaritans. Just like Fontaines D.C, they’re another band I have really become a fan of this year. When The Lights Come On is the third track on their 2021 album Crawler, and is about vocalist Joe Talbot’s memories of being the last man standing at gatherings or nights out where alcohol and drugs are involved.
Joy Orbison, Overmono – Bromley – I went to Eat Your Own Ears at Warehouse Project this November and saw both Joy Orbison and Overmono for the second time. During their set, Overmono lightly teased Bromley, a collaboration produced by both artists in 2019, released on XL Recordings. For the most part of the track, not a lot happens. There is a lack of climatic moments and is mainly monotonous and repetitive, however fast forward to 3 minutes and 43 seconds into the song, this all changes. The beat drops and an unbidden vocal sample breaks through of “say it yeah”. The vocal lick returns throughout several times towards the end of the track and each time it appears it remains as startling as the first time you hear it. The sudden switch up in the track makes all the difference, the whole track almost feels like a hallucination. It is a staple British underground dance track, now loved by many.
Turnover – New Scream – The final track for November is from Virginian band Turnover. New Scream is the second track on their 2015 album Peripheral Vision, which had me and any other person into alternative “emo” dream pop in an absolute chokehold at the time of its release. The album is a timeless classic, it is both lyrically and musically so beautiful and will have a place in my heart forever. New Scream is one of the more underrated tracks on the album in my opinion, it feels like a breath of fresh air, even with how miserable the lyrics are on this song and the rest of Peripheral Vision. This album saw me through one of the darkest times in my life and whenever I listen to it, it feels like reuniting with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. I always turn to this album in the Autumn time, so for that reason it felt wrong to not include at least one song in the On Repeat Series.
That is it for November’s tracks, thank you so much for reading. As always, all ten tracks can be found and listened to in The Ruthless Raver Spotify playlist below:
I really meant it when I said in September’s edition of On Repeat that my track selection would get darker the more into autumn and winter we get; because in October’s edition there are only three dance tracks! When it reaches mid-October, I tend to listen to a lot more grunge and rock than any other genre, it just feels like it fits the changing of the seasons. I’ll start with the three dance tracks and then discuss my other selections of grunge, metal and hardcore:
Tjade – Voyager (Marlon Hoffstadt AKA DJ Daddy Trance Remix) – The first dance selection for October is this trance number, Voyager, remixed by DJ Daddy Trance (otherwise known as Marlon Hoffstadt when he isn’t djing or producing under his trance alias, or previously known as Dansson when he formerly made house music belters such as Shake That from 2013). Originally by Netherlands based producer Tjade, the track was released in July this year on the four-track Voyager EP, including this remix, which boasts extended breaks and a high bpm alongside sparkling chords and acid trance interludes that unironically remind me somewhat of Darude’s Sandstorm. This is a great track of the new wave of trance-techno that has blown up this year.
Schak – Moving All Around (Jumpin’) (Feat. Kim English) – Next up and the second dance release for October is from North Shields newcomer Schak with his debut single Moving all Around (Jumpin’), released on fellow geordie Patrick Topping’s label, Trick. The track has been doing its rounds on social media both before and after release, in a video where Schak and friends invaded their local B&Q to host a kitchen sesh complete with decks and PA system, and other videos where they have been spotted on public transport including buses and the Newcastle Metro. The track is a complete party anthem, there hasn’t been a tech house track with this much wallop in a long time in my opinion, and the icing on the cake here is that it features vocal samples from the late, amazing, queen of house; Kim English.
Selker – Too Much For Me – The third and final dance track for October is up and coming scouse producer Selker’s Too Much For Me. This is another debut single, which first landed on Soundcloud last year and since its 1.6 million listens, has now been signed to huge label Warner Records and was officially released this July. Too Much For Me is a more modern, tempo-pushed take on the 2010 house mix of the 1995 Charlene Smith hit of the same name. What I can only imagine is relatively simple to do production wise, the tweaks and studio wizardry on Too Much For Me have certainly excelled it onto a path to become a timeless house classic for years to come. It has that really nice nostalgic house feel to it, like classic old school house. This is definitely the track I have had on repeat the most out of all of this month’s selections. It is an absolutely gorgeous track, I love it.
Melvins – Honey Bucket – Now its time for the rock picks. This is a song I found on one my spotify daily mixes and I’ve been obsessed with it. Melvins are a sludge metal grunge band, formed in Washington in 1983. Honey Bucket is from their 1993 album, Houdini and features a face screwing riff approximately one minute in. What drew me in initially were the vocals from Buzz Osborne that sound a lot like Metallica’s James Hetfield in the Garage Inc. era, right after the guitar work that is very Black Sabbath-esque. They never quite broke through the way they definitely should have done, but Honey Bucket and the rest of the Houdini proves that Melvins are one of the best kept secrets in metal.
Counterparts – Bound To The Burn – Canadian metalcore band Counterparts released their seventh album A Eulogy For Those Still Here on the 7th of October and I think it is definitely a contender for album of the year. My favourite song on there is Bound To The Burn, the third single released prior to the album, following the previous two singles, Unwavering Vow and Whispers Of Your Death. Bound To The Burn is a song about the pressures of making music for a living and the mental turbulence that comes with it, and features a bone-splintering breakdown and unrelenting drums.
Minerva – Deftones – Deftones are one of my favourite bands of all time and their music sounds like it was made perfectly for Autumn, or as I like to call it, Deftones season. I tend to listen to them more this time of year when the days are darker and shorter. One song I have had on repeat is Minerva from their self-titled album released in 2003. It has a heavy shoegaze influence throughout but is one Deftones’ more softer songs, a break from their usual heavy sound.
Alice in Chains – Rain When I Die – Another band I’m a sucker for this time of year are the great Alice in Chains. Rain When I Die is from their classic 1992 album Dirt which is one of the greatest albums of all time (fact, not opinion), and I also think this song in particular is one of the most underrated on the album. Frontman Layne Staley’s voice is at one of his best performances here, along with the guitar lick that just soothes the soul and utters out all emotion.
Joy Division – Interzone – I’ve recently finished reading Joy Division bassist Peter Hook’s book, Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, and really enjoyed it. It is a really insightful book on the band and is full of interesting and funny anecdotes about them and what they got up to, as well as of course the delve into the album Unknown Pleasures and the stories and meaning behind the lyrics. I often listened to the album whilst reading the book (as recommended by Peter) and Interzone was the one song on the album that caught my attention on this particular day. This is one of few songs with Peter on vocals (as well as Ian Curtia) and is one of the less miserable sounding songs on Unknown Pleasures, it’s a song with a skip in its step.
Helmet – Like I Care – Helmet are a band I have recently discovered in the past few months and I’m really stoked to be writing about them and my new found love for them. I can’t remember ever hearing of them before which I’m surprised about because their music and sound is exactly the kind of post-hardcore rock music I love. Like I Care is from their 1997 Aftertaste album which got very poor reviews as far as I can see from my research. I haven’t listened to the album as a whole but if it is as bad as the critics say, I would be very surprised because I think this song rocks. It has a weighted bassline throughout alongside crashing drums and lyrics that sound very Deftones inspired by how suggestive and almost flirtatious they are. It’s your typical, late 90’s alternative rock. This song made me listen to their other works such as their 1994 album Betty, which is sick; I guess I should probably check out the rest of Aftertaste now too.
High Vis – Walking Wires – Finally, to wrap up October’s edition of On Repeat, I have selected a song from another band I have listened to a lot this past month or so. London-based post punk High Vis were at Outbreak this year and unfortunately I didn’t get to see them and hadn’t listened to them before, so I checked them out a couple of months ago and was absolutely kicking myself for not doing so earlier. They’re a really good band and I really like their song Walking Wires from their 2019 debut album No Sense No Feeling. Walking Wires was the first single before the album was released and has an absolutely stunning intro riff, met by pattering drums creating an 80’s style post punk sound.
That’s it for October, thank you for reading and be sure to check out all ten tracks, which have been added to The Ruthless Raver Spotify playlist below:
September came around pretty quickly this year, which meant summer has well and truly ended; but I still managed to stretch the fun out for longer. I started a new job working from home (which gives me so much more time to focus on the blog and my writing), and gave myself a well deserved week off before I started, which included going to Alton Towers and lots of retail therapy, and then I went on holiday to Spain to finish the month off! Now summer is done, and autumn has arrived, its finally time for spooky season, which means On Repeat is about to get a whole lot darker! Here are my top ten favourite tracks I listened to the most in September:
AISHA, Franck – Bump It XO – The first track for September is a collaborative number from Scottish producers AISHA and Franck released in August on his label, Carouse Records. Bump It XO is from their EP, Helfy Rapid and is an ode to 00’s Scottish culture they experienced growing up and the current burgeoning European hard dance scene. Expect massive BPM, and massive energy. Make sure you check out the three-track EP as a whole if you love hard dance, this is a great release!
Jimmy Whoo – Nite Eye (Featuring Sabrina Bellaouel and Loubenski) – Slowing things down now, this next song comes from Parisian producer Jimmy Whoo featuring fellow French artists Sabrina Bellaouel on vocals and Loubenski on the production. Nite Eye is from his 2017 album, Motel Music Pt. II, which is part of his series of albums, all titled Motel Music (either part one, two, or three); and the third and most recent volume of which was released in June this year. Nite Eye is the only song of his I have listened to, but from this song alone you can immediately feel the sunset strip, motel vibes. French-Algerian singer Sabrina Bellaouel’s voice adds a delicate touch of R&B to the track, and alongside the electronic production makes a stunning late night song overall.
Skin On Skin – Burn Dem Bridges – Upping the pace again here, next we have the latest single from South Sudan born, Australian-based producer Skin On Skin, Burn Dem Bridges. The track went viral online before its release, as he played this in his incredible AVA Boiler Room set and rightly so, became one of the most highly awaited releases of this year. I won’t say too much as I wrote a new release article about this track for Oculate, which you can read here: https://oculate.uk/archive/music/burndembridges-sos
IDLES – Samaritans – IDLES are one of the most popular bands to come out of the UK in the past three or four years, and I have really got into them a lot lately. Samaritans is from their 2018 album, Joy As An Act Of Resistance and was one of the several singles released prior to the release of the album. The snarling punk song is a searing takedown of toxic masculinity, confronting the subject and exploring the mental pressures it causes. It is a song to make a statement, and makes IDLES one of the most important bands in UK punk.
bdrmm – Happy – From punk, and now to shoegaze from Hull five piece, bdrmm. Happy is from their 2020 album, Bedroom, which I assume is how you pronounce the name of the band, too. This is the only song I really know by the band, having not yet listened to the full album yet but if Happy is anything to go by then I am sure I will not be disappointed. What stands out to me the most is the beautiful guitar work on the song and nothing like what you may expect from typical melancholic shoegaze, Happy, as its title may suggest, is a bright and upbeat track, speaking of the release that comes from a breakup; a more positive account of a heartbreak which focuses on moving on with life.
The Rolling Stones – Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’ – The oldest release this month is The Stones’ Can’t You Hear Me Knockin, released on their 1971 album Sticky Fingers. It took me about 22 years to appreciate The Rolling Stones as I always though they were really overrated, but the more they have come up on my Spotify over the past two years, I am starting to think that maybe my music taste is just maturing like fine wine. This is my favourite song by them, opening with a Keith Richards guitar intro, this is pure rock and roll.
Antss – Stopp – I may be lowering the tone here quite a lot, as the next track selection for September is one of tech house from Antss, his single Stopp released in 2021 on Solid Grooves (yikes). It is not very often I find a tech house track that really wows me these days, but boy did I put any slander behind me after listening to Stopp for the first time. It embodies a no nonsense floor-filler , be that a dancefloor, kitchen floor or even the fields of summer festivals with its rubbery bass patterns, metallic drum shots and hooky vocal interjections.
Big Bite – Relentless Healing – Back to a more, shoegaze, grunge release now from Seattle band Big Bite, with their song Relentless Healing from their 2018 self titled album. Consisting of eight songs and only 22 minutes long, the album was released on Turnstile / Trapped Under Ice label Pop Wig. Relentless Healing features a monotone vocal and warbling guitar riffs, giving that post-punk feel. This is probably my favourite of September’s selection, just because of the grunge, post-punk sound I absolutely love.
Praise – Makes No Sense – Whilst were on the lines of rock releases, here is my final of the genre for September. Makes No Sense is a melodic hardcore song from Baltimore rockers Praise, who are another mash up band with members coming from other similar bands, including Champion’s Andy Norton on vocals, Turnstile’s Daniel Fang on drums, and members of Have Heart, Mindset and Sacred love.
Burnski – Go – The final selection for September and the final dance release is the British wizard of production Burnski’s track Go from his Trigger EP, released on the 2nd of September on Constant Sound. Go perfectly encapsulates UKG, with rough bass and a killer 4×4 groove, this is set to cause serious damage on a dancefloor.
Thank you for reading all about September’s favourites, all ten tracks have been added to the Ruthless Raver On Repeat Spotify Playlist below:
August was another fun filled month for me as always, I went to the very first Teletech Festival in Manchester at Bowler’s Exhibition Centre and Leeds Festival for the 5th time (and most definitely my last), and I even got to meet Mall Grab! Here are my top ten favourite tracks for August:
Show Me The Body – Loose Talk – I think everyone knows by now that I will literally never be over Outbreak this year so don’t expect me to stop going on about it any time soon. One band I hadn’t listened to much before the festival were Show Me The Body who played on the Sunday, and their set left me with a desire to listen to them some more. Loose Talk is the first single released this year from the New York hardcore trio, which came out in July after I saw them in June, and is a drawn-back curtain into what else is to come from the band.
Brian Eno – King’s Lead Hat – Next up is a new-wave, psychedelic rock song song from Brian Eno. Originally performing with Roxy Music, Eno left the band in 1973 and began working on his own extensive catalogue of music. King’s Lead Hat was released in 1977 and is the fifth track on his album, Before and After Science. King’s Lead Hat, in my opinion, is a seriously overlooked pop rock masterpiece; I am familiar with Brian Eno’s work such as the absolutely stunning Ending (Ascent) from zombie horror film 28 Days Later, but upon first listen I could not believe I had never heard this before until a few months ago. It is mechanically rhythmic, and the title of the song is actually an anagram of Talking Heads, as apparently it is supposed to be a tribute to them. After King’s Lead Hat, Eno went on to produce Talking Head’s second, third and fourth albums.
Dax J – China White – Techno king Dax J released his latest EP this August, titled Brixton. China White is the fourth and final track on the EP and my favourite on the release, the only problem is, it just leaves you wanting more from him, four tracks was not enough! Personally I think he really did save the best track until last here, its an explosion of face melting techno from the get go. Hopefully the EP is a teaser of another upcoming Dax album where we can hear more stuff like this, for longer.
Megan Thee Stallion – Captain Hook – I have absolutely no shame that my favourite set of Leeds Festival was Megan Thee Stallion’s on the Saturday night. I have always liked our Meg, I knew she was going to be good but I never thought she would be THAT good, she absolutely blew me away with her performance. Within her setlist, she sang the outrageous Captain Hook, from her 2020 album, Suga. I made a feeble attempt to pretend I knew the lyrics when I was watching her, but I managed nothing but a babble of gibberish, as you do when you literally don’t know what you’re saying. It was only upon my return home from Leeds festival when I Googled the lyrics, that I made the discovery that the song is actually a musical metaphor for a man who is phallically bent.
Rage Against The Machine – Know Your Enemy – I have spent most of my years wanting to see Rage Against The Machine live as they’re one of my favourite bands of all time; unfortunately my dream was shat on from a very great height they pulled out of Leeds festival this yearand they were the only reason I was going which was fucking marvellous, and to make matters so much worse, they were replaced by The 1975 which felt like a very personal attack considering how much I don’t like their music. Know Your Enemy is from Rage’s 1992 self titled album featuring the political statement image of a burning monk, and features Tool’s Maynard James Keenan on the bridge. The song itself is about identifying those who are there to make us conform, and therefore are more effective in creating change. Frontman Zack De Le Rocha claimed his teachers were his enemies as they told him to fight his own humanity.
Kush Jones – Earth Note – The second dance release for August is from US producer Kush Jones. Earth Note is from his 2020 release, EP (which funnily enough is an EP), released on Future Times. The track has a loose groove but the energy is plentiful, all thanks to the deep synths alongside claps and high hats to create texture and emotion throughout.
Fantastic Man – Aurora Digitalis – Keeping with the dance releases now, the next one on the list is from German producer Fantastic Man. His track Aurora Digitalis was released in November 2019 on his EP DJ Mentality on Superconscious Records, which he co-runs. The track is layered with piano over hypnotising pads which draw to the peaceful sound of birdsong alongside a vocal “woo” sample. Overall a really great track that is making me miss the summer nights.
Mall Grab – Times Change (Feat. D Double E, Novelist) – One of my favourite releases of this year so far which came out in august is Mall Grab’s latest album, What I Breathe. Times Change is one of my favourite tracks on there, mostly due to the collaboration with grime MC’s D Double E and Novelist, both of whom’s music I like very much. The track is a divergence from Mall Grab’s regular, high-octane sound as it is rammed with rolling breaks and heavy basslines as well as murky, syncopated drum patterns. Times Change was one of the singles released before the album, I believe it was the second single after Understand with Turnstile’s Brendan Yates. Both London legends Novelist and D Double bring their own signature styles and finesse to the track, with intelligent lyricism, smooth flow and even hardcore influences seeping in. I was lucky enough to meet Mall Grab at Rough Trade in Nottingham shortly after the album was released, where he did a signing and played an intimate DJ set. He was so lovely and we had a great chat about music and his collaborations with Turnstile and Brendan.
Jacidorex – Titania – One of the more harder dance releases comes from Belgian techno don Jacidorex. Titania is from his most recent EP, Two Minded, also released in August on 999999999’s label, Nine Times Nine. Much like Dax J’s China White, this is another track where you are hit with soul splitting techno, it’s the musical equivalent of opening an oven door.
Politics Of Dancing X DJOKO & Lowris – And now ending on a more softer BPM, with some minimal house from legend of the genre DJOKO and Politics of Dancing with their collaborative track on the label of the same name as the artist, Politics of Dancing. The release is a two track EP featuring tracks from both DJOKO and Lowris, and DJOKO’s cut is a spaced out transcender of house with warm pads and metallic drums.
That wraps it up for August and for the summer. Coming soon will be September and October’s editions. I’m very excited to share my Autumn favourite tracks. All of August’s favourites have been added to the On Repeat Playlist on Spotify below:
Welcome back to another monthly roundup of my favourite tracks I listened to the most. Here are July’s top ten:
Cat Power – Pa Pa Power – American singer songwriter Charlyn Marie Marshall AKA Cat Power is notorious for her incredibly spell bounding covers of already amazing songs – if she covers something, you know it’s going to be good. Pa Pa Power is a cover of Ryan Gosling’s band Dead Man’s Bones’ (consisting of Gosling and Zach Shields) song from their only album, self titled. I went to see her this summer in July when she supported Pearl Jam in London at their British Summer Time gig at Hyde Park, unfortunately she didn’t play this (or her exceptional cover of Lana Del Rey’s White Mustang which I was hoping to hear the most) but did perform a setlist that included a cover of Bad Religion by Frank Ocean. She has a very distinct voice that is very drawing, and with the haunting, goth-themed lyrics of the Dead Man’s Bones duo, this is another top shelf cover for Power.
Negroni Nails – White Matter – An electro release I’ve had in my library for years, but seemed to have forgotten about. I was reminded of this when I ordered a Negroni cocktail for the first time (quite simply, the cocktail reminded me of the artist) when I was out in Sheffield this summer, which I won’t ever be doing again because of how strong it was, couldn’t even finish it and ended up giving it away. Anyway, White Matter is an outrageously groovy seven minute club-ready cut for dancing. This is one of my favourite electro tracks of all time.
Mac Miller – People Under The Stairs – This song comes from the latest of Mac Miller’s post-homously released albums, I Love Life, Thank You. The album was originally a mixtape he made in 2011, his sixth to be exact, then was re-issued this July. People Under The Stairs is the second song on the release, and is a really nice little interlude, which features a sample of San Francisco Knights by Los Angeles hip hop duo, People Under The Stairs, hence the title.
Locklead – Bumpin’ Headz – It’s been a while since I have included any minimal in the On Repeat series, but one track I couldn’t get enough of this summer was Locklead’s Bumpin’ Headz, released in December 2021 on Chris Stussy’s label, Up The Stuss. The track is thriving with shimmering, bouncy chords.
Body Maintenance – Glass Faces – My favourite rock release of July is from Australian post-hardcore band Body Maintenance. Glass Faces is from their self titled EP, released in February 2021 on Unwound Records. This is the opening track on the EP and it bursts with grimy punk, cloudy guitar tangled with frontman Riley Stafford’s looming vocals. They were hard to research as they have no online presence whatsoever, and the EP is their only release so far. Hopefully they will release more like this because this is one of my favourite songs at the moment and I love the badass, grunge feel to it.
Chris Liberator & Sterling Moss – Croydon Girl – The techno release for July is the ever-classic, Croydon Girl by infamous duo Chris Liberator & Sterling Moss, originally released in 2011 on a Stay Up Forever compilation. If you’re into techno, this track needs no introduction. If you aren’t, you will be after listening to this. It’s a guaranteed party starter and always a hit on a dancefloor. It’s throbbing with acid techno and a thundering percussion alongside a pounding kick drum and a heavy, rumbling bass. Not to mention the iconic vocal sample of, “cos I love fat 303’s, fat rigs, fast drugs, fuck you”.
Pearl Jam – Even Flow – As mentioned earlier, I went to see Pearl Jam in London this Summer after an eight year wait to see them since I was 16. Even Flow is from their 1991 album Ten. This is one of the greatest rock albums ever made and Even Flow is my favourite track on there and in my opinion one of Pearl Jam’s best. It opens immediately with a guitar riff and straight into Eddie Vedder’s vocals, which are the narration of the life of a homeless person. In this song., they have managed to turn such sore subject into a solid greatest hit of rock.
Pixies – Debaser – I also saw Pixies play at Hyde Park alongside Pearl Jam and Cat Power, which was a dream come true for me as I have loved them for such a long time too, and Doolittle is one of my personal favourite albums ever. Debaser is my favourite song from the album which was released in April 1989. I was waiting for this to be played throughout their set, and when they finally did I was in the queue for the bar! But I still managed to have a dance and sing along when I was getting my pint before running back to the crowd to enjoy the rest of their set. The opening bass on this song is smooth, ever present throughout the song as the verses and chorus come in, Debaser took ten minutes to write and inspired Kurt Cobain.
AADJA – Falling In A Dream (D. Dan Remix) – Another techno release for July is American born, German based D.Dan’s remix of Canadian producer AADJA’s track Falling In A Dream. The remix was released in July 2021 on AADJA’s EP of the same name. It is a deep, pulsing power dub of groove techno with that more darker, streamlined feel to it.
Nina Kraviz – Skyscrapers (Dissolver Remix) – Finally for July, we have Dutch producer Dissolver’s remix of Russian techno aficionado Nina Kraviz’ track Skyscrapers. This version of the track was teased several times including in Dissolver’s HÖR set earlier this year and was released on the 22nd of July. It has that very distinctive sound of his, and it starts off with heavy thuds but builds up nicely to a really uplifting track overall. This is my second favourite remix of the track, after Hi-Lo (Oliver Heldens)’s take.
Thank you for reading about July’s top ten, all tracks added to The Ruthless Raver: On Repeat playlist below:
June was a sick month for me, I went to Download festival for the first time (for the Saturday, on my own), saw Chaos in the CBD and Interplanetary Criminal, Red Hot Chili Peppers and went to Outbreak Festival in Manchester. I have already touched on Download in May’s edition of On Repeat, and always pick dance music tracks so I’m gonna do something different for June. This is an Outbreak Festival special edition, where I am going to pick ten songs from my favourite bands I saw that weekend:
Counterparts – Nothing Left To Love – First up for the Outbreak special edition of On Repeat is Counterparts’ Nothing Left To Love from their 2019 album of the same name. It’s the closing song on the album and is beautiful one to finish with. The Canadian hardcore band warmed up for the festival on the Thursday night at the pre show on the second stage, alongside Guilt Trip, Static Dress and a couple of others. They didn’t play this song during their set, and they didn’t even play The Disconnect (???), but they still killed it all the same.
Incendiary – Front Toward Enemy – This was my first time seeing Incendiary, who I have been listening to since early 2020. Front Toward Enemy is from their 2017 album, Thousand Mile Stare, which is fucking sick from start to finish, definitely my favourite album from them. They played the main stage on the Friday afternoon which was the first official day of Outbreak and they were absolutely brilliant, I would love to see them again for sure.
Your Demise – The Kids We Used To Be – Also on the Friday on the main stage was UK hardcore band Your Demise. I used to love them when I was in school and had never seen them before this day, so a nostalgic void was filled, and I was lucky to catch this set as apparently it was their final performance together as a band. TKWUTB is from their 2010 album of the same name, and their third studio album. It’s definitely one of their more fun, poppy tracks and it never gets old.
Knocked Loose – All My Friends – A band I have listened to and loved for a long time now are Knocked Loose, and I finally got to see them for the first time at Outbreak, as they headlined the main stage on the Friday night. Their set was absolutely insane, I was both blown away and terrified all at the same time. Bryan Garris is an incredible frontman, the energy during their set was something else. People were getting escorted out by first aiders and even wheelchaired out, after they had to stop their set due to it getting so wild in the pits, I hope everyone was okay and didn’t rock out too hard. All My Friends is from their 2014 debut Pop Culture EP, and was then re-released on the 2019 Mistakes Like Fractures single. They played All My Friends in their Outbreak set , where they were also joined by Malevolence’s Alex Taylor for this song. Malevolence were also the secret set on the Friday which was awesome.
Superheaven – Around The Railing – Superheaven played on the Sunday which was what I had waited all weekend for as I had want to see them for years, their 2013 Jar album is one of my favourites of all time – I have mentioned it before as I’ve featured Knew from the album in my On Repeat series before. It was so good to finally hear some of their songs from Jar played live as well as other songs from their second album Ours Is Chrome, which came out in 2015.
Basement– Bad Apple – One of the sets I was looking forward to the most and one of my favourites all weekend was Basement’s, where they did a ten year anniversary set dedicated to their albums, Colourmeinkindness and I Wish I Could Stay Here. Bad Apple was the second song on the setlist and it’t one of my favourite songs they have done, it’s a metaphor for a person who is enticing and delicious on the outside but bitter and problematic on the inside. I think this was my third time seeing Basement and they were brilliant as always.
Turnstile –Alien Love Call – Another one of my favourite sets that weekend was Turnstile’s, who are one of my favourite bands. I saw them for the first time in January this year in Nottingham on the T.L.C tour and they were amazing so it was great to see them again, but this time at a festival. This time around at Outbreak was the better time I saw the of the two, it was so much more fun in the big warehouse where the main stage was with so many other people there. Their set was crazy and fun-fuelled, and I came out wet through with sweat! Alien Love Call is from their latest album Glow On and is one of two songs on the album featuring British alternative R&B producer Blood Orange, AKA Dev Hynes. This is one of their slower, sadder songs but it is such a flex for a hardcore band to be collaborating with Blood Orange.
Fiddlehead – USMA – Another band I have been listening to since early 2020 is Pat Flynn’s band Fiddlehead, consisting of other Have Heart members and members of Basement also. They played Saturday afternoon on the main stage and I really enjoyed their set, I have become really fond of them over the past two years and they mean a lot to me. USMA is from their 2018 album Springtime and Blind and is one of the singles released prior to the album. This is a song about grief, in which Flynn reflects on the death of his father, so there’s something I can really relate to and resonate with in this one.
Loathe – Two-Way Mirror – Loathe are a band I hadn’t listened to much at all before Outbreak, but after seeing their set on the Sunday it definitely made me want to listen to them more, which I have been doing. Something about Scouse metal bands seems funny, especially the way frontman Kadeem France asks the crowd if they’ve been drinking enough water. Two-Way Mirror has incredibly strong Deftones vibes (no surprise why I picked this song for them!) I really love the ambient, dreaminess of this song and it is certainly far away from their heavier, screamier songs which are also just as sick.
Drug Church –Weed Pin – We managed to catch a bit of Drug Church on the Saturday as well and from what I saw of their set they were really good. Not a band I massively listen to, as I went for their more popular songs that I knew (Million Miles of Fun, But Does It Work?, for example). Weed Pin is from the band’s 2018 album, Cheer and is a satirical take on social and political matters of adulthood, finding work when you don’t know what to do with life.
Thank you so much for reading, the On Repeat playlist has been updated below, and I hope to see some of you at next year’s Outbreak Festival at Mayfield Depot!
Here are my top ten tracks I loved the most in May ’22:
ESG – Dance – The first track for May is New York’s all female band from the 70’s ESG’s Dance. I came across this track from my Spotify daily mixes and despite its age, it is one of the grooviest and coolest songs. Dance was originally released on the band’s first full length album Come Away With ESG in 1983 and has been sampled in many speed garage tracks of the 90s and have been very influential amongst other genres including hip hop and dance-punk. I had never even heard of ESG before I listened to this song, so they are clearly one of the best kept secrets of the 70’s and 80’s.
Rove Ranger – In My Mind – Next up is In My Mind from German producer Rove Ranger. In My Mind was released on Asquith’s label Lobster Theremin in May 2020 on the EP 101010 and is a sexy cut of peak time techno with 90’s nostalgia. It blends lush vocal samples of the track title “In My Mind” with more housier elements and squelching basslines, definitely a club pumper.
Hermeth – Situationship – An electro pick for this month is Swiss DJ and producer Hermeth’s track Situationship from his 2019 album After My Bae. This is a track I have loved for a few months so it had to get a feature at some point in the series. Hermeth is an artists for those that love electro (obviously) as well as breaks and getto tech. This will be the vibe track for the summer ahead I have planned, it is dirty breakbeat meets electro, and features a sample of Iggy Azalea’s Work.
Coon Daddy – Big Baller – Another electro track for May is Coon Daddy’s Big Baller, released on Databass Records back in December 2004 on the Big Baller EP. This is one of my favourite tracks I have discovered recently, again, thanks to Spotify daily mixes. It is a track loved by the likes of Partyboi69 which is no surprise as it is a head bopper of a track that sounds like it belongs in the tiled bathroom of Berlin’s Hor mix series.
Viers – Dolphin Telephone – Here we have some breakbeat mixed with piano house from UK producer Viers aka Jordan Saxton. This is definitely more of a summer track due to its genre elements as it is so uplifting and pours out good vibes with an old school sound. It is also one that could be deemed as a festival essential for a house music set in the sunshine, attracting that front left crowd.
Ice Nine Kills – Hip To Be Scared – Now for the non-dance music related releases, I’ll start off with one by a band I have become very familiar with after seeing everyone’s Instagram stories and Tiktok’s of Bring Me The Horizon’s Malta Weekender, Ice Nine Kills. I began listening to them as they played the Saturday at Download festival which I attended the following week. This song in particular is a pop punk take on American Psycho’s most popular song on the soundtrack, Hip To Be Squared, originally by Huey Lewis and The News.
Deftones – Rocket Skates – The main reason I went to Download was to see Deftones, who have been my favourite band since I was about 15/16. Rocket Skates is from their 2010 album Diamond Eyes and is one of their heavier, screaming songs. This was on their Download setlist so I got to hear the roars of “guns, razors, knifes”.
Jeff Buckley – Grace – I have had a Jeff Buckley obsession this year, I don’t really know what started it off but Grace from the album of the same name is an absolutely stunning song and I wish I had began listening to him sooner. He was a man of pain and passion, and you can hear it through his voice and lyrics.
Bad Seed – Justice Deserved – Next is one of my favourite hardcore punk discoveries from my Spotify daily mixes, Pennsylvania’s Bad Seed’s song Justice Deserved from their self titled EP released in 2009. It’s badass and packs a solid riff, and the lyrics represent an anger towards a wrong-doer. You can’t help but shout along and feel the frustration.
Megadeath – Symphony of Destruction – Finally for May is another Download-esque song from Megadeath who also played at the festival this year. Sadly we missed them as we were waiting for Deftones who came on late. I had never listened to Megadeath much before the line up was released but Symphony of Destruction is one that stands out to me the most. It opens with a harmonic choir, then goes straight into a gritty guitar intro, and I would say it is a proper dad rock classic!
Matrakk – Sexfriend Is Better – First up for April is French producer Matrakk’s track, Sexfriend is Better; which was released in March 2021 on the compilation album, VA003 by French label Maison Close, alongside other amazing electronic talent such as CLTX, Charlie Sparks and Dissolver. The track is melodic techno but with pounding kicks, which also features a sample of N.E.R.D’s song, Everyone Nose (All The Girls Staning In the Line For The Bathroom).
Tender Games – Movin’ – Now for something of more of an electronic soul and funk kind of vibe, from German-Jamaican producer Tender Games, project of singer songwriter Ulrich Harrison. Movin’ is a mix of funky groove and disco feeling, and as the title would suggest, it certainly makes you shake a leg. If you are a fan of Thundercat, you’ll definitely catch on to this one. The track was released in April 2019 on Berlin label Midnight Snacks, and the single features remixes from two incredible artists, Marlon Hoffstadt and Black Loops.
Cousn – Papped – More of an upbeat track this one, from Bristol based duo Cousn (who funnily enough, are cousins). Papped is a party and rave anthem made for a club. There are also some massive clear influences from the Chemical Brothers here within this track. The duo’s music appears to be a symbiosis of disco, house and acid, experimenting with the blending of multiple genres at once.
Ed Hodge – Hot Point –Hot Point is a track of minimal house by up and coming British producer, Ed Hodge. This was released in January this year, on the four-track EP, Virtual Resistance on Manchester based label Dansu Discs. Virtual Resistance is a split EP with fellow UK producer Harrison BDP, as both producers have two tracks each on the release. Hot Point is a high energy, thumping track with a deep bassline that echoes the vibe of production gods like Jamie Jones.
Deniro – MPC Tracks A1 – One of the finest of his craft, Netherlands DJ and Producer Deniro released his most recent EP, MPC Tracks this month on label Self Reflektion. MPC Tracks A1 is the first on the four tracker and is overflowing with adventurous groove, another hit from a minimal techno king.
Stranger – Untitlebret – Another techno track for this month is Rotterdam based DJ Stranger’s track Untitlebret from the August 2021 single “Untitlebret / Rok Da Place“, also released on Self Reflektion, which is actually Stranger’s label. Mitchel Polderman (AKA Stranger) combines modern techno with the old school classic sounds, featuring a sample of Technotronic’s Pump Up The Jam, whilst giving it a much darker feel.
DJ Heartstring – Met Her At Bäreneck – One of my favourite artists of 2022 so far, who are skyrocketing their way to the top are Berlin based duo, DJ Heartstring, who I have featured in a previous edition of On Repeat. Their track Met Her At Bäreneck is the opening track from their EP of the same name which was released this month on Lobster Theremin. Their music catalogue is uplifting and euphoric trance which appears to be another sub genre that is becoming increasingly popular within dance music and the current rave climate, and this track shows exactly that.
The Eagles – Take It Easy – The first of only two rock releases of this month is by one of my favourite older, classic rock bands, The Eagles with their song Take It Easy from their self titled 1972 album. They were a band who were always playing in my house growing up so I have been surrounded by their music from a very young age. Take It Easy is one of my favourite songs of all time and is one of many signature songs from the band, with its catchy verses and nice harmonies. Borderlining country music, it captures themes of the American Dream and is the perfect song for a road trip with Friends.
Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff – The second and final rock release for this month is late 90’s, early 2000’s nu-metal band Limp Bizkit’s angsty anthem, Break Stuff. As the title would suggest, it is a song about the human boiling point and uncontrollable anger. It is the fourth and final single from their fourth studio album, Significant Other, released in 1999. This is one of their best songs they have in their catalogue, and generally one of the better songs to listen to for those grumpy days, it is an unapologetic metal anthem .
Darius, Wayne Snow – Helios (Myd Remix) – To finish off April’s edition, this is one of my favourite dance tracks I have found lately and cannot stop listening to it. It is so uplifting and euphoric, and features French piano house with vocal samples from the original track. Easily set to be a Summer banger of a remix from French producer Quentin Lepoutre aka Myd.
Australian magician on the decks Jordon Alexander AKA Mall Grab established his place in house music and solidified his rise to fame with his 2017 EP Pool Party Music. Released on Hot Haus Recs, the EP is the essential collective of tracks for a summer playlist.
Starting with the opening track of the same name, Pool Party Music, as it’s title suggests, it’s the perfect soundtrack for poolside listening. In the summer, under the belting sun, soaking up the heat with cocktails and friends. This a really fun track made for sunny days. Track two, B.F.O.D.A.A.S. has more of the lower tempo, chilled out vibe that is a little bit calmer but still packs a swinging sound like a New York house track. The closing track, Catching Feelings is a lovely one to wrap up the EP with. This track circulated over the internet in 2016 before its official release on the Pool Party Music EP, one reason being it boasts an Outkast sample and some super smooth production.
My favourite track on the EP is definitely it’s opener of the same name, Pool Party Music; although it has solid competition with Catching Feelings for me, mainly because Catching Feelings always brings such a nostalgic feeling to me when I listen to it, it reminds me of the summer 2018 when I first started getting into house music properly and broadening my musical discoveries into lo-fi and other sub genres, and also of the many afters I went to and put this on.
Mall Grab himself has always been one of my favourite artists and every time I have been to one of his gigs or seen him at a festival, he has always put on an outstanding set. I really respect him as both a DJ and producer and he always seems like such a fun, humble and down to earth guy. I love listening to his earlier releases like this and comparing them to where he is at now and looking at how far he has come since his early 20s.
Sadly the EP is no longer on spotify, but you can stream a couple of the featured tracks below, as well as other classics including I’ve Always Liked Grime and Menace II Society:
thank you so much for reading the first proper edition of Grooves On The Vinyl, I hope you liked it and I am really excited for further editions and continuing the series alongside On Repeat.
March soon came around after what was a very fast beginning to 2022. I’m slowly but surely getting back on track with my writing and post commitments after a very busy start to the year, with preparing for my driving test (which I passed, woo!), preparing for Tribal Warehouse’s opening 2022 show with Skream, and being appointed as event manager for Nottingham based event brand Intuition Events. This time only a little late; here are my favourite songs I had on repeat in March:
Malevolence – On Broken Glass – Sheffield based heavy metal band Malevolence released their first of two new singles in late February, On Broken Glass. They also announced their new album, Malicious Intent, due for release on the 20th May this year. I heard them play On Broken Glass live for the first time in September, where they played a hometown gig in Sheffield alongside Leeds based hardcore band Rough Justice and Essex based Splitknuckle, where they actually filmed the video for On Broken Glass that day. The single is sublime, as is the second of the singles, Life Sentence. I am predicting an absolutely massive year for them after the album release. They are heavy metal royalty and deserve so much more recognition from outside of the UK hardcore scene as well as the dedication from current UK fans. Expect eye watering riffs and gut rendering vocals.
Overmono – Gunk – Brothers Tessela and Truss released their first single of 2022, Gunk on the 8th of March. The track is taken from the London based duo’s upcoming project, Cash Romantic, due for release on the 8th of April. Gunk is an addictive listen, which fuses elements of house and techno with UK garage. The single cover artwork features a gorgeous Doberman, much like the artwork for Diamond Cut/Bby, and the Everything U Need EP.
DJ Steaw – Tribute To Doug Willis – A minimal house pick now from Parisian DJ and producer DJ Steaw. Tribute To Doug Willis is from Steaw’s West Side EP released in March 2019 on ever popular label, Rutilance Recordings. The track is a funky, deep house cut with a French touch featuring a sample of British DJ and house producer David Russel Lee aka Doug Willis’ I Got It.
Folly Group – Sand Fight – One of my favourite indie discoveries of recent is Sand Fight by London based collective Folly Group. Within the song, Sand Fight delivers an audio-ode to the quartet’s youth of being carefree with limitless energy. From their 2021 EP, Awake and Hungry, this song is an essential for your indie playlist. Their sound is slightly reminiscent of the likes of Idles, and they are definitely a band to listen out for.
Joe Unknown – Ride – Another indie pick for this month is Joe Unknown’s Ride. The song is his only release on Spotify, adding a mysterious element to his overall demeanour as an artist. Spoken word vocals combined with gritty, urban lyrics describing day to day British Culture. Not quite rap but now quite punk, Joe Unknown has a distinct sound similar to the likes of Slaves, Sleaford Mods or Slowthai.
Sunny Day Real Estate – The Blankets Were The Stairs – This song is a discovery I made from TikTok, where creators ask day to day people roaming the streets what songs they are listening to. I already knew Sunny Day Real Estate from their songs In Circles and Song About An Angel, which are on the same album as The Blankets Were the Stairs, called Diary which was released back in 1994. Having never listened to the album in full, I hadn’t heard this song before I had seen the TikTok, which lead me to listen to the full album, and it is a perfect example of 90s grunge punk. Featuring whiney vocals like most soft punk bands, and a lovely bass pattern in the chorus.
DJ Mell G – I Fuck As I Live – Spotify discover weekly came through with the electro in March with German based producer DJ Mell G’s I Fuck As I Live. The single was released in 2020 and is a fast paced banger which combines various styles in one track, showing just how badass on production she is. I can expect the likes of DJ Stingray to be rinsing this track in future sets!
The Clash – The Magnificent Seven – I don’t often feature classic, iconic bands within my posts, as it often goes without saying. The Clash need no introduction, but they are one of the best bands ever to come out of the UK and the original punk scene. The Magnificent Seven is one I’ve had on repeat throughout March as it was sampled in Pete Tong’s mix for The Ministry Of Sound’s The Annual II, which I have been listening to on my way to work in the car. The song was inspired by the likes of US early rap musicians The sugar hill Gang and The Grandmaster Flash and is one of the earliest recorded attempts of a band attempting to write and perform rap, especially with its lyrics of social and political content. The Magnificent Seven is one of The Clash’s most underrated songs in my opinion, and irrefutable proof of their eclecticism. Listen out for the killer bassline alongside Joe Strummer’s songwriting *chef’s kiss*.
Dissolver – Amputee Thai Chi – One of my favourite artists at the moment who I cannot stop listening to is Dissolver, and if you asked me for my top five DJs, he would be up there. Amputee Thai Chi is a pumping electro track featuring an intriguing build up to claps and a vocal sample leading up to a perfect drop, back to low thudding kicks all put together with those elements. The track comes from the compilation album COURTOISYD03, featuring other artists such as Frazi.er and Charlie Sparks. At only 23 years old, the Netherlands producer his soaring up to an incredibly high status within dance music, if he isn’t there already.
SNTS – Hopeless (Paula Temple’s Descent Into Madness Remix) – Finally, my irl soundtrack pick for this month is Paula Temple’s remix of SNTS’ Hopeless. I went to Re-Textured at Printworks where I finally got to see Paula, and this track was one I listened to the most before attending to increase the excitement. Both SNTS and Paula Temple are well known in techno for their unrelenting sounds both in DJ sets and production, with high bpm and industrial components to provide an audio experience into hell. This track does exactly that, taking you deep into the realms of underground industrial techno.
Spotify playlist with all tracks from my On Repeat series has been updated as always, which you can find below. Have a listen for yourself! :
February also happened to be my birthday month, so my main character syndrome reached its peak for a whole 28 days, and now I am the ripe age of 24. As promised, here are my top ten favourite tracks I loved through February, that helped me complete the final month of another year around the sun:
Angel Du$t – Turn Off The Guitar – After binge listening to Turnstile throughout January, I then made a discovery of Angel Dus$t, who are an American punk supergroup, made up of members of both Turnstile and Trapped Under Ice, who are also one of my favourite bands. Turn Off The Guitar is from their 2021 album, YAK: A Collection Of Truck Songs and is certainly one of the more happy and upbeat sounding songs in punk music, and overall a super catchy song to sing along to with your friends.
Kiddy.Wav, YTP – Grab Dat Ass All Night – Broadening my electro collection in February was French producer Kiddy.Wav’s track Grab Dat Ass All Night featuring up and coming Scottish producer YTP from the 2021 EP, Level Up My Skills on Planeteria Sound System. It is a bouncing and energetic track yet moody and dark in its sound all at the same time, made for the hazy, dark nights after you’ve left the rave.
Boris Brejcha – Puzzle (Feat. Malena Maria) – Melodic is a genre I will always like yet is one I seem to forget about as my taste gets heavier. Boris Brejcha is one of my absolutely favourite producers of the melodic variety and is a DJ I would still love to see live. Puzzle features intense melodies and is a masterpiece from start to finish that will give you Goosebumps. This 2020 single is a beautiful track that rightfully belongs in your music collection.
Have Heart – Bostons – One of the hardcore release I had on repeat more than most in February was Have Heart’s song, Bostons from their 2008 album, Songs To Scream At The Sun. I never used to listen to Have Heart when they were together, but only began listening to them in the past couple of years when I discovered Fiddlehead, who are a band made up of Have Heart’s Patrick Flynn and Shawn Costa, and Basement’s Alex Henery, who formed in 2014, six years after Have Heart disbanded in 2019. Songs To Scream At The Sun is now one of my favourite albums and Bostons is the second song on there, featuring a building bridge which exploded with passionate and emotive vocals from Flynn alongside the poetic lyrics.
Skream – Space Ghetto – The first event I attended in February was our first Tribal Warehouse show of 2022, with Coydon producer and DJ Oliver Jones AKA Skream, whom I had the absolute honour of meeting for the second time. Space Ghetto is from the EP, Steel City Dance Discs Volume 23 (also one of my favorite labels) released in September 2022, featuring a voice note from Scottish DJ and producer Big Miz, and is a breakbeat belter for sure, with achy bass and tight-breaks. This is definitely one of his best releases of the last year!
DJ Heartstring – Will You Remeber Me When I’m Gone? – One artist I am completely and utterly OBSESSED with at the moment is DJ Heartstring. I discovered the Berlin based couple in early February and have not stopped listening to them since. Every single track they have released so far is a banger, and Will You Remember Me When I’m Gone? from their EP, 4 The People is my favourite track on there, mainly for the sample of Madonna’s Vogue as well as their consistent style of trance-techno, which seems to be a hit in the current dance music climate.
The Rival Mob – Mind Over Matter – Another hardcore pick for February was The Rival Mobb’s Mind Over Matter, from their 2010 EP, Hardcore for Hardcore. Featuring sick building riffs and piercing vocals which bring the song to an instrumental climax intended for a violent pit. Sadly, the Massachusetts band split up in 2016, yet it is apparent that their music still influences many bands in the modern hardcore scene today.
Ray Keith – Gun Shot A Buss – Now, a bit different from my usual picks but still staying with my regular favourite genre which is dance music as a whole, is this drum and bass track, Gun Shot A Buss by British artist Ray Keith. This is another one of those darker sounding, more eerie and dramatic bodies of work as a single. Gun Shot A Buss features rolling snares and vocal samples, before a thundering drop.
Sam Fender – Get You Down – Time for an indie pick now, by another artist I have grown to love. Get You Down is the fourth song on Geordie singer songwriter Sam Fender’s latest album, Seventeen Going Under. Overall this is an amazing song and one of my favourites from the album. The lyrics have a nostalgic feel to them as it seems Fender is reviewing his past in Get You Down. Altogether, a will-be timeless track in years to come, featuring Sam’s amazing voice with drums and sax.
Julian Muller – Juicy – To end February’s edition of On Repeat, I have picked my favourite techno track at the moment. Juicy comes from French born, Belgium based Julian Muller’s EP, Flower Coaster, which I was gifted the vinyl version of for my birthday. This is a rave essential of a track, packed full of energy and exciting build ups, ready for hands in the air, hip swinging action.
Welcome to the first edition of On Repeat for 2022. Here are my top ten tracks I loved the most in the first month of the the year.
Pretty Girl – Sun Phase (Human Movement Remix) – Australian producer Human Movement’s remix of also Australian producer and singer Pretty Girl’s Sun Phase feels like a collaboration of two worlds, by sounding like both a fresh and electric club cut, whilst at the same time a melodic head release and a breath of fresh air. Sun Phase features airy melodies and romantic vocal samples to make a frenetically charged dance track, released in July 2021 on Gallery Recordings.
Baltra – Dreaming Of A Disco – Philadelphia raised, but New York based Baltra has delivered an effortlessly lovely disco track on the EP of the same name, released in August of last year on the ever impressive label, Shall Not Fade. The four track EP is Baltra’s first full length EP since 2019, which opens with disco loops and 80s chords held down by a bassline so infectious that you just can’t not listen to it.
Trudge – No Future – This has been on my heavier dance music release favourites playlist for quite some time now, and after having lost it deep within the collection, I recently reconnected with this track thanks to my Spotify daily mixes. This is a single released in October of 2020, and is an industrial techno track with just a little bit of bounce. This dancefloor shaker of a track deserves to be blasted within warehouse raves across the world, in the darkness only illuminated the strobe lights.
Lauer – Trainmann (Tensnake Franceman Mix) – German DJ and producer Tensnake took to the studio in March of 2012 and remixed fellow German producer Lauer’s track Trainmann. This house track features an impressive electric synth loop, combined with a funky bassline making it an overall bright and beaming track that almost sounds like it could be a disco tune. It would be perfect for those sunny afternoons in a festival field, when the day turns to night.
Echoes Of October, Tham – Jane Fonda – It wouldn’t be On Repeat if I didn’t feature at least one track of hard techno. German and Polish DJs and producers Echoes of October and Tham collaborated to create Jane Fonda, which comes from a VA compilation album released in 2020 called TAR Various Artists, featuring tracks from techno DJs such as Rebekah, DYEN and more. This track in particular has an intense build up and vocal samples from the New York actress and fitness guru herself, just with a lot more distortion in her voice.
999999999 – P05535510N – Italian techno duo 999999999 (pronounced nine by nine, I think), were part of the first VA released on French label Possession in 2020 with their track, suitably called P05535510N. This EP also features Hector Oaks & DJ KAOS11, Nene H and Pawlowski, but this one is my favourite out of the four tracks on there, this one being the third. The Mario & Luigi of techno music go in HARD on P05535510N, but then again, when do they ever fail to satisfy on a release? This was a fantastic track to be selected for the first VA, and set the tone of what else to expect from the label brilliantly, aggressive techno at its finest.
Porij – 150 – On the more softer side of tracks for this month, I have selected Manchester based Porij’s 150, released on 2020 on the quartet’s debut EP, Breakfast. I am a sucker for the slower, soft indie instrumental tracks and this one in particular features stunning use of guitar that is addictively soothing, and a female vocal sample, with the only lyrics throughout the track being, “tell me what you want me for, me for”.
Joy Orbison, Léa Sen – Better – Joy Orbison’s track Better featuring Léa Sen is the second track I have featured in my On Repeat series from his album Still Slipping Vol. 1; but how can I help it when it’s just so damn good? The album is my favourite from 2021 and this track and Bernard? are my two favourites from the glorious body of work. Last time I featured Bernard? and it was a close call between that or this, so it got a feature on my January favourites playlist. Anyway, Better is one of the more lyrical pieces on the album, which boasts gorgeous vocals from Léa, adding the overall silky smooth feeling of the track, it is electro with elegance and class.
Chromatics – Cherry – One track I have been absolutely obsessed with throughout January (and the rest of 2022 so far if I am completely honest) is Cherry by The Chromatics. This is another one of my discoveries from my Spotify daily mixes; after I heard it for the first time and initially thought it was Schoolboy Q’s Man Of The Year, until upon looking at my phone I realised I was wrong, but then also went on to discover that this is in fact the original track he sampled the opening beat from on his hit song from the 2014 classic Oxymoron album. I have a lot of respect for Chromatics after their track Tick of The Clock was featured on the soundtrack for my favourite film, Drive; so it was lovely to delve an inch further into their catalogue. This is an amazing song with hauntingly beautiful shoegaze-like instrumentals throughout, and one for warm night drives, and one that evokes a feeling of fearlessness.
Turnstile – Real Thing – One event I attended in January was Turnstile’s Nottingham date on their UK tour of their 2021 hit album, Glow On. Like I always do, I kept myself excited by listening to their releases in the lead up to the gig. Real thing is the opening song on their 2018 Time & Space album, which sets the tone for the rest of the album with frontman Brendan Yates’ edgy and sharp vocals as well as sludgy guitar riffs. If you’re not yet into hardcore, you will be after listening to Turnstile and Time & Space in full especially.
We have finally come to the last On repeat for 2021 and this also marks a whole year of the series. To end this years’ series, as always I have picked tracks I have loved throughout December. I am unsure yet if I will continue the series in 2022 as I want to pursue other projects, but for now, please enjoy my favourite tracks of this month:
Alavux, JJMC – Ghetto Trash – lavux, JJMC – In November I attended XXL Warehouse Project which I mentioned in last month’s post, and one track I picked up from that night was Ghetto Trash by Alavux and JJMC when DJ Stingray played an amazing set of techno and electro. Ghetto Trash is a track of bubbling Serbian electro from the eastern European producer Goran Alavuk with vocals from JJMC . The track is notoriously rinsed by Stingray in his sets however that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it is a solid bopper to cause havoc on a dancefloor.
Nina Kraviz – Skyscrapers– Russian DJ and producer Nina Kraviz has also more recently focused on releasing her own original material featuring her own vocals within the last six months. July 2021 saw the release of Skyscrapers, whic was the first of Nina’s tracks to feature her own vocals and lyrics. Shortly after it’s release followed several remixes from other artists including Vladimir Dubyshkin, Solomun and Hi-Lo (AKA Oliver Heldens). Skyscrapers is a dreamy yet melancholic song full of mystery; overall it is an amazing song thanks to the beats mixed with Nina’s lovely vocals and lyrics. It is really nice to see this experimental side of Nina, I’m really looking forward to her album coming later in 2022.
CLTX- Feeling Pretty – I came accross this track a couple of weeks ago via Instagram stories as it was suggested song to put on my own story. I had never heard of it before or CLTX, but loved it as soon as I listened to it for the first time. CLTX is a French-born, Berlin-based producer who’s music is influenced by the Parisian warehouse rave scene, which you immediately hear within Feeling Pretty, which consists of powerful kicks and a heavy sub bass. Feeling Pretty was released in January 2021 on compilation album TORCH on Laburnum Records featuring tracks from other artists such as Charlie Sparks, Andromeda and Neagles. 2022 is set to potentially be a great year for CLTX, as his work has already been recognised by French event brand and label, Possession, with a United Ravers Possession Podcast already under his belt, and so many more great things to come.
C&G Soundsystem, Honey Dijon – Dual EP B1 – Honey Dijon Re-Rub – C&G Soundsystem is a collaborative project from Italian techno artists Marco Carola and Gaetano Parisio, who released an EP back in 1998, Dual E.P. In January last year, Parisio invited Honey Dijon and several other artists such as Radio Slave, Mark Broom and Shlomi Aber to remix the previous tracks. Honey Dijon’s remix of B1 from the original Dual EP is my favourite of the remixes, as she turns down the tempo and ups the groove, giving her own personal twist on this minimal techno track.
Inja – Smile & Wave – The drum and bass release of this month is one from one of my favourite drum and bass MC’s, Inja. Smile & Wave, which is a track from his album of the same name released in July 2021 on Hospital Records and produced by Whiney, is a feel good, happy and catchy track guaranteed to cause a skank no matter where you’re listening to it. Smile & Wave is the exact embodiment of Inja himself: playful, positive and uplifting. As always, expect an infectious wordplay and heavy bassline.
Incident Prism – Boidshot – Released in September 2020 on French label Molekül, Boidshot is one of four tracks on the Let’s Dance EP from French producer Incident Prism, including a remix of his track Gang Bounce from Hector Oaks as DJ KAOS11. Boidshot is a heavy track of hard trance with cyber elements that send you straight into a futuristic rave zone.
Floorplan – Made Up In My Mind – I celebrated New Year’s Eve this year in Manchester, and went to see the glorious father and daughter duo that is Floorplan at Joshua Brooks. As always, I was listening to their songs before going to see them to put me in the mood so I decided to choose Made Up In My Mind for December’s post as this is my favourite track by them. Robert and Lyric are one of the finest artists as Floorplan to ever come out of Detroit, both within their DJ sets and production, as can be heard within this track, with its soulful gospel vocal samples and electrifying organ. I would certainly be attending Sunday service if they played tunes like this one.
Cassie Raptor & Rebeka Warrior – O.B.I.C – Another French techno artist I have extremely high hopes for in 2022 is Parisian DJ and producer Cassie Raptor. Whilst I was in Paris, at the event I attended at Nexus, EVERYONE was talking about Cassie and how she is going to become the next big thing; she has made and continues to make a name for herself within the queer underground scene in France. The track of her’s I have included for December’s edition of On Repeat is O.B.I.C featuring Rebeka Warrior on Raptor’s EP 1984 released in March 2021 on Warrior records, which is Rebeka’s label. The track also features quotes from George Orwell’s 1984 (which the EP was inspired by), and echoes political issues of today and tomorrow.
Jacidorex – Run – Another great techno release for this month is Run by French DJ and producer Jacidorex. At the event I attended at Nexus, Jacidorex also played and he was who I was most excited to see there. Run is a hammering, pounding techno tune, and when the beat drops exactly two minutes in, there’s a rush of adrenaline and goose bumps; a great track for a hot and sweaty rave. Run was released in June 2021 on Rave Alert records. I was supposed to see Jacidorex B2B JKS at Teletech’s event at Hidden in Manchester on New Years’ Day, but sadly he had to pull out due to logistical problems with flights. Until next time!
AnD – Emergency Procedures – I have spoken about duo AnD in a previous edition of On Repeat for their track The Unknown Force, but this time I want to talk about Emergency Procedures from their 2020 EP Beast Mode. To end a whole year of On Repeat and this month’s post we have another solid track of heavy thundering techno; a straight up banger that is rave ready. There is also a remix of Emergency Procedures on the Beast Mode EP from Gabber Eleganza. AnD were also supposed to play at Hidden on New Year’s Day however there was a power cut which led to both them and Viper Diva being unable to play, however I will wait patiently until the next time that I can! I shall be seeing Viper Diva on the 22nd of January at Hidden again, for another night of unadulterated techno from the Teletech boys.
And there we have it! A whole twelve months’ worth of On Repeat! Thank you so much to everyone and anyone who actually reads my posts, follows me on Instagram, follows my playlists or supports me and my creativity in any way. I appreciate it so much and I cannot wait for everyone to see what I have in store for 2022.
The Ruthless Raver: On Repeat Spotify playlist has been updated below:
November’s edition of On Repeat includes dance tracks of house, liquid drum and bass, lo-fi house, UK Garage, techno and hardcore metal. There were several events I attended throughout November so I have selected a couple of my favourite’s from artists I saw that month, as well as other tracks I have generally loved.
DJ Seinfeld – These Things Will Come To Be – First for November is Swedish DJ and producer Arman Jakobsson, aka DJ Seinfeld’s track These Things Will Come To Be from his latest album, Mirrors, released in September this year. This is my favourite track on the album as it is euphoric and the production blossoms throughout. It also features a sample of a voicemail message left from a woman struck with heartbreak, missing her former lover and expressing optimistic feelings to the listener. I got to see DJ Seinfeld this month at my favourite venue, Hope Works in Sheffield where he was supported by Eclair Fifi.
Joy Orbison – Bernard? – An artist I have really been drawn to a lot this year is Joy Orbison. I did not pay much attention to him previously until the release of his latest album, Still Slipping Vol. 1 and when he supported Overmono when I saw them in Nottingham in October, and boy have I been sleeping on him. Bernard? comes from the latest release, and is my favourite track on there too. Within the album, Peter O’Grady (Orbison)’s family play a massive part on there as almost each track within the album features a vocal sample from several members, adding to the overall emotional resonance on the album.
D. Jason – The Function – Next up is some dirty UK garage from producer D. Jason, released on Shall Not Fade. The Function is a high energy party track with wobbly basslines and vocal samples, including one of the many used “I’ll see you after the function”, taking you back to to 90’s speed garage. The track is from the collaborative EP Original Bad Bwoy, from both D. Jason and Baby J, both with two tracks each on the EP. On Spotify, it appears this is the only release from either of the two. Hopefully there will be more, as this an absolutely filthy record.
Madcat – Heard It – For an additional bit of nostalgia, I went back to one of my favourite house/disco tracks. Heard it is a track that just soothes the soul. A house anthem of pure bliss, this 2018 track from French producer Madcat on the collaborative EP, Deuxième Virage on Virage records stimulates groove and a dreamy, soulful trance. It is an underground house classic track that has done well enough for it to nicely settle in with the more well known dance tracks to date. It’s full of summertime vibes, reminding the listener of Summers gone by, and ones to come.
SpectraSoul & SOLAH – Fiction – Also on the list for November is this absolutely stunning track of liquid drum and bass. I came across this from a friend’s Instagram stories, and added it to my playlist within seconds. The track features gorgeous vocals from SOLAH, AKA Hannah Talbot, who has now become a common voice within the drum and bass scene, having featured on several releases by artists such as Halogenix and Emperor. Fiction comes from drum and bass duo SpectraSoul’s third album, How We Live, released in 2017.
Knocked Loose – Forced To Stay – The metal track for this month comes from Kentucky hardcore punk band Knocked Loose. Forced To Stay is the third track on the band’s latest EP, A Tear In The Fabric Of Life, which was a surprise release in October this year. Remaining as brutal as ever, this track holds no prisoners with its breakdown and hair-raising vocals from frontman Bryan Garris. The rest of the EP has also blown me away, in fact it is probably my favourite metal release of 2021.
John Tejada – Sweat On The Walls (Sebo K Remix) – The house track for this month is this slick, deep house groover from Austrian producer John Tejada (who I have featured in a previous month of On Repeat for his track Performance Review), and its remix from Berlin based house producer Sebo K. The remix was released in 2017 on Defected records as part of a package of remixes of Tejada’s classic 2004 track, from other producers such as Franky Rizzardo and Laolu, as well as a revisit to the track that catapulted John Tejada’s career. Sebo K’s remix, in my opinion, is certainly a slept on track in house music that should be checked out immediately by all.
Ivy Lab – 20 Questions – My favourite track of November is another liquid drum and bass track. I have had this on repeat the most this month, it’s one of the most beautiful tracks in dance music overall I have ever heard. It’s also dark, deep music that hits the deepest realms within the soul. 20 Questions brings absolutely spine shivering stuff from London based duo consisting of Jonathan J. Fogel and Gove Kidao, aka Sabre and Stray, who formed the collaborative project in 2015, which is the same year 20 Questions was released on the EP of the same name.
Cera Khin – Do You Believe In Evil – One event I attended in November was XXL at Warehouse Project. Amongst the line up were techno greats including Amelie Lens, Jeff Mills and Nina Kraviz. Cera Khin also played in the Archive stage and her set did not disappoint. I created a playlist featuring all the artists booked to hype me up (not that I needed it), one of which was Cera. Do You Believe In Evil is the second track from her first ever production, the EP Demons To Some Angels To Others. The EP and this track in particular channels the same furious and menacing edge which can be heard and felt within her DJ sets. Do You Believe In Evil projects doomcore riffs for dancefloor demolition.
Fjaak – District 8 – Also booked on the line up for XXL were German techno duo Fjaak. Sadly I did not get to see them due to the Concourse stage being overwhelmingly rammed for their set, so I still await to see them for the first time. However, Felix and Aaron’s track District 8 was enough to fuel the want to see them even more. This is a contender for one of my favourite tracks of 2021, and the second track from their EP released in March, SYS02. The track is also a tribute to Irish club District 8, you will also find the other three tracks on the EP are named after clubs the duo have played in that hold a special place in their hearts.
Thank you so much for reading November’s edition of On Repeat! all ten tracks have been added to my On Repeat Spotify playlist below:
October has been a weird one for tracks I have loved this month. I’ve been exploring new genres and getting into garage a lot more, but have also reconnected with my love for post punk rock, whilst maintaining the same love for 140+ bpm techno and electro and deep house. There has also been some amazing new releases from some of my favourite artists. You could say October’s edition of On Repeat is a real cocktail of tracks.
St. Germain – Thank You Mum – French musician Ludovic Navarre AKA St. Germain’s track Thank You Mum from is 1995 album Boulevard is one deep, underground 90’s house track I have been loving through October. Inspired by French jazz house music, this track has one deep bassline flowing through, paired with a blues vocal sample (of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Mama Blues) and a layer of harmonica that is the secret ingredient to Thank You Mum; which I now think is one of the best deep house tracks ever made, my mind was truly blown when I first heard this. I shall be checking out the rest of the album and listening to more of St. Germain for sure.
Shawn Cartier – Parking Lot (VIGILE Remix) – For this month’s techno / electro selection, I have included Scottish producer, Franck’s remix of Newcastle DJ Shawn Cartier’s track Parking Lot, which he remixed when he was formerly known as Vigile, on his 2020 EP, also called Parking Lot. This is a high energy track, made for offending your neighbours and making dancefloors shake with good vibrations.
Lustral – Everytime (Nalin & Kane Mix) – Next up on the list of October is German production duo Nalin & Kane’s Remix of British electronic producers (also a duo) Lustral’s Everytime. This is a Balearic trance interpretation of the song from 1997, in the peak years of trailblazer trance music. From the build up to the breakdown, this remix of the 90’s trance classic is an absolute masterpiece. It is sensual and mystical, enough to quite literally put one in a trance.
Overmono – So U Kno – Time for some breakbeat and ambient bassquakes now, from British rave and techno duo Overmono. The Russell brothers, Tom and Ed have also previously worked solo on their own projects as Tessela (Ed) and Truss (Tom), before forming as Overmono. So U Kno has a really nostalgic garage feel and sound to it, as though it were released years ago and not actually in June this year, on the BMW Track / So U Kno single. Overmono have become one of my favourite electronic acts ever just within the last couple of months, and with this track alone it is clear to see why.
Dax J – East London Back Alleys (Jungle Techno Mix) – This is the last of this month’s electronic picks; Dax J’s latest album, Utopian Surrealism came out a couple of weeks ago on Monnom Black (which also happens to be one of my favourite record labels) and to be honest I have had the entire album on repeat, but this is probably my favourite track on there. Combining jungle and techno makes an exceptional track, and experimentalism at its finest.
Superheaven – Knew – And now it’s time to get emo. I always reconnect with my favourite post punk bands in Autumn and Winter seasons for some reason, probably something to do with the blues and the adjusting to the changes. Superheaven have been one of my favourite bands of that sub genre of punk for many years now, ever since I first discovered their 2013 debut album, In A Jar, which is also one of my favourite albums of all time and every single song on there is so good, Jar is one album I love with absolutely no skips. I will be honest and say I was struggling to choose one song from this album for this post so I picked a random one. Knew in particular has a very Nirvana-esque feel to it, thanks to its riff that sounds a lot like Bleed.
Modern Color – Empty Rooms – Modern Color are a Californian band formed in 2014. Empty Rooms is the only song I know by them so far, as this appeared on one of my Spotify daily mixes one day, but is one that keeps reappearing on there, and I have been loving what I have been hearing, it’s definitely a song that sticks in your head. Empty Rooms is from the band’s 2020 album, From the Leaves of Your Garden, which I definitely be checking out the rest of. For fans of: Title Fight, Citizen and Basement.
Basement – Crickets Throw Their Voice – UK band Basement, formed in Suffolk in 2009 are one of my favourite bands ever and their debut album released in 2011, I wish I Could Stay Here is another album I absolutely love. Basement were one of the bands I loved when I was in college and very much in my emo / greb phase (still am, not going to lie), so this album always makes me feel very nostalgic and takes me back to the days spent listening to this IWICSH on repeat. Crickets Throw Their Voice is the fourth song on the album and my favourite on there, with Andrew Fisher’s gruff vocals and the poignant lyrics. I am seeing Basement for the third time at Outbreak Festival in Manchester next year, where they will be playing an 11 year anniversary set for the album, which I am so stoked for.
Counterparts – The Disconnect – Considerably one of the greatest metalcore songs of all time by one of the biggest hardcore bands in the scene, The Disconnect remains an anthem to be shouted with passion. This is the opening track on their 2011 album, The Current Will Carry Us. From the lyrics “I fucking hate the world, I fucking hate myself, and I swore I’d never fucking feel like this” it becomes immediately clear this is not an optimistic song, but it is definitely a line that a fair few of us can empathise with, which makes this song so resonating.
Lana Del Rey – Dealer – And lastly, we have my queen and love of my life Miss Lana Del Rey. Her new album, Blue Banisters was released on the 22nd of October (the same day as Dax J’s funnily enough, and I have had both albums on repeat) and Dealer is the best song on there. It features one half of The Last Shadow Puppets, Miles Kane and apparently was co-written with Alex Turner as well. It is an earth-shattering song, and one of the most chilling and cinematic she has wrote so far. She also experiments more with her vocals on this track by screaming, “I don’t wanna live”, adding to the overall powerful feel of Dealer.
Thank you for reading about the tracks I loved in October, all ten songs have been added to the On Repeat Spotify playlist. I hope you can find as much love in all of these songs as I have, and hope you can enjoy experimenting in tastes and discovering other genres with my picks for this month.
I have had a lot of fun and variation with August’s edition, with Newsam Park and Creamfields festivals booked I had all sorts of dance music on repeat to hype me up for both. Metallica’s Black Album celebrated its 30th anniversary and Turnstile released a new album too, so August was one long month of rocking and raving for me. Here are the top ten tracks of the month:
Metallica – Holier Than Thou – Metallica were a band I grew up listening to, and their self titled album, also known as The Black Album due to its artwork featuring the U.S metal band’s iconic logo and snake icon is one of the best rock albums ever produced, no questions asked. Holier Than Thou is my favourite track from this album and it was great to revisit it when I wrote a piece for Sheffield based magazine Oculate to celebrate The Black Album’s 30th anniversary, and this song still stands out to me most even now; with vocals from frontman James Hetfield and solos from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. Read the article I wrote for Oculate here: https://oculate.uk/archive/music/metalica-theblackalbum-30th
Eli Escobar – N.Y. So High – I always forget how much I love this track, and played it recurrently throughout August after it was listed on one of my daily mixes and when listening to it, it reminded me of the love I have for it and how I used to listen to this ALL the time when I was first getting into dance music properly and exploring new artists and deepening my understanding of producers in the game and other, less mainstream music. USA based Eli Escobar is very quiet these days, but that does not lessen how much of a banger this will always be, featuring a sample of Sylvester’s I Need Somebody To Love Tonight.
Rossi. – In Village –In Village is a track produced by London based Rossi on his Checkpoint EP on Locus records (LCS006), which I had recently discovered after a friend showed it to me, I was shocked I had not heard this before. He is an exceptional minimal house producer with the ability to sell out clubs and dancefloors across the UK and beyond with smooth, two stepping groovers exactly like this one. Rossi is becoming one of my favourite producers and DJ’s with his growing catalogue of minimal beats sending him upwards to well deserved recognition and minimal, yet maximum musical royalty.
Adam Beyer – What You Need – Adam Beyer has earnt his household name status within techno and the dance music scene, and What You Need is one of his many tracks that prove why. This 2015 release from his Stone Flower EP (DC141) on Beyer’s own label, Drumcode, is a hypnotic, melodic techno anthem that is a guaranteed crowd pleaser and Awakenings festival favourite with a powerful female vocal sample that takes you into the darker side of his releases. Less commercial, this is arguably the best track he has produced so far.
Gregor Tresher – Trident – A track I discovered at Newsam Park Festival (formerly Cocoon in the Park) this year by a producer I had never heard of before, German producer and DJ Gregor Tresher’s track Trident was played during Sven Vath’s closing set there this year. Trident was released in 2020 on Tresher’s three track single of the same name on Sven Vath’s label Cocoon Recordings, and is a melodic techno track that’s vibes are so feel good it almost feels celebratory. Think euphoria and dancing with your eyes closed.
Claude VonStroke – Flubblebuddy – Sven Vath is notorious for leading his listeners and ravers alike down rabbit holes with his twisted yet weird and wonderful track selection, and this one he also played at Newsam Park most certainly spun a few heads in the crowd. Claude VonStroke AKA Barclay McBride Crenshaw is an American producer based in Los Angeles and he owns Dirtybird Records, who have had releases from Rebuke, Eddy M, Catz ‘n Dogz, Will Clarke and so many more. Flubblebuddy is from VonStroke’s 2020 album Freaks & Beaks, also released on Dirtybird (well known for its bizzare album artworks). This track is most memorable for its creepy sounding yet alluring sample of “What do we say when we see our friends? Hello buddy”.
The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl – I try not to include mega popular songs in my On Repeat series as I love including uncommon tracks I’ve found to share with other people, but I had to include this one. Before Creamfields, I had been waiting to see The Chemical Brothers (AKA Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, not actually brothers) since I was around ten years old. I’ve been listening to them for over a decade and they are one of my favourite DJ acts of all time and I never get bored of hearing this dance classic from the British duo’s 1999 Surrender album. I thought they would close their Creamfields set with Hey Boy, Hey Girl and feared I would miss it as I left half an hour early to catch the rest of Dax J’s set over on the Nina Kraviz and Friends Stage. I ended up seeing the pair alone; at first I was a little anxious. However, to a hell of a lot of surprise, they actually opened with Hey Boy, Hey Girl, and as the track started as they walked on stage, I felt right at home and perfectly comfortable surrounded by fellow ravers and fans who also went to see them perform their iconic tracks. Hey Boy, Hey Girl, is a powerful dance track that defined a generation from 1999 and onwards and is still as amazing after all these years.
Chase and Status – Fool Yourself (Feat. Plan B and Rage) – If there’s one thing I learned at Creamfields, it’s how much I love drum and bass. Their set that weekend was the third time I’ve seen them, and Fool Yourself always goes off live, as soon as you hear the intro in one of their sets you know it’s about to go down. It wasn’t the best time I have seen Chase and Status but it certainly didn’t disappoint, there was unreal energy in the tent that night. This track features lyrics and vocals from British singer and rapper and close friend of the duo, Plan B and MC Rage, the latter of whom spent 14 years touring with the London based DJs, who sadly left in July to pursue a solo career. Fool Yourself is one of the best on the album as I love Plan B as an artist and all three collaborations so far with Chase and Status are brilliant tracks, his voice and lyrics combined with the madness from the production on the track created a drum and bass rave classic. I have always loved Chase and Status and No More Idols (the album this track is from) will always have a space in my heart as one of my favourite dance music albums of all time and an album that introduced me to drum and bass many years ago and one that welcomed me into the heart of dance music forever.
Turnstile – UNDERWATER BOI – Baltimore punk rockers Turnstile released their new album, GLOW ON in August and Underwater Boi is definitely my favourite track on this album; it’s a really catchy song with a great melody and a sick chord progression throughout. The new album overall is a different sounding Turnstile, not as heavy as they would normally go and it’s softer to listen to but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They seem to be delving into different genres progressively, shoegaze in particular. There are also a couple of collaborative tracks on GLOW ON with alternative R&B artist Blood Orange AKA Devonté Hynes who I also really like. I really liked all the singles released before the album so I kind of knew I was going to love it, plus Turnstile are one of my favourite bands. Really looking forward to seeing them live for the first time at Outbreak Festival in Manchester next year!
Men I Trust – Lauren (Oden & Fatzo Edit) – If there’s been one track of the summer we’ve all loved, it’s this. French DJ trio Oden & Fatzo (whom I featured in On Repeat before for their track Ob1 Kenobi) took to the studio to remix Canadian indie band Men I Trust’s Lauren and created THE track of Summer 2021. It’s simple on production, yet blissful and beautiful and really compliments lead singer Emma Proulx’s vocals. The replay value on this track is like no other, I have had this track on repeat all Summer and have never once skipped it, it will always remind me of that Summer in 2021 when restrictions lifted, events were put back on, and festivals given the green light. Hats off to Oden & Fatzo here as they have excelled with this edit and they are proving to be currently some of the best artists in the scene. Unfortunately I cannot add this track to the On Repeat Spotify playlist as it isn’t on there yet, but it can be heard via Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/novajrec/men-i-trust-lauren-oden-fatzo-remix
In the month of May I listened to another mix of various genres including deep house, disco, tech house and indie hits. Here are May’s top ten tracks I loved:
Jessie Ware – Sweet Talk (Cyril Hahn Remix) – First on the list this month is Cyril Hahn’s remix of Sweet Talk by Jessie Ware back from 2012. Combined with Jessie’s stunning original vocals from her debut album Devotion, Hahn’s remix of Sweet Talk is a simply gorgeous, slow deep house track and is incredibly soothing to the ears.
WK7 – Rhythm2 (Power Snap Mix) – Secondly we have the Power Snap mix of WK7’s Rhythm 2. WK7 is an alter ego of Berlin based techno DJ Shed (René Pawlowitz) and these influences are evident even within this house power track. The bassline is pumping yet this track also has a more of a hypnotic and blossoming sound to it at the same time, an excellent use of both here.
Cromby – Shake It – Irish DJ and producer Cromby, who now also calls Berlin his home, launched his own record label, Potency Records in 2020, and Shake it comes from the first EP release on the label, Potency001. Packed full of acid and rave influences, Shake It is a belter of a track and a party starter at that, made for a sweaty, packed dancefloor.
Sir Was – Deployed (Feat. Little Dragon) – Straying away from the dance and house music variety now with this one, and definitely a track of a lower BPM. Alas, Deployed is a perfect late night listening track and a lovely arrangement of production, lyrics and vocals from Little Dragon (whom you may know from the SBTRKT song, Wildfire). It is certainly more of a pop track, yet melancholic, yet warm and gentle whilst also somewhat awe-inspiring.
NEZ, Schoolboy Q – Wild Youngster (Jamie Jones Remix) – Welsh Tech house pioneer Jamie Jones’ first release of 2021 was his remix of Wild Youngster by US rappers NEZ and Schoolboy Q. Wild Youngster is an eclectic mix of house and rap that, put together, slaps. It is an absolutely outstanding comeback track for JJ in terms of his first release of the year and shows what a talented producer he is. If this is a taste of what more is to come from Jamie Jones this year, I’m here for it.
Lazare Hoche, Malin Genie – Oh!! Snap – Taken from the EP, I Don’t Sync So, a collaboration from French and Dutch DJs Lazare Hoche and Malin Genie, Oh!! Snap is a funky house track a winding synth melody and subtle and airy vibe. This whole EP is brilliant, and one of my favourite more recent discoveries.
Sally C – Let’s Get This – My favourite of this months top ten, Let’s Get This is a pumping house track and another energy fuelling party starter, and the second track from her EP Big Saldo’s Chunker EP 001. Its no-nonsense, solid banger with a catchy vocal. I’ve had multiple trips on public transport listening to this track where I’ve had to stop myself from actually dancing. I beg the clubs open sooner rather than later so I can bop about to this one!
Mood II Swing, John Ciafone – Ohh – Slowing things down again here but keeping the party going with this dazzling deep house tune. It still sounds as fresh as it did when it was released in 2014, its a stunning, end of the night track (which everyone knows I’m a sucker for) with a calmer, more peaceful and warm rhythm. Ohh creates a somewhat foggy illusion whilst at the same time releasing a feeling inside only some tracks are able to do.
Richy Ahmed, Jamie Jones – I Need It – Here we have another collaborative project, this time from house DJs and producers Geordie lad Richy Ahmed and Jamie Jones (again) on their 2021 EP, More Energy / I Need It on Ahmed’s label Four Thirty Two Records. I Need It is my favourite from the four track EP, which is comprised of the two original tracks, More Energy and I Need It as well as a remix of each from Butch and Ray Mono. I Need It combines vocal samples and classic piano house along with a 909 drum pattern. Two wizards at what they do, they have produced a glorious summer anthem perfect for sun filled afternoons.
070 shake – Guilty Conscious (Tame Impala Remix) – Tame Impala AKA Kevin Parker lends himself to a rare remix here, and it is simply stunning. It’s the perfect touch of Tame Impala, with psychedelia on the synths and catchy rhythmic drums, adding to the overall etherealness of the track.
Thank you for reading this months top ten tracks loved by me. As always all ten can be found on my On Repeat playlist on Spotify below:
I’ve been waiting so long to write this review – as long as I have been waiting for this new album (three years). I know I’m late posting this review as it was released almost a month ago on the 22nd January 2021, however I needed to make sure I got this absolutely right so have been taking my time to write snippets whilst listening to the hell out of the Isles. This is probably going to be the most biased review I have ever written, and maybe even ever will write.
The second album from the dynamic dance duo Bicep, Isles is one of the most, certainly in my opinion, highly anticipated albums of the last three years. Following the major success of the release of their first, self titled eponymous album in 2017, the Belfast-born, London-based pair are finally back to the dance scene with another masterpiece.
The opening track, Atlas, was the first of four singles to be released. I first heard this at their Warehouse Project night in 2019 with Jeff Mills, Hammer, DJ Seinfeld and loads more; where they played a DJ set rather than a live one as this was the year they were taking a hiatus from the live sets as they were working on the album. I believe this was the first time they played this to an audience at an event, but wasn’t officially released until March 2020. Immediately I was transfixed. It is slow but euphoric and takes you on a journey to a different planet through time and space. They were teasing this track for a while whilst it was still unreleased before announcing the new album. This track also features a sample from Israeli artist Ofra Haza’s “Love Song”.
Track two, Cazenove features soft vocal samples and haunting melodies. This one is perfect for a 4am sunrise setting.
Apricots and Saku are the next two tracks on the album, both of which were the next two of the four singles released. Apricots samples Malawian singers and a Bulgarian choir. Saku touches on UK garage and features vocals from UK based Clara La San, who is featured twice on the album, in Saku and X. I really love the lyrics in Saku, “Shouldn’t be the one who’s alone // I deserve somebody // Can’t say that the feeling was strong // Know you’re thinking of me”. I think this is definitely my favourite of the four singles released and was my favourite single at the time of its release.
The fifth track, Lido, is probably my favourite on the album. Ambient, melodic and tranquil, it features monk-like vocal samples and it is a goose bump stimulating, beautiful track. The deep synths in this track remind me of “My Name On A Car” from Drive’s soundtrack, which is my favourite film of all time, and anyone who knows me knows how much I adore the soundtrack too.
X is the second single on the album featuring Clara La San and previewed the evening prior to release on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show where she co hosted the show with Bicep. It has an electro feel, with a touch of Detroit techno.
Rever features Julia Kent, a Canadian born cellist. This is also a very emotive track, with a Moderat type beat to it, and sampled a Bulgarian choir again.
Breakbeat number Sundial was the fourth and final single to be released. It is deeper with more of a bass sound, and features middle eastern like sounds, with a sample of Bollywood song, “Jab Andhera Hota Hai”.
Fir starts off quite slow and melodic and gradually gets more intense about two minutes in with its catchy synth lines. This is another one which gave me goose bumps, even more so thinking about seeing this one played live. This is well and truly a kaleidoscopic anthem.
Hawk is the final track on the album and is a really nice closing track, it ties the whole album together really brilliantly. I would say this is on the same level as Orca which is the opening track on the first album in the sense of its power to really bring feeling and atmosphere to the album.
So my overall verdict would be: it isn’t as good as the first album then again I think I was expecting that anyway just due to the first being one of my favourites of all time and considering its sentimental value to me, it will always have a space in my heart for many reasons. I also think they should have released less than four singles to keep us fans wanting more and increase the anticipation even more so. However, Matt and Andy have absolutely smashed it once again, as they always do. They have provided us with another album of pure euphoria.
After a horrendous past year for the dance music scene and industry, this album is a well needed pick me up for us all, and I truly believe it is the start of better times coming our way. There is no one else out there who can produce like these two, and no one even comes close to sounding anything like them, they are masters at what they do. I cannot wait for their live stream on the 26th February, and to see them in the flesh again *hopefully* this year.
Do You Feel It Too? is the heavenly second album from Seb Wildblood, released in May 2022 on his own label All My Thoughts, on which he has released music from artists such as Tiffany, Suchi D, and Ciel. Blissful and emotive, the album was heavily inspired by Wildblood’s relocation from London to LA, and followed on from the singles Jobi, Tetris, For Emotional Use Only and Keep On Feat. Ouri and ahead of his worldwide tour which he completed in June last year, which saw him play at some of the world’s most respected clubs such as Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s, Brighton Institution and Public Records NYC to name a few.
The album combines 90’s piano chords and garage instrumentals, lush vocals and groove-laden minimalist tech house sentiments and is fuelled by sublime LA scapes and informed by his early education and influence in dance music. Do You Feel It Too? seems to celebrate a renewed sense of togetherness and empathy after a period of loneliness. To put it in a nutshell, the album is about being present in the moment, largely directed at a dance floor.
Seb’s label All My Thoughts was launched in 2019 and has rapidly become a staple home for euphoric, deeply moving sounds, primed for meditative dancefloor moments. DJ mag hailed Seb as “one of the most prolific figures in the UK’s underground scene” and he has long been adored in the electronic underground, with fans in experts such as Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Complex and many more, he is also loved on radio stations such as BBC R1, BBC 6 Music and Triple J to name a few, and runs a regular All My Thoughts radio show himself on Dublab. Now based within Los Angeles, Seb is working with a refreshed perspective and a renewed approach to production, DJing and A&R.
As 2022 draws to a close, so does the On Repeat series. December’s edition of On Repeat will be the final of the written blog posts. I have loved writing each month’s edition over the past two years, however I am now ready to switch things up a bit and move on to other projects, including the Grooves on the Vinyl series and other things like more reviews and artist / release promotions. I will also soon be launching The Ruthless Raver mix series on Soundcloud in the next few months. On Repeat will still exist in playlist form, which I will update every month and post on socials for music fans to enjoy. But for now, here are my top ten favourite tracks I loved in December 2022:
Coatie Pop – City Song – First up for December is Coatie Pop’s City Song from their 2022 album Deathbed. Hailing from New York City, the duo describe themselves in their Instagram bio as a “post-punk grunge rave trip-hop duo”. Whilst it’s quite the mouthful, I would say it is a pretty accurate description. Particularly in this track, it’s like if Grimes and DJ Seinfeld collaborated; with lead singer Courtney Watkin’s soft fairy-like vocals alongside a morose synthesiser to underline the post-punk bassline.
Guilt Trip – Tearing Your Life Away – The second song for December is from Manchester crossover hardcore punk band Guilt Trip. Tearing Your Life Away was released as a single on Malevolence’s label M.L.V.L.T.D on the 2nd of December and is also the band’s first release on the label. In true Guilt Trip style, and appropriately fitting to the label, the track is a metal smash hit, packed full of intense riffs and a brutal breakdown. What seemed to deliver as an early Christmas present from the Manchester lads, it’s an insane track to round off 2022 with as the year finished and is easily one of the best metal releases of the year. I got to see Guilt Trip for the first time in December at The Foundry in Sheffield, supporting New York’s Stray From The Path. Guilt Trip are one of the coolest bands in the scene right now and I can’t wait to see what they bring in 2023.
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard? – It would be so wrong of me to not feature my darling Lana Del Rey when she releases her new single in December when I am getting ready to finish up 2022. Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard is the first single from the forthcoming album of the same name which is due to be released in March. It is typical of Lana, beautifully poetic and emotionally provoking like most of her best work, not to mention sonically calming and soft. She loves to devastate her dear listeners, with her themes of loneliness and heartbreak, which she has stuck with on this single, which is ultimately a song about her being forgotten over time and abandoned. Lana, I could NEVER.
Funk Tribu – Nakir – Moving ontothe uplifters for a bit now. This next track is from Colombian producer Funk Tribu, who has already put his stamp on the scene with his explosively colourful track Phonky Tribu. Nakir is from his latest EP Acid Angels and is the third and closing track on the EP which features a sample of Lil Uzi Vert’s XO Tour Life amongst high energy acid/trance/techno beats, with pumping bass starting on the upbeat, before the classic trance lead comes through, creating the melody.
Mall Grab – Without The Sun VIP – Mall Grab released the deluxe version of his debut album, What I Breathe in December which features special additions of instrumentals and two VIP tracks, Without The Sun and Love Reigns; expanding the original track list to 21 components. The regular, first release of the album was featured in both Resident Advisor and Rough Trade’s top 100 albums of the year lists. Without The Sun VIP is still as anthemic as the original version, yet it has been transformed into a rave-ready staple with abrasive soundscape.
Drenge – Never Awake – I’ve been having a bit of a nostalgic fix recently, and have been listening to bands I loved when I was 17, so the likes of Fidlar, Peace and Drenge. The latter band, originally from Castleton, now Sheffield based where they first formed Drenge appeared in my Spotify daily mixes and it was like someone took a key and unlocked a memory, I cannot believe I ever forgot about this band. Never Awake is from their 2015 album, Undertow and was the second single released before the album. It is an amazing post-grunge track, opening with some patterning drums from Rory Loveless and twisting, mysterious vocal tones from frontman and older brother Eoin, with lyrics that cover subjects of love and loss.
Brutalismus 3000 – 3ISBAR – The latest single from Berlin gabber punks Brutalismus 3000 is 3ISBAR, released 9th December. Notorious for their intense, murderous tracks I must say this one is the most “pop-py” and uplifting tracks of their catalogue so far, but without straying too far away from their hellish signature sound. They have dropped a bomb once again with 3ISBAR, which features a post-punk bassline with heavily down sampled drums which suddenly drops into a little hard trance beat, coupled with singer Victoria Daldas’ playful vocals.
Jack Marlow – Old’ On – One artist I discovered in December was Liverpool based Jack Marlow. I was scrolling through Instagram one day when I stumbled across a reel featuring his track Old’ On and I immediately added it to my liked songs and other Spotify playlists. The track is from his 2022 album Tastes Like the 90’s, released in August. I don’t know what the rest of the album sounds like as I have only heard this track, but I would say the album name is definitely appropriate for the vibe of Old’ On as there are some massive 90’s dance influences throughout, whilst simultaneously being the perfect mix of deep house and UK garage; This track is a classic before its time.
Renounced – Self Inflicted – the hardcore pick for this week is from London based band Renounced with their song Self Inflicted from their 2019 album, Beauty is a Destructive Angel and features Counterpart’s Brendan Murphy. Self Inflicted is the second track on the album after the instrumental opener Ghosts, before breaking into machine like drums and hammering riffs, before being met by vocals from frontman Daniel Gray. Such an explosive song, and a great full length opener for the album.
Black Sabbath – Sabbra Cadabra – Finally, we come to the last track of December’s, the last track for 2022 and the final track for the written On Repeat series. Sabbra Cadabra is by Black Sabbath (the clue is in the name) and is from their classic 1973 album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. It is a love song originally written by Ozzy Osbourne but then changed by bassist Geezer Butler. Sabbra Cadabra oozes rock and roll without being too soppy, it is Black Sabbath after all. The song was later covered by Metallica in 1998 on Garage Inc. album
That’s a wrap for 2022 and the written series of On Repeat. I have absolutely loved creating this series over the past two years but now it is time for me to move on with other projects I have in store for 2023. The On Repeat playlist will still be on Spotify and I will still add to it each month, there just won’t be a readable version up on the blog exploring the ins and outs of each track. I will also be sharing each track individually on Instagram stories and adding the sound so that everyone can still hear my favourite top ten. I cant get rid of it completely!
I also would like to say the biggest of thank you’s to everyone who reads each post every month and those of you who follow the Instagram account, listen to the tracks and follow my playlists. None of the support goes un noticed and I am so grateful, I cannot wait for everyone to see what is coming this year.
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