On Repeat: August

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

Thank you for reading August’s edition of On Repeat, September will be coming soon. Spotify playlist updated here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1wqC3Ag3ixbgPG3TcHa1JY?si=d12987eac3ce4eef

On Repeat: February

Once again I am incredibly late posting On Repeat (a month to be exact) but mainly because of other exciting projects and collaborations I have in the pipeline. February’s post features tracks of house and disco, and tracks perfect for a party playlist. I think all of these tracks are so individually amazing, I couldn’t not write about them! Here are my top ten tracks I loved in February!

Oden & Fatzo – Ob1 Kenobi – First on February’s list is Ob1 Kenobi from French quartet of duos, Oden and Fatzo. This minimal house banger is fun, deep and has an insanely groovy bassline. There are some 808 State and S.A.M influences, with its synths and paradise-like sounds. This track is certainly a funky number, perfect for the late afternoon parties to take you into the night under a sunset.

Benoit & Sergio – Everybody – Secondly comes this summer track from Washington D.C and Berlin Based Benoit & Sergio. It’s a beautifully intimate track with an uplifting trajectory. Released on Death From Above, the track features light drums, mellow synths and arpeggiated M1 piano. It is a definite party style tune that gives off happy summer vibes to induce the singer and dancer within us all.

Naux – Call The Pompelars – Next up is French DJ and Producer, Naux’s track from his 2020 EP, Calm Down Beach released on Bellissima Records. It is disco and glitter vibes, a real party starter that just makes me want to dance.

Logic1000 – Perfume – Australia Born, Germany based Samantha Poulter AKA Logic1000 released Perfume on the single of the same name last year. It features house groove with layered by 90’s R&B samples, particularly of Avant’s Separated, which is also the same sample in Dusky – Careless.

Cobra Man – Everybody Party Tonight – Everybody Party Tonight is an 80’s disco type vibe of a track. From the 2018 album, Toxic Planet Los Angeles power disco duo Andy Harry and Sarah Rayne have captured the sense of an 80’s disco with their electro-punk productions. It is a powerful song with some beautiful, smooth sax included too.

Kicks – Marvin – This is absolutely my favourite track of this month’s ten. Marvin oozes funky vibes throughout. It is from Kicks’ Space Opera EP, released in 2020 on Rutilance Recordings and it’s an absolutely gorgeous track from start to finish. It has blissful melody and intriguing vocal samples. Kicks is most definitely one of the best, most well hidden artists and I will definitely be listening to more of his work.

Mr. G – In Gratitude (New Moon Mix) – From his Tokyo EP also released last year, In Gratitude (New Moon Mix) is a deep house track that is a slightly darker vibe, but an excellent one at that. Mr. G is one of my favourite artists at the moment and is both an excellent DJ and producer.

Social Lovers – Can’t Get Enough – Next is Social Lovers’ disco track, Can’t Get Enough. There is seduction and groove put together that gets the hips going. It was released on Hobo Camp and has influences from various cities such as LA, San Francisco and Seattle, and is influenced by the sounds of west coast disco funk.

Milton Jackson – Sunset In A Frame – Sunset In A Frame is a deep house track on German label Housewax. Made up of thick drums and deep dubs, it is another track perfect for a summer afternoon sunset soundtrack.

Special Request – Phosphorescence – Paul Woolford AKA Special Request’s track Phosphorescence from his 2019 Bedroom Tapes LP is a beautifully ambient one. It’s full of emotion and sparks pure ecstasy, with a chilled out, relaxed vibe.

The On Repeat: February playlist can be found on Spotify below: