Introducing our music blog’s top 10 picks of 2023! Our fantastic review team has covered some of the best releases from around the globe, from Techno to House and beyond. This past year has included some heavy hitters, from familiar names to emerging artists. Check out our favorite releases below.
Funk Assault – “Minimum One Post A Week” (Primal Instinct) [June 27, 2023]
Berlin’s newly emerging techno label, Primal Instinct, stands out from the herd with its very first release titled “Minimum One Post A Week” as an EP from one of Europe’s most exciting new duos, Funk Assault.
Regent – “Coral Knife” (Mutual Rytm) [October 6, 2023]
Berlin’s Regent continues his journey to the top like a rocket while garnering a spot on SHDW’s Mutual Rytm with his latest “Coral Knife” EP for a funky, dark, and infectiously grooving release.
Lewis Fautzi – “Methods of Nothing” EP (PoleGroup) [November 10, 2023]
Gritty bass-heavy grooves and distorted atmospherics feature thick and hypnotic on Lewis Fautzi’s newest 4-tracker, “Methods of Nothing,” EP off the venerable Polegroup Label.
DJ Heartstring & Narciss – “Why Can’t We Live Forever?” (Polydor Records) [October 27, 2023]
Leave the chaos of the world behind and take a spin on the dancefloor with iconic fan-favorites Narciss and DJ Heartstring. The hottest collab in Dance Music, Polydor Records latest release “Why Can’t We Live Forever?” delivers a ‘dear diary’ of playful grooves brooding in romanticism.
Lindsey Herbert – “Not Alone” (Truncate) [October 18, 2023]
Lindsey Herbert continues her meteoric rise to the top of the charts with hypnotic and Dub-laced proper Techno off the Truncate label. “Not Alone” proves there’s no end in sight for one of the Techno world’s brightest young stars.
Surgeon – “Crash Recoil” (Tresor) [March 17, 2023]
Surgeon returns to Tresor with a surefire album of solid and soothing Techno. “Crash Recoil” is crafted from tracks cultivated from his live sets and are in essence, fully audience-tested and vetted tracks, sure to please just about anyone.
KiNK & Raredub – “Higher” EP (SCDD) [August 31, 2023]
Bulgaria’s finest hardware masters, KiNK and Raredub, have joined forces to throw listeners into a menagerie of arpeggios, potent four-to-the-floor kick drums, and piercing synths for an undeniably thrilling ride. Featuring a definitive House feeling with maximal Acid grooves, the Steel City Dance Discs “Higher” EP release is a hypnotizing frenzy.
Pink Concrete – “Big Deal” (Bipolar Disorder Rec.) [August 21, 2023]
Czech-based Pink Concrete releases “Big Deal” on Swiss-based Bipolar Disorder Rec. featuring a selection of 3 original cuts alongside remixes by Lindsey Herbert, Matrixxman, and The Chronics. The release perfectly captures the intensity of all 4 artists in one package.
Roogunit – “Bash Box” (Mote Evolver) [March 31, 2023]
What happens when you get 2 producers with the finest ears in Techno get together? You get Roogunit: a pair of deeply listening Techno heads by the names of Ashley Burchett and Luke Slater who’ve demonstrated they have the “golden ears” to root out deep sonic details and technical prowess while jamming live here on the “Bash Box” EP off Mote Evolver.
DVS1 – “HUSH 06” (HUSH) [October 13, 2023]
Minneapolis Techno cornerstone and global phenomenon DVS1 returns to his homegrown label HUSH with “HUSH 06” for the imprint’s first release in almost 3 years.
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