Welcome to the Clubhopping Top 10, a monthly list of recent dance tracks that have caught us by the ears and feet (not necessarily in that order), with embeds so you can hear most of them for yourself. This month’s roundup includes everyone from Martyn and Mike Slott to Aeroplane and (yep) the Human League, in alphabetical order after the jump.
Badawi, “The Axiom (Andy Stott Remix)” (The Agriculture) New York dub man Badawi (a.k.a. Raz Mesinai) has been moving closer to dubstep of a particularly dank variety, and this hookup with Andy Stott, one of the most consistent dub techno producers around, neatly captures the sensibilities of both.
Blawan, “Bohla” (R&S) A dubstep producer who likes to get frisky with a 303? Sign us up.
Boxcutter, “LOADtime” (Hotflush) From Hotflush’s superb Back and 4th compilation, one of many reasons to keep an ear on Irish dubstepper Barry Lynn. This track goes off like a sparkler, clattering drums speeding beneath wow-and-flutter synths of all stripes.
Eve White, “Feel Better” (Perspectiv) Eve White is the alias of German producers Motec and Daniel Gelbe, who team up here for a beguilingly restrained tech-house track, sprinkled with an English preacher’s sermon.
FaltyDL, “Hip Love” (Ramp) New Yorker Drew Lustman melts down R&B vocals and reworks breakbeats till they remind you of a Jenga game on this piping track. Jagged, but it goes down easy.
The Human League, “Never Let Me Go (Aeroplane Remix)” The original isn’t much (Auto-Tune, boo), but Vito De Luca takes care of it by minimizing the effects and playing up a perky arrangement equally at home on the Top of the Pops of 1987 or the Ibiza of this coming summer.
Joy O, “Wade In” (Hotflush) Peter O’Grady chopped the “-rbison” off of his moniker like an unwanted mullet, which doesn’t really improve it, but no matter: this piano-and-percussion house stomp speaks for itself.
Martyn/Mike Slott, “All Nights” (All City) From the first of All City’s new “Collabs” 12-inch series, this team-up between Dutch dubstep producer Martyn and Slott, the Dublin-born head of Glasgow’s LuckyMe Records, skips lively while an airy synth pattern jabs its fingers in the air.
Rootstrax, “Harlequin 808 Dub” (Deeply Rooted House) An anonymous French person made this sweet little throwback to early, minimalist Chicago house: whapping machine snare, soft keyboards apparently preset to “French horn,” misty echo.
Sample Minds, “You Don’t Fool Me” (The Clubbers)
Unabashedly sunny super-club filter-disco house of the type you’d expect from a Hed Kandi compilation — but with enough restraint to move it from déclassé to plain lovely. Listen to a sample or buy the track here.