With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’re thinking mostly about our first love—dance music. Sure, a candlelit dinner is nice, but what about that tingly feeling you get inside when your favorite DJ releases an extended mix of your favorite track? That’s real love.
There have been tons of exciting new releases over the past couple of weeks that have caught our eye from legends and up-and-comers alike. Keep reading to discover the best of last week’s crop of new dance music.
• TRACK: Ariana Grande – “yes, and?”
Right when we needed her most, Ariana Grande returns to the airways with “yes, and?” the already record-breaking lead single from her upcoming seventh studio album, eternal sunshine. Marking her eight No. 1 single on the Hot 100 and with production from Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh (a.k.a ILYA), “yes, and?” is a glorious (and recalcitrant) house track complete with an addictive beat and Ariana’s signature smooth vocals.
• TRACK: Justice – “One Night/All Night ft. Tame Impala” and “Generator”
Surprising fans everywhere, French electronic duo Justice released two new tracks last week. The tracks are the first new music from the band in almost a decade, serving also as the lead singles off their upcoming album Hyperdrama. The A-Side, “One Night/All Night” featuring Tame Impala, leans heavily into electro-funk fusion—it’s a perfect marriage between Justice’s dark techno sound and Tame Impala’s languid disco-house. And the B-Side, “Generator”, is closer to the Justice that we’ve come to know and love, featuring a relentless techno beat and groovy synths across a glitchy, metallic musical landscape.
• TRACK: SONIKKU – “Debaucherous (ft. Partiboi69)"
In his first new track in months and featuring the collaboration we didn’t even know we needed, SONNIKU shares “Debaucherous (ft. Partiboi69),” the lead single off his forthcoming sophomore record Whirlwind of Malevolence. The track is hot, an amalgam of techno, Eurodance, and trance, at the center of which are Partiboi69’s hedonistic rap and SONNIKU’s queer hyperpop sound.
• TRACK: NIKKO X SWAE and Train – “Serious”
An EDM track isn’t exactly the new music the world expected from San Francisco’s pop-rock band Train, who are probably best known for the uke-infused “Hey Soul Sister” and the piano ballad “Drops of Jupiter.” And yet, “Serious”, spearheaded and produced by Californian house duo NIIKO X SWAE, is inspired. It’s a light and ironically unserious dance track that’ll have you accepting Train into the world of dance music with open arms.
• TRACK: Mau P – “BEATS FOR THE UNDERGROUND”
In what has proven to be an incredibly anticipated release, rising Dutch DJ Mau P shares “BEATS FOR THE UNDERGROUND” a tech-house masterpiece featuring an electrifying bassline and a hip-hop groove.
• TRACK: Carlita – “Cash for Love”
Carlita’s latest single, “Cash For Love”, is a seamlessly blended tech-house track featuring a sample from the Italian dance group FPI Project. Released through CircoLoco Records, the single is yet another example of what this Turkish DJ does best: connecting the seemingly unconnectable into a track that is entirely and uniquely hers.
• TRACK: Purple Disco Machine – “Beat of Your Heart (ft. ÁSDÍS)”
Regular readers of Fresh Finds will undoubtedly know that I’m an unapologetic superfan of Purple Disco Machine. “Beat of Your Heart,” the first single from the German DJ this year and featuring the vocals of Icelandic powerhouse ÁSDÍS, is much in line with the common thread of 2023’s output that it blends all the best of 70s and 80s nostalgia into a contemporary and scintillating dance track.
That’s it for this week! To stay up to date with the latest in electronic music, including exclusive coverage of some of the genre’s biggest festivals and more editions of Fresh Finds, make sure to check back here at Nexus Radio.
And, as always, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @nexusradiodance.
