Electric Feels: Our fave new electronic tunes this week

Despite a lack in large-scale album releases, this year’s pre-Christmas music rush was real. Whilst Justice were delivering one of the best BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes in recent memory, we copped new music from Flume (his Like A Version cover hit iTunes and streaming platforms this week) and new remixes from Elizabeth Rose, Salute and a whole heap of others. Check out the best bits of this past week’s releases below, a week that has been dominated by international figures whilst Australians get cracking on their eager Christmas parties a little earlier than everyone else.

Ryan Hemsworth - Holy feat. Ryan Playground & Swim Good Now)

With an incredible mountain of over-looked releases, Ryan Hemsworth has built himself a modest, yet passionate fanbase across the past few years. This year however, he’s been relatively quiet release-wise, instead taking the time to focus on his Secret Songs platform which his new single arrives on. Featuring Ryan Playground and Swim Good Now, Hemsworth’s new single Holy sports quite a mellow sound that would be expected already by fans of the Canadian producer. Whilst the instrumental pops with bubbly samples and crisp percussion work, the moody vocals that surround it really bring the whole track’s feel down a level, contrasting Hemsworth’s rather up-beat, percussion-based production with slow, emotionally-involved vocal melodies. Holy is a good track though, don’t get me wrong, and it’s nice to see Hemsworth release something just before his Australian festival tour kicks off over the New Year.

Arona Mane - POTGS feat. Milan

Sydney-based producer Arona Mane is the only Australian artist in this week’s column and with the year he’s had in 2016 he deserves it. The beat-maker has been one of our favourite break-outs of the year, teasing with his funked-up, Kaytranada-like house productions that ooze with an irresistible groove. His new single POTGS is no different, enlisting Milan for a head-bouncing track that is full of bounce and flavour. Sourcing inspiration from classic hip-hop tracks, many of which he’s remixed, POTGS sports an addictive instrumental that feels at home with vocal chops, crafted from recorded work with Australian vocalist Milan. Amongst the funked-up flavours, POTGS has quite a sensual and maybe even nostalgic tone to it, proving that although he’s rather fond of his groovy productions (and who wouldn’t be?), he’s still able to give each track their own little nuances and shades that make them easy to differentiate from each other and keep things exciting.

TÂCHES - Mi Destino feat. INGA

Shaking things up with a bit more of a house vibe is TÂCHES, a British-born producer that has effortlessly charmed this year with his exciting house productions. Arriving through Majestic Casual Records, his new single Mi Destino continues this, blending his house sound with nuances of tribal music influenced by his time in the islands of the Mediterranean. Mi Destino craftily blends a demanding production with soft, delicate vocals from TÂCHES himself, that quietly hum behind the track’s expansive, percussion-rich instrumental that pulses and pulses across the track’s four minutes. Ending 2016 on a promising note, between TÂCHES and his more down-tempo side project Concepts of colour, 2017 is shaping up to be a big one for the now Europe-based producer.

Kidswaste - More Colours feat. Chelsea Cutler

If I was asked to name two people who managed to pull of a big 2016, two names towards the top of this list would be Kidswaste and Chelsea Cutler. The former, a young, French-based producer, has teased throughout the year with his euphoric, synth-soaked productions whilst the latter has gifted her vocals on popular, break-out tracks by Chet Porter, Andrew Luce and more. Together they team up for More Colours, another on-point release between the two that really showcases the signature and well-loved features of the both of them. Whilst Kidswaste flexes his music-making muscles on a snare-ridden production that is overflowing with euphoric, glistening synth work, Cutler’s delicate vocal work shines in the foreground, both combining to create an ambient take on the popular future-bass sound that has sweeped 2016. Finding a home on Ultra imprint Next Wave Records, More Colours is the first taste of Spleen, an EP set to arrive from the French producer in early 2017 that is bound to be an early winner.

Autograf - Episode

Another act high up on the ‘Best of 2016’ list for me would be Autograf, a Chicago-based outfit that has dominated the year with their crafty, electronic productions and their impressive capability to create something addictively-good every single damn time. Their new single Episode continues this, sampling the Dr. Dre classic for an addictive vocal line that floats in the background of a feel-good instrumental that glistens with a simplistic, yet extremely effective, plucking breakdown that’s driven by crisp snare hits and a relentless groove. It’s just a quick little track to round out the big year for the Chicagoans, a year that’ll hopefully be toppled once again by their excitingly-promising year ahead.

San Holo - Light (WRLD Remix)

Between running his own label Bitbird and a whole chunk of well-written, bassy productions, Dutch producer San Holo has managed to pull off another big year. Light, his most recent single, is the pinnacle of this, with the producer managing to encompass a shimmering, euphoric shade on his signature future-bass sound. Now, weeks later, fellow Dutch producer WRLD has taken the reigns for a remix of the single that really beefs up this euphoric quality of the track and pairs it with WRLD’s well-loved nostalgic sounds. Following up from his remix of Kid Froopy’s BB (Four Missed Texts), WRLD’s re-do is packed full of flavours and sounds that’ll pick you up and fly you away from the pre-Christmas rush of tasks and chores that taken control at this time of year. It just hits the spot.