A selection of 5 electronic/dance albums


written by Lou Touyarou




1. Karma & Desire - Actress

Based in London, Karma & Desire is Actress’s latest release, coming out in October 2020. With airy melodies that smoothly blend into one another, certain parts played at the piano giving it a both comforting and dramatic atmosphere, this album just gives me the sensation I am floating. The voices whispering the same lyrics in loops gives it a mesmerizing, and somehow almost surreal feeling. It is really an album you sit down for and see where it leads you. In Actress's words, it’s “a romantic tragedy set between the heavens and the underworld”.

Released on the very good label Ninja Tune where you can find other great artists such as The Bug (really a must listen), Jordan Rakei, Bicep, Kamazi Washington or Run the Jewels to only name a few.




2. Tomo - Slikback

I keep hearing about it more and more around me, and very understandably so. I had to address the record label Nyege Nyege, and here more precisely their sublabel Hakuna Kulala and the release of one of their talents: Slikback. Everyone seems to agree on his talent for underground club music and you should definitely keep an eye out on what will be coming next.

If Actress’s album felt airy, giving the sensation of being afloat, the atmosphere of this next album is quite the opposite. Heavy basses, percussions rhythms that will make you crazy, all of this topped up by this intense energy hard to pinpoint where it’s actually coming from. Tomo is Slikback’s second EP and most likely my personal favourite. He has released more music since then on different labels such as the Shanghai based label SVBKVLT or on the British label Byrd Out that are worth looking into if you need more of Slikback after listening to Tomo, which let’s face it, is most likely to happen.




3. Colourgrade - Tirzah

When you listen to Colourgrade for the first time, you first thing you notice are the mesmerizing and elegant vocals. Very quickly, you also start noticing the airy cloud of electronic melodies and ambiances that complement perfectly the rnb like voices of Tirzah and Coby Sey. The album gives a feeling of intimacy and spaciousness, as if the different elements in the music were letting each other some space to develop.

This is the 2nd album of the artist, recently released after a first album in 2018. Just like her last album, she’s been working closely with the composer, musician and singer Mica Levi who has been largely acclaimed particularly for her movie soundtracks, as well as the vocalist Coby Sey.




4. Yalta - Pavel Milyakov

Also known under the name of “buttechno”, Pavel Milyakov is a musician, producer, artist and soundesigner based in Moscow. Yalta is actually one of his first releases back from 2016, some minimal techno meeting experimental music, always backed up throughout the album by some ambient like atmospheres which gives it this hovering feeling. This is really the kind of album that you should listen to with a nice pair of headphones and hear the subtleties of the sounds, sometimes blending into each other, sometimes giving each other space. It is not the kind of album that is going to keep your attention by just being played in the background, but it will reveal its magic after being given full attention.

He’s got quite a rich discography since then, and his summer release collaborating with Yana Pavlova who is doing the vocals is particularly worth checking out.




5. Reflection - Loraine James

Some breaking, impacting beats with an r&b feeling, coupled with samply like voices, it feels like Loraine has managed to reappropriate herself the codes of drill and r&b through electronic music. The bouncy rhythmics will quickly get to you and having had the chance to see her live at Rewire festival, I can tell you those rhythmics hit you ten times as much. Definitely recommended.

Made during the 2020 lockdown fiesta, Loraine releases her new album on the London based Hyperdub, another label with big names that you have to check out if you’re not already familiar with, pretty much a classic.