Tracks by Mija, Cole Knight, Anderholm, Marco Faraone, and Cour T. shaped the house and techno landscape the week of October 2.
Spooky season is upon us. While everyday people plan what costumes they’ll wear at the end of the month, DJs across the globe are digging for tracks to play out at Halloween party gigs. EDM Identity is here to help keep their selections up to date.
The past week, artists like Mija, Anderholm, Cour T., and Cole Knight released compelling house and techno EPs and albums. No need to scour each of these releases for the best tracks, though. We’ve done the digging for you, unearthing five cuts ranging from party-starting tech house to cool and contemplative progressive.
Don’t wait until Halloween to cue these up. Find a proper sound system and give them a rinse well in advance — you owe yourself that much. Here are the five house and techno tracks we think you need to hear from the past week.
Read along for more information on the five tracks that dropped this week, and check out last week’s list. Listen to more house and techno curations on EDM Identity’s Subterranean Sounds, Melodic Marvels, and Dancefloor Decadence Spotify playlists!
Mija – I WANNA BE A BIG STAR ft. Cakes Da Killa and Wreckno
Mija released her long-awaited EP NO RULES last week. The four-song effort lives up to its title by serving up four tracks that speak to the Phoenix-born, Los Angeles-based DJ and producer’s wide creative range.
Case in point: the final track, “I WANNA BE A BIG STAR” featuring Cakes Da Killa and Wreckno. A reverberant synth melody inspired by UK garage intermingles with a four-on-the-floor beat throughout the single, only letting up to make room for hyphy rap verses to take center stage.
Marco Faraone – Emergency
Adam Beyer‘s Drumcode Records is the proud, new home of “Emergency” by Marco Faraone. The single sees the Italian DJ and producer follow the no-frills approach to cerebral, peak-hour techno that has vaulted him to the top of a scene that takes great dedication to conquer.
“Emergency” makes its intentions known right out of the gate. Driving kick drums and visceral synth work set a visceral tone before the arrival of a call and response between a spoken word sample of the song’s namesake and a blaring alarm sound. Marco demonstrates that simple is often best when it comes to techno.
Cole Knight – Keep It Cute
Who doesn’t love a party-starting house track? Cole Knight made “Keep It Cute” different enough to hold the heads’ attention with enough familiar elements to keep it accessible. Chopped vocals and sultry spoken-word samples make this a surefire singalong track on dancefloors the world over.
“Keep It Cute” appeared on Keep It Cute / The Girls Go Walking. The two-track effort marked Cole Knight’s debut EP on Higher Ground after she and Fedele offered up a release of Diplo and Miguel‘s “Don’t Forget My Love” on the label last year.
Anderholm – Phantom
Last week, Ukrainian DJ and producer Anderholm delivered the EP Rather Be Lost on Lane 8‘s This Never Happened imprint. While the effort includes several strong tracks, none stand out quite as much as “Phantom.”
In “Phantom,” Anderholm introduces something new to the global conversation that is deep and progressive house. Grandiose spires of layered sounds shoot up throughout the arrangement of the track, evoking heavenly mental imagery. Anderholm is certainly one to watch.
Cour T. – OZ
This week’s strongest offering comes courtesy of Brazilian DJ and producer Cour T. His debut studio-length album arrived by way of Dirtybird Records last week, and it’s a must-listen for anyone eager to hear a fresh take on house music.
It’s hard to pick only one song from Brain Waves, but “OZ” is as good as any. The final track from the album, its effervescent synth work offsets groovy percussion, culminating in a psychedelic soundscape sure to set any dancefloor ablaze. Cour T. has a bright future ahead if his first full album is any indication.
