From heavy-hitters like Pryda and deadmau5 to rising producers like Massane and Slow Hearts, April saw stellar house music releases.
While we’ve been holed up in quarantine this past month, our favorite house music artists have been lifting our spirits with plenty of live streams and new music. From electro and progressive to deep and techno, here are 10 of our favorite house music tracks, in no specific order, from the past month.
“Make Up” - Hot Since 82
Hot Since 82 is one of the biggest names in tech house, and “Make Up” proves why. Just 30 seconds in, the track kicks into overdrive with an impeccable kick drum and a deep, driving bassline. “Make Up” marks the centennial release of Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound imprint, and the hard-hitting track is the perfect way to celebrate the occasion.
“Bear Hug” - Lane 8
Speaking about his track “Bear Hug,” Lane 8 recounted, “I went into the mountains on a vision quest of sorts. I stayed in a cabin that had a huge painting of a bear with its arms stretched out and I spent a lot of time staring at that bear while I made this song.”
Just like a bear hug, this song grips tightly, sucking listeners in with a mystical melody before breaking into an assault of sonic growls.
“Twisted” - Massane
Shimmering synths and soft keys embellish a yearning lead on “Twisted,” the sum of parts forming a serene soundscape. The track is a perfect fit for its release on Lane 8’s This Never Happened label, which curates tender-yet-spirited melodic house tracks like Massane's “Twisted.”
“Loop Machine” - Raxon
Though “Loop Machine” veers a little into techno territory, it’s worth a mention for its sinister, pulsating atmosphere. The track’s been smashing dancefloors for months as dance music mainstay Maceo Plex revealed it’s a staple in his recent sets, and he finally released it on his label Ellum Audio.
“Extraction” - Dosem
“My method when composing music is very visual, projecting images and putting a soundtrack to an imaginary sci-fi movie,” Dosem explained on the making of “Extraction.” The bassline is certainly otherworldly on this track. Not to mention, Dosem nails the progression from intro to drop, with 3 minutes of ever-increasing tension exploding into groove-inducing beats.
“Nightwhisperer” - Jody Wisternoff & James Grant
Jody Wisternoff and James Grant are best known for running Above & Beyond’s deep house label Anjunadeep. The pair is able to masterully curate and craft though, which “Nightwhisperer”—the title track from Jody Wisternoff’s upcoming album—highlights.
The tune plays off a delicate melody from Spike Jonze’s film adaption of the popular children's book Where The Wild Things Are. A powerful bassline, cushioned brass, and lush synths blanket the melody to create a dreamy, melodic house concoction.
“Find Love” – Kaskade
Kaskade’s Redux live shows and EP series are ways for him to shift from his established sound to dig into his roots, exploring an intimate and introspective style of house music. “Find Love,” featured on his fourth Redux EP, hits home with this sentiment. There’s a soft energy to the song, which is shaped by a warm piano melody, musing vocals, and a gentle groove.
“Sands Of Time” - Slow Hearts
There’s no better home for “Sands Of Time” than Lee Burridge’s All Day I Dream record label, which is revered for its consistent curation of emotive dance music. Spanning eight minutes, “Sands Of Time” moves slow and steady, animated by tranquil bells, tribal drums and a deep, dancefloor-ready beat.
“The Gift (EPIC mix)” – Pryda
Eric Prydz is notorious for his hoard of unreleased live edits and mashups, and diehard fans may have been waiting for the “EPIC” mix of “The Gift” for almost 10 years. On finally releasing the cinematic “EPIC” edit under his progressive house focused moniker Pryda, Eric Prydz stated:
“I’ve been waiting for the right time to give this track away for free. I promised to do that probably a few years ago actually, but I just wanted to wait for the right time. And I just feel that now when we’re all at home sitting on lockdown everyone needs a gift. ”
“Fives” - BSOD
It’s been six years since deadmau5 and Steve Duda (famously known for creating wildly popular music production plugin Serum) linked up for their collaborative project BSOD. The duo reemerged this April for their No Way, Get Real EP, and “Fives” is one of the best tracks off it.
From the playful panning in the intro to the glitchy synths fans have come to love deadmau5 for, “Fives” is an eccentric electro house track that’s ready-made for a colorful, carefree video game akin to Rocket League.
source https://edm.com/features/best-house-music-tracks-april-2020
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