Welcome to ‘Top 10 Tracks’, the essential weekly round-up of the best new music.
At the end of each week, we count down the ten essential new tracks you need in your rotation. Ranging from rappers in the Emerald Isle to boundary-pushing, experimental producers and everything in between, it’s all hits, no filler.
This week, Blackhaine joins forces with Iceboy Violet and Blood Orange, Keanu The Pilot provides a cautionary tale and Santigold returns.
FKJ, Credit: Jack McKain
Jazz-fusion artist Auxiliary Phoenix has quietly been making some of the most interesting experimental music coming out of Ireland in the past two years. He’s now shared ‘Petrified’ ahead of the release of the deluxe version of Petrichor.
Having found fans in KAYTRANADA and Rosalía to name a few through tracks like ‘Give It Up 2 Me’ and ‘Jetset‘, Ojerime is putting her own stamp on a sound that’s being twisted and contorted in new and exciting ways from a wave of acts inspired as much by electronic as they are hip hop.
Ahead of his forthcoming album V I N C E N T, FKJ has linked with Toro Y Moi for a serene new cut. Speaking on the collaboration, Toro Y Moi says, “Vincent, Tony and I jammed out this track at Different Fur in San Francisco when Vincent flew in to work on his record. I ended up writing about the moments of desire and the tension we feel when we’re away from loved ones. I want the listener to feel as if things are open ended with the person on the other side.”
‘Pod’ is the kind of track that does the heavy lifting in peak hours of the main room and another playful production that keeps Two Shell at the cutting edge of dance music.
Sharing DNA with the vulnerable sax-laced affirmations of Knucks, Dublin’s Keanu The Pilot shares his cautionary tale of trust and loyalty – ‘TRIBE’.
Two heavyweights join forces to sprinkle their observations on the local scene and bounce back from a tough times.
Blackhaine and Rainy Miller have formed one of the most potent relationships in UK music. 2020’s Armour teased their experimental, ‘ambient drill’ sound, which has gone from strength to strength since through a number of releases on the Fixed Abode label.
Now, they’ve teamed up again ahead of Armour II(Which is set for release June 10) for ‘Prayer’, which also features Iceboy Violet and Blood Orange. Humanising synthetic sounds with vulnerable confessions, Blackhaine’s second single from his forthcoming record subverts the boundaries of drill and electronica
Célia Tiab has announced herself as the newest addition to Soft Boy Records’ roster today with the release of her debut single ‘BIBIBI’.
The cut shares DNA with the dusty drums of Steve Lacy’s work and sees Célia make good on the promise shown across a number of features in the past few years.
Santigold is back with her first new single since 2018 and it features production from Boys Noize, I don’t think we need to sell this one too much.
Ever wish you could put life on airplane mode? On ‘Do Not Disturb’, BINA. is detailing the time spent in therapy, the hours taken to get out of bed and the tears in an honest track that is reminding us we’re not alone.