We look back at 2021 as a whirlwind of a year, with many twists, turns, ups, and downs. But the one constant which kept us moving forward was the endless volume of high-quality tracks, yet to touch a real sound system. Over the lockdown period, we found virtually unknown artists creating revolutionary sounds and veteran producers confirming why we regard them as the greats.
So let's take a look at our top picks from this year...
Special Request - Pull Up (Tim Reaper Remix)
With lockdown in full swing at the start of this year, the world was bubbling with anticipation ready to be unleashed on the dancefloor. Lucky for us, the freshest label on the scene HOOVERSOUND Recordings quenched our thirst for maximum rave energy.
Jungle pioneer Tim Reaper connected with production overlord Special Request on ‘Pull Up’ to take centre stage. It was without question this track made the cut, earth-shattering basslines, dreamy melodies, Amen breaks, and an icy vocal sample from ‘Touch Me, Tease Me’.
Adam Pits - Gazza
This track introduced us to the emerging producer known as Adam Pits. ‘Gazza’ takes us into the world of first-class pumping minimal and nu-garage. Although we clocked this release in 2020, it only reached our sound systems this year (big ups to SYNRG Events, you know what you did).
But it was definitely worth the wait, there is only one way to describe it… Banger!
Reek0 - Setting Ft. Nia Archives
The UK sound has never been stronger than now. It has been hard to keep up with the number of amazing artists who have appeared out of the woodwork. But we thought hard on this one. We picked out a track that represents the current surge of young artists experimenting with the interlinkage between music and youth culture.
Reek0 and Nia Archives supplied an auditory paradise with ‘Setting’.
La Fraicheur - La Fin De Debut
La Fraicheur's debut on Lobster Theremin was nothing short of a masterpiece. The French producer generated a thunderous future-techno EP, which caused damage across clubs this year.
A vicious bassline that throws you in every direction, driving the track forward alongside tightly-packed, fat-backed 4/4 drums. This ripping production gives you a trustworthy wake-up in the club and we’re excited to see more from this unique producer.
Overmono- So U Kno
It goes without saying that Overmono has once again cemented themselves as the titans of dance music. This track has become a nail in DJ sets, gaining a spin from a variety of DJs from Four Tet to Dax J. After a storming year of releases Overmono pulled out all the stops on this one.
“So U Kno” taps into 2-step garage, with their signature post-dubstep undertone.
This rounds off our 2021 picks, we’ll be back next year with double the number of monthly selections.
Merry Christmas one and all.
Words by Will Welsh