Feature

Unless you’ve been holed up since the beginning of the year, you’d be aware that 2018 has been a stellar year for Australian dance music from the irresistibly catchy yet club friendly full length records from Cosmo’s Midnight and The Presets, to the broken, blissed out grooves produced by the likes of Dugong Jr and Kllo.

As we are now past the mid-point of 2018, we decided to get talking in the office and we’ve compiled a list of all the Aussie dance cuts we’ve been feeling throughout the course of the year so far. Dive into the list below, and let us know your favourites.

Rebel Yell – Next Exit

Brisbane-based producer Grace Stephenson has spent over 4 years cultivating her very own style of dance music, which shines through on her latest club offering Next Exit an onslaught of acid techno with a driving rhythm that violently tears through the mix. This track has a strange way of feeling raw and aggressive without sacrificing clarity, making for a hard hitting club heater. Take a listen for yourself below

Mickey Kojak – Get Out

Mickey Kojak has solidified himself as a solo project as well as the lead vocalist of The Tapes, so it’s no surprise that his latest track Get Out has landed itself on our mid-year list of Aussie dance tracks. Bearing a retro-futuristic balance of analogue synth stylings and modern chord progressions, Get Out is an infectiously catchy track that serves to be just as appropriate for lazy weekends as summer festivals. Bearing a sonic resemblance to the more laid-back cuts from the likes of Van She and Miami Horror, Mickey Kojak has come through with a sound that is undeniably Australian.

Willaris. K – Risen

After returning with the chrome plated Alchemy EP about a month ago, young talent Willaris. K is certainly breaking new heights as of late, after headlining the oxford art factory among other shows, the visionary producer has proven himself to be one of the most hard working artists in the current club landscape. Risen is a raging club track that somehow filters brooding cinematic orchestrations through the lens of a pounding techno groove. Willaris K’s ability to balance light and dark in this track is unmatched, with a roaring bassline paired directly with delicate swelling melodies. Listen to Risen below, and be sure to check out the rest of this EP

ALTA – Now You Want Me

Melbourne-based two piece ALTA have been at it for a while, combining elements of pop, garage and house into a style of blissed out yet incredible dance music. Their seductive new single Now You Want Me filters all of their skills into one irresistibly catchy track, with a bumpy groove that reminisces on UK garage tracks of decades passed whilst launching their unique brand of dance music into the future. After a succession of stellar releases from the duo, we’re more than keen to see what these two come up with next.

Jack Grace – Downstate

Singer, Songwriter and producer Jack Grace has been crafting his very own style of emotive downtempo for a while, however his latest offering shows his skills in full swing. Downstate seems to invoke as much melancholy as it does euphoria, a strange palette of emotions for sure, but thats what puts the young talent on our list.

Perto – What U Need

If you’re a sucker for anything bass-heavy, there’s a high chance you’ve stumbled across the name Perto, this 16 year old prodigy has been active as a producer for just under a year, in that time his bombastic club heaters have garnered the attention of names such as Diplo, Enschway and more. His most recent offering What U Need showcases the young producers talents in full overdrive, featuring vocals from All Damn Day. With such a colossal track under his belt at just 16, a promising future lies ahead for Perto.

Roza Terenzi – Weakest Link

Melbourne via Perth club staple Roza Terenzi has been a prime figure in the Australian underground for a while, serving as the support act for names such as Avalon Emerson, Jayda G and Legowelt in addition to landing spots on several festival lineups. Her unique brand of quirky, whimsical techno has allowed her to carve her very own spot in the realm of Australian dance music, that’s why we’ve decided to put one of her latest tracks Weakest Link on this list. Consisting of a lo-fi breakbeat groove carrying a myriad of chord progressions and industrial percussive hits, this track keeps it cryptic.

Cosmo’s Midnight – Montego

Cosmo’s Midnight are certainly veterans at this point, boasting 2 EP’s, a myriad of singles and now a full length album under their belt that effortlessly blend elements of R&B, Pop and Hip Hop. Their debut album has certainly created a ripple, receiving generous airplay in Australia and abroad. We’ve chosen Montego for our list because it showcases everything good about their brand new musical direction.

Kult Kyss – Chi Cup

If you think you’ve heard it all, consider yourself mistaken. Kult Kyss orchestrate alienatingly futuristic dance tracks that find a meeting point between top 40 chart hits and twisted electronic experiments. Their latest track Chi Cup consists of a stomping four to the floor beat contrasted with high pitched vocals. Take a listen to Chi Cup below.

Kllo – Potential

This Melbourne outfit have been on our radar for a while now, firstly turning heads back in 2016 with the stellar EP Well Worn, a project that laid the foundation for their debut album Backwater that came last year. Their first and only single of 2018 come sin the form of Potential, a personal, moving single about love that is paired with a captivating and intimate music video.

Dugong Jr – Voyager

If dreamy electronica is your thing, Melbourne’s Dugong Jr is the pinnacle. His track Voyager is as experimental as it is visceral, and is the result of several years dedicated to honing his craft that has led to some of his best music yet. This eloquent single includes the lush vocals of Ruby Chase, that Dugong twists and tweaks throughout the instrumental. A definite addition to the chill-out playlist.

The Presets – Martini

No messing around from The Presets, they simply know how to make a banger and have been doing so for years. Martini comes from their new album HI VIZ, and is easily a favourite from the dance-heavy record. There is just something about Julian’s vocals and a techno piece of production that revs you up!

Nite Fleit – Scram

Nite Fleit has been churning out the club heaters for a minute, and her latest project is no exception to the trend. The track Scram is dark, brooding dance-floor anthem that continually builds atop a heavy kick and drum arrangement. This track is not for the light hearted, easy listeners. It is purely constructed for the club.

Waak Waak Djungi – White Cockatoo

This is a beautiful piece of Aboriginal music released via Stamp The Wax, from Waak Waak Djungi. White Cockatoo is a dreamy, emotive piece of music that is vibrant with positive energy. You cannot help but feel a sense of happiness upon listening to this moving song.

Bad Computer – Disarray

The dark horse of the Aussie electronic music scene, Bad Computer has quickly become a global phenomena with his electro-heavy cuts. Released via Monstercat, Disarray is quirky dance tune that gives off an early Deadmau5 vibe. The drop in this track is really unlike anything we’ve heard of late, which is extremely exciting.

Angophora – Scenes

Ken Oath Records have been dishing up excellent music for a while, and the debut album from Angophora is a stand-out release for us this year. The title track Scenes is a lush, nostalgic slow-jam that that is ripe with an 80s feels. It might not get you dancing, but it’s certainly a unique piece of electronica out of Australia that is well worth a rinse.

Freda – Mad Dancer

Moonshoe is fairly young imprint out of Sydney, but the collective can boast a 100% strike rate on releases, with co-founder Freda being behind one of our stand-out tracks of the year thus far with Mad Dancer. Loaded with groove-centric instrumentation and samples, this feel-good house tune perfectly represents the ethos of Moonshoe Records to a T.

Hugh B – Floating On A Trippy Biscuit

As one of the longer running tracks on the list, Hugh B’s eclectic offering is a dream to listen to. Aptly titled Floating On A Trippy Biscuit, this track is an extra-terrestrial dance tune showcasing a plethora of catchy, off-beat instrumentation that all work on top of an atmospheric, luscious chord range. Keep eyes on Outer Time Inner Space for more tracks with this kinda soundscape.

Air Max ’97 – LET ME LUV U (AM’97 LIQUID DNG EDIT)

Another Melbourne producer on the list, Air Max ’97 has been consistently pushed the barriers of electronic music with his production. His latest edit, LET ME LUV U was released last month is another eclectic, fast-paced club track to the catalogue, boasting large-scale, industrial production that effortlessly clashes and bangs from start to finish.

Nardean – Nothing Matters

This artist has only recently crossed our path, but we’re so happy she has done so. We stumbled upon Nothing Matters two months ago on Unearthed, and have been enjoying it ever since. The track – cut from her debut album Creatress – starts with this glitchy, video game style string of instrumentation that eventually leads to a more stable foundation that Nardean flexes her lyrical skills upon. Definitely someone to keeps tabs on in the future.

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All songs in this list have been selected by the Stoney Roads contributor team to reflect the wide range of music we are all into. If we missed any bug tracks from January to June, please be sure to let us know! Hopefully you all enjoyed selections 🙂