Alesso vs OneRepublic – If I Lose Myself (Mosley Music/Interscope)
When Alesso discussed his latest collaboration with OneRepublic during Miami Music Week, he told Billboard he was in the studio every day for a month working to make it perfect. Well that time was certainly well spent for the young Swede, whose most recent pairing with Ryan Tedder (since the hit “Calling”) is, in a word, stunning. Gentle piano chords with an uplifting sing-along-friendly vocal juxtapose a build that is tantalizing and infectious. The track was one of the highlights of this year’s Ultra Music Festival, and is sure to be another chart-topper for the producer many believe to be the heir apparent to Swedish House Mafia. -Jacob
Nom De Strip, “Techno Saturday” (mau5trap)
After marking the energetic peak of Dirty South’s BBC 1 Essential Mix a few weeks ago, “Techno Saturday” and its addictive synth riff finally see a formal release. The song isn’t techno, per se, but more of an aggressive tech-house fusion with a growling, industrial sound offset by a classic progressive house build. Nom De Strip (née Chris Elliott) has been building considerable buzz of late, with remixes of Tommy Trash’s “Monkey See Monkey Do” and the deadmau5/Wolfgang Gartner collab “Channel 42.” But his recent “Clouds Volume 2” EP should establish him as a funky big-room force to be reckoned with. -Lauren
Kris Menace feat. Chelonis R. Jones, “Voodoo Dilate (SAMO)” (Compuphonic)
The instrumental on Kris Menace’s “Voodoo Dilate” is enchanting on its own, but the addition of Chelonis R. Jones’ skulking spoken word vocal makes the tune utterly hypnotic. It’s not obvious what lines like “Convincing people it’s like changing one’s gender with chopsticks” mean, but if the music is a clue, it’s probably something that happens late at night in a dark club with your eyes closed. The WeMakeColors-directed video walks the line between smirk and spook. Said to be a tribute to Basquiat, this neo-Deutsche post-Goth soundscape works its voodoo insidiously, sounding even more potent outside the context of the album (Menace’s “Features”) from which it’s taken. -Zel
Cosmic Kids & Fingerpaint “Manteiga” (Let’s Play House)
Last week, New York outpost Let’s Play House unveiled its 15th release, a split EP helmed in part by Tyler Blake, half of L.A. duo Classixx. Operating under the moniker Fingerpaint, Blake joined forces with fellow West Coasters Cosmic Kids to craft the EP’s centerpiece, “Manteiga.” It’s a dynamic track, with dreamy pads, echoing vocals and glittering keys that burst into a tight stomp with a throbbing bassline—the sort of hand-raising throwback that gushes warm vibes. -Elissa
Close, “Beam Me Up” (!K7)
Simple Records and Aus Music boss Will Saul, recording under his Close alias, reclaims the phrase “Beam me up” from the Trekkies with a deliciously slow and unmistakably psychedelic house vocal that recalls The Orb’s “Little Fluffy Clouds”: Alien, perhaps, but still somehow about Arizona. A collab with Hotflush boss Scuba and breathy singer Charlene Soraia, it’s catchy like pop music, but built for the dance floor. The full Close album is out June 11. -Kerri