New Music Friday is intense. Hundreds of songs drop from artists around the world, and you’re supposed to somehow find the best ones. It’s fun work, but it’s time-consuming — so we at Billboard Dance want to give you a hand. Each week, we sift through the streams and dig into the digital crates to present absolute must-hears from the wide breadth of fresh jams.
The second week of August has delivered a barrage of new dance/electronic music, with Illenium dropping his long-awaited album Ascend, Dvbbs releasing a sexy summer heater, a new acid house delight from Eats Everything, pummeling industrial vibes from Sian and Diplo’s kinda dancey kinda country new single. Add all this to the seven tracks below and call it time to slide into the weekend.
Gorgon City & MK “There For You”
Today Gorgon City drops their latest track, “There For You,” a collaboration with dance veteran MK. Newly deemed the “Hottest Record in the World” by BBC Radio 1, the song has been a popular ID request since last summer, combining haunting-yet-catchy vocals with cascading piano keys and a devastating build, to create a delicious slice of house that’s as radio-ready as it is dance floor-friendly.
The duo has been on a studio tear, releasing five tracks so far this year. Their festival-sized output shows off their range, from the straightforward tech of “Delicious” and bass-filled club ballad “Go Slow” (a Kaskade collab) to the dreamily melodic “Elizabeth Street.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Disciples, “All Mine”
U.K. trio Disciples return with their second track of 2019, “All Mine.” Featuring vocals from London singer Eyelar, the track maintains the slinky, R&B-leaning seduction-in-the-club vibe that’s been the group’s calling card since it’s inception. More effervescent than their biggest hits like “How Deep Is Your Love” and “They Don’t Know”, “All Mine” places Eyelar’s lovelorn vocals at the forefront, with the production gradually building up to a climax that’s at once thematically heartsick and sonically uplifting. — KATIE BAIN
Dillon Nathaniel, “Straight From the Underground”
Cop sirens, an N.W.A sample, old-school vibes and new-school techniques make this house-head banger a heavy dance floor missile. “Straight From the Underground” packs big punch, but it’s only one of six tracks on the LA-based producer’s Obsession EP, out now on Big Beat Records. Nathaniel wrote the tunes over a three years and hopes listeners hear the progression. “All of the different experiences, relationships, and situations have shaped me in more ways than I could ever put to words,” Nathaniel says via a press release. “I have experienced a lot of positive growth these last three years, and there are instances where I feel like a new person in so many different ways — but one thing is certain; making music that connects and resonates with others will always remain my ultimate obsession.” — KAT BEIN
Good Times Ahead & Twogangs, “Hasta Bajo”
Don’t double check your screen: GTA has officially changed its name to Good Times Ahead. But these dirty, genre-mashing vibes are as freaky, funky and fresh as ever. The Miami-bred, LA-based duo just just dropped a mixtape on Hard Records called Good Times Bad Times at HARD Summer, and while you should give all 12 tracks — including collabs with Diplo and Flosstradamus — a spin, “Hasta Bajo” with Guatemalan producer Twogangs is the wonky Latin rhythm that makes our body do nasty things. Serious skill meets an absurdist attitude for an unforgettable tune that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Turn this up to 11 and stick your tongue out while you twerk. — K. BEIN
Slander, “Broken”
Heartfelt melodies and blood-bursting bass go together like eyeliner and tears; which is to say, it’s not supposed to work, but there’s something beautiful about it anyway. “Broken” pits heavy heroes Slander against newcomer Kompany, but it’s Fknsyd’s backstabbed-angel vocals that add extra dimension. The verses are soft and seductive, but sparks do fly as the brutal hook pulls the song into speaker-bursting chaos. The collaboration is out now on Never Say Die Records. Don’t blame us if your subwoofer blows. — K. BEIN
Party Favor, “Wasabi” (J. Worra Remix)
Los Angeles-based producer J. Worra gives a bounce house treatment to this party track from Party Favor’s April LP Layers, a full remix of which is out today featuring reworks from TroyBoi, Wuki, YehMe2 and more. On her edit, Worra strips off the pitched up sirens of the original and creates a decidedly deeper and funkier version that nods to her Dirtybird affiliation and affection for Green Velvet. Fully bumping and grinding, this is one of those songs that will lure you to the dancefloor after too long lingering by the bar. — K. Bain
Ross From Friends, “Phantom Ratio”
Out today, the British producer’s three track Epiphany EP includes the moody, transportive “Phantom Ratio,” a track juxtaposing skittering beats over a low-key but urgent synth. (We’re also pretty sure we hear a few bird calls.) While this track ends with extremely beachy vibes, it’s also one for those those surreal car rides when you’re going home from the party at dawn, but you’re not quite ready for the night to end. — K. Bain