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.
This week didn’t let us down, deliving a barrage of new music from across the dance spectrum, including a sexy summer heater from David Guetta and Martin Solveig, an ominous REZZ x Deathpact collab, a new album from Aussie house monger Sonny Fodera, fresh sounds from the legend Erick Morillo and gloriously dirty bass from Troyboi. That’s a lot, and it’s all coming in addition to our favorite new tracks of the week as follow.
Sofi Tukker, “Swing”
Grammy-winning duo Sofi Tukker is in full club “Swing.” The act’s latest single is a driving, hard-hitting house tune for dance floors, peppered beautifully by fast and intricate Portugeuese lyrics based on the Brazilian poem “Uma Palavra,” or “One Word” in English. The song announces the coming of a new EP, R.I.P. Shame Pt. 1. which shares a name with Sofi Tukker’s upcoming fall tour, which promises to be all about dancing away your inhibitions and blues. The video is directed by Charles Todd, who previously collaborated with Sofi Tukker on “Fantasy,” and showcases the duo in high-fashion sci-fi looks locked in a telepathic battle or dancing on the square of Mexico’s modern wonder, Centro Ceremonial Otomi. — KAT BEIN
Kamandi, Voices
Christchurch, New Zealand-based producer Kamandi doesn’t make music as much as he creates places — tracks so spacious and immense that they transport you to the outer realms of your listening experience. If you think that sounds like hyperbole just give a listen to the entirety of excellent debut album Voices, out today (July 12.) Recalling early M83, the album, and particularly its singles “Voices” and “Anyway Friday,” oscillate between far-out slow builds and futuristic dancefloor-oriented beats, altogether putting forth electronic music for the party, the afterhours, and the slow, still hours after that. — KATIE BAIN
Phantoms feat. Anna Clendening, “Say It”
Hit the lights and put on something sexy. “Say It” is a steamy house hitter with that classic ’90s edge recently seen in releases by Calvin Harris and Silk City. This slinky after-hours gem features silky-smooth vocals from America’s Got Talent alumnus Anna Clendening, and she slays over this head-knockin’ beat. “Say It” is the second single from Phantoms’ forthcoming Disconnect EP, out in full July 19. Phantoms also just announced a 20-date fall tour, so be on the lookout for a party in your town. — K. Bein
Lykke Li x Skrillex x Ty Dolla $ign, “two nights part ii”
An edit of “two nights” from Lykke Li’s 2018 LP so sad so sexy, this collaboration betwixt unlikely trio Skrillex, Lykke Li and Ty Dolla $ign is a delight, fully bringing the pop-dancefloor chanteuse out of the Swedish singer, showcasing Skrillex’s production prowess far outside the confines of maisntage bass, and letting Ty play the love interest with his plaintive, sad guy hook. Altogether the trio deliver a sophisticated dancefloor thumper that serves as a reminder and recontextualization of what each is capable of. — K. Bain
Deorro, “All This Time”
Take a trip through time with master producer Deorro, who has really shown during his 10-plus year career that he can wrangle any kind of mood into an electronic jam. On “All This Time,” he harks back to the glory days of EDM, when melodies shimmered and builds were tense without busting your brain. “I was in a nostalgic 2009 mood, and I really wanted to make something progressive,” Deorro is quoted in a press release. “At the same time, I received the vocals for ‘All This Time,’ and they both fit together really well. It was an in-the-moment kind of thing.” It’s perfect for summer, so let this record play on and on until shutter shades seem cool. — K. Bein
Laxcity. feat. Kudu Blue, “Focus”
We named Laxcity One to Watch in June of 2018, and our ears stay glued for good reason. Taken from his EP Purity, released today on Alt:Vision, “Focus” is a mean, shoulder-lean take on soulful R&Beats. It opens with a soft and sensual mood, all midnight feelings bolstered by Kudu Blue singer Creeda’s honey-drip lyrics. The chorus hits hard with an off-kilter rhythm as surprising as it is heavy. The track maintains an airy sensibility, which puts it in perfect standing with the rest of the Purity EP. The six-track release plays with ambience and rhythm to conjure bedroom magic, so give it a full rinse. — K. Bein
Cory Wong & Tom Misch – “Cosmic Sans”
Step right up and get to funkin’ with Cory Wong and Tom Misch’s delightfully quirky “Cosmic Sans.” You may not take the type-face seriously, but these wah-wah guitars came to play with their big boy pants. It’s even more magical when you watch the live recording session caught on video. The collaborative, feel-good instrumental is a cut from Wong’s forthcoming album Motivational Music For the Syncopated Soul, set for release Aug. 2. Grab on tight and take a ride on these bass lines. You won’t ever want to come down. — K. Bein
4THSEX, “Last RN’B”
4THSEX is the alter-ego of French-born, Los Angeles-based artist Jean Marc Virard, a multi-hyphenate creative director/streetwear designer/musician releasing hisYouth Evaluation EP today via Nosaj Thing’s Timetable Records. The track seamlessly fuses classic R&B vocals evocative of SWV and En Vogue and skittering breakbeat for a sound that’s at once fully modern and a full-on ’90s throwback. Sing along in your bedroom mirror, just like you used to back the day. — K. Bain
Valentino Khan & Diplo, “JustYourSoul”
Valentino Khan and Diplo get weird just in time for the weekend with this bouncy house romp built from a classic 4/4 beat and a hooky, pitched up vocal sample that becomes entirely hypnotic as the track swells and releases. “JustYourSoul” deepens each producer’s foray into the house realm and, coming on the heels of May’s hard-hitting “Pony,” serves as the second single from Khan’s forthcoming House Party EP, out August 9 via Mad Decent. — K. Bain