Searching for new music takes time, something that seems to be in shorter and shorter supply for many of us these days. Given the sheer number of releases that grace the Internet on a daily basis, great tracks are occasionally bound to pass you by.
Crate Digging is a monthly roundup of top-tier tunes you might have missed from across the electronic music spectrum. From obscurities uncovered during trips down Bandcamp rabbit holes to the latest releases from legendary artists, Crate Digging is here to keep your collection up to date.
1. Nathan Fake – Positive Education [Cambria Instruments]
Nathan Fake recreates Slam‘s anthem from the ’90s entirely from memory, producing his version without re-listening to the original for reference. “Positive Education” is a faithful reproduction of the original with a personalized, individual touch.
2. Superplasticfantastic – Panarus [Discos Sentimiento]
“Atlas” is an uplifting, energetic techno-meets-trance banger purpose-built for peak time dancefloors. superplasticfantastic balances punchy, driving rhythms with sparkling, lush melodies.
3. Jah Beer & Oddkut – Stepper Stout VIP [Self-Released]
Deep bass, gnarly effects and sharp, rapid-fire drums collide in this ode to sound system culture from Jah Beer and Oddkut. “Stepper Stout VIP” is pure, subwoofer-blowing goodness.
4. A² – Street Renegade [R.A.N.D. Muzik]
A posthumous dedication to Andy Panayi released under the production alias he shared with Alec Stone, “Street Renegade” is a warm, rolling breakbeat cut centered around a funky, filtered synth sequence and a tight, syncopated groove.
5. Cloaking Device – Bio-Mechanisms (2024 Rework) [Odysee Recordings]
Andy Odysee digs “Bio-Mechanisms” out of the back catalogue of tracks produced under his Cloaking Device alias and updates it for 2024. Slowing down the tempo and remastering the drums, he brings to the fore that funk and space that were lurking in the background of the original version.
6. Panama North – Signal Loss [New York Haunted]
“Signal Loss” is hard-hitting hybrid of techno’s structure and dubstep’s sound design. Panama North captures the tense, chaotic energy of current times and distills it into five minutes of gritty, percussive intrigue.
7. Beltrac – Digital Ecosystem [ONO Records]
Perth-based label ONO Records welcomes up-and-coming local artist Beltrac, who demonstrates his flair for lush atmospherics, intricate rhythms, and woofer-busting low end. “Digital Ecosystem” blends the energy of drum and bass with the experimentation of IDM to excellent effect.
8. Kangding Ray – OXID [ARA]
Two years after his critically acclaimed Ultrachroma album, Kangding Ray returns to ARA with a more dance floor-focused cut in the form of “OXID.” The track retains his otherworldly, hypnotic aesthetic and experimental sound design but incorporates it into a more rhythmic, rolling techno framework.
9. Loxodrome – Fornax A [Cyphon Recordings]
Jamie Odell revives his Loxodrome alias three decades after his seminal self-titled release on Jumpin’ & Pumpin’. The man otherwise known as Jimpster takes the core components of his soulful, warm and melodic deep house sound, exploring them from the perspective of electro and IDM in “Fornax A.”
10. Temudo – Ilum [Sublunar Records]
Deep, spacious machine funk from Temudo. “Ilum” balances reverence for techno’s history with a view to embracing its future, yielding a track that has a timeless aesthetic without sounding stuck in the past.
