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.

Note from Andrew Wowk: This is the final edition of Crate Digging for Selector. Thanks to everyone who has followed the piece each month — I really hope you have enjoyed the selections and discovered some new artists and labels to follow! I will be looking to publish the piece elsewhere in the future. Until then!

1. Out Of Fuel – Kohti [Initiate Records]

Out Of Fuel goes deep with “Kohti,” an atmospheric drum and bass trip that eschews big, aggressive drops in favor of creating a subtle, unfurling soundscape punctuated by tight percussion and gritty low end.

2. not without friends – Loco [Rose Avenue]

No-nonsense, big room tribal house from not without friends. “Loco” is continuously propelled forward by thunderous drums, playful carnival-inspired percussion, and gnarly effects.

3. vakhtang gorgasali – queen’s loop [Self-Released]

Centered around a hypnotic, bleepy synth sequence and stripped-down percussion, “queen’s loop” sees Georgian producer vakhtang gorgasali demonstrating that you can do a lot with a little.

4. Dycide – Swamp [IO-Records]

“Swamp” lives up to its name, combining a rich blend of organic tribal elements with Dycide‘s futuristic, sci-fi-inspired sound design. This is the theme song of an ancient alien civilization from the outer reaches of space.

5. Lemon D – High Tech Souls [Infrared Records]

Veteran jungle producer Lemon D lands on longrunning imprint Infrared Records with “High Tech Souls” — a lush, soulful roller that’s equal parts delightful and deadly.

6. Mark Williams – Take My Love [Hardgroove]

Mark Williams ends 2024 on a high note, delivering his second EP for Hardgroove. “Take My Love” is quintessential Mark Williams and Hardgroove: Pounding low end, rugged percussion, funky melodic elements, and soulful vocal samples.

7. Sublee – Metime [RAWAX]

Sounding like it could have come right out of the golden era of progressive house, “Metime” is nine minutes of beautiful, subtle melodies, warm atmospheres, and classic drum grooves.

8. Jones&Roth – Schneller Chili Salat [W133]

“Schneller Chili Salat” is playful deep house that incorporates elements of electronica and chillout to excellent effect. Jones&Roth channel the spirit of Kruder & Dorfmeister for this vibrant, low-slung cut.

9. Missterspoon – Morgan [Self-Released]

Slow-burning, gnarly acid house from Missterspoon. A wonky 303 line snakes around crisp, analogue drums in “Morgan,” creating a twisted, infectious groove.

10. Skin Teeth – Caustic Soundboy [Torre]

You can never go wrong with a free download, especially from a label as consistently high quality as Torre. “Caustic Soundboy” from Skin Teeth is a raucous breakbeat banger ready to smash up sound systems.

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. The Southern – Consciousness [CLR]

The Southern lands on CLR with gnarly, bass-heavy broken techno that hits full-throttle early on and never lets up. “Consciousness” blends dystopian sound design with bone-crushing drums and warped acid sequences.

2. Andrey Sirotkin – Kyiv-Lviv Express [Vyrii Records]

Ukrainian veteran Andrey Sirotkin layers lush, dusty chords over shuffling beats and sharp percussion on “Kyiv-Lviv Express” to create a tunneling groove aimed squarely at the dance floor.

3. Ana Antonova – Can’t You See [Form & Terra Records]

“Can’t You See” harks back to the golden era of tech house, with its warm, melodic lead and precise, mechanical drums.

4. Emmanuel De La Paix – Ekkos [Seven Scales Records]

Inspired by the rugged beauty of nature and the unique perspectives that digital image editing can create, “Ekkos” sees Emmanuel De La Paix combining soaring synths with distorted guitar drones, exploring the overlap between organic and synthetic.

5. Plaster – Lazy Tongues [Pyteca]

One of the final pieces of music written before Plaster sold his Roland SH-101, “Lazy Tongues” is a mostly improvised, low-slung IDM trip into the acid zone.

6. Hurdslenk – False Pretence [Hardgroove]

“False Pretence” is rugged, peak-time techno from Hurdslenk. The U.K.-based producer centers the track around a spiraling, dubby lead and crunchy percussive loops, making it a perfect fit for Ben Sims‘ label, Hardgroove.

7. Desinformant & Hedchef – The Perennial Question [Feed The Void]

Naarm (Melbourne) producers Desinformant and Hedchef team up on “The Perennial Question,” a devastating U.K. bass cut with razor-sharp, stuttering beats and LFO-modulated, overdriven bass.

8. Mike Nasty – Mind Made Up [Nasty Tracks]

Proper, soulful house from New York’s Mike Nasty. “Mind Made Up” is a delightful, jazzy journey through sultry vocals, fluttering pianos, and a welcome surprise in the form of a flute solo.

9. Head Front Panel – Surdo [Dark Machine Funk Recordings]

John Heckle dons his Head Front Panel alias for “Surdo,” balancing light and dark elements by combining rolling percussion with hypnotic pads and a big, funky bassline.

10. Dominic Capello – Not For Instagram DJs [Alien Communications]

“Not For Instagram DJs” is just one of many highlights on Sub Club resident Dominic Capello‘s debut album. True to its name, this is an expansive, slowly unfurling journey with a meticulous attention to detail that rewards patient listeners.

11. Mark Williams – All About The Bass [Music For Change]

Veteran techno producer Mark Williams takes his sound into new territory with “All About The Bass.” His trademark crisp percussion and tightly controlled melodic elements are still present, but they’re twisted into a more melancholy and hypnotic form than in his previous work.

12. Pugilist – Destructor [Self-Released]

Gritty, cross-genre pollination like only Pugilist can deliver. “Destructor” is a unique blend of the sound design typically present in techno and conventional garage or 2-step arrangement, with the end result being more than the sum of its parts.

13. Bassbin Twins – Tuff 125 [Bassbin Beats]

Big, brash, mid-tempo breakbeat from one of the best sample hunters in electronic music. Absolutely chock full of obscure samples and reworked classic breakbeats, “TUFF 125” is quintessential Bassbin Twins.

14. POD & Tamen – Uma [Straight Up Breakbeat]

“Uma” is a raucous yet intelligent slice of jungle from POD and Tamen. Fluttering, trancey synths and washed-out chords are layered over rugged, chopped-up breaks and massive sub hits, creating an engaging interplay of light and shade.

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. Quantum Collapse – Kumaras 4 [Apnea Records]

Eduardo De La Calle explores the more introspective, experimental side of his repertoire on “Kumaras 4.” It’s a warm, melodic IDM journey that rewards multiple listens.

2. Dubfire – Deadbug (Nadia Struiwigh Remix) [Sci+Tec]

Dutch hardware enthusiast Nadia Struiwigh turns “Deadbug” by Dubfire into a gritty, cinematic soundscape that treads a three-way tightrope between drum and bass, electronica, and techno.

3. BrandNewTrumpets – To You [Diffrent Music]

“To You” is a welcome return to Diffrent Music for BrandNewTrumpets. The rapidly rising star takes her sound into more cosmic, atmospheric territory while retaining the precise drum programming and heavy low end that characterize her music.

4. Qant – Blackest Night [KAVAL13]

Qant evokes the early days of dubstep, when it was basically a deeper and darker take on UK garage. Shuffling beats, dusty chords, and rugged bass stabs make “Blackest Night” mandatory listening for dubstep purists.

5. Regal86 – Kollekt [Self-Released]

Just one tune from an absolutely mammoth, 100-track release of previously unreleased music, “Kollekt” is subtle, lush breakbeat from Mexico’s Regal86.

6. Nebuchadnezzar – I dont think so [Self-Released]

Chaotic, up-tempo, and expansive bass music that manages to make minimalism sound brutal. Nebuchadnezzar completely throws convention out the window with “I dont think so” to brilliant effect.

7. Esc & Mineral – The Red Death [Straight Up Breakbeat]

Esc & Mineral balance heavy bass and breaks with heady, spacious pads to create an intricate, meditative jungle track with just the right amount of grit.

8. M​ø​ntero – Metal Flex [Illegal Alien Records]

Absolutely gnarly sounds drive “Metal Flex” by Møntero forward, with desiccated sine waves and glitchy bleeps weaving in and out of a grimy bass line and punchy drums.

9. Joakuim – Profondeur [Planet Rhythm]

Usually active in the drum and bass and jungle scene, Joakuim takes his flair for intricate arrangement, warm atmospheres, and rolling bass, and applies it to low-slung dub techno.

10. Lamin Fofana – Toco SOS [Self-Released]

“Toco SOS” is a slowly unfurling, percussive journey from Lamin Fofana that reaches a jubilant climax with forlorn vocal chants, bubbling synth sequences, and interesting field recordings.

11. JK Flesh – PI11.1 [Pi Electronics]

Justin K. Broadrick continues his adventures into electronic music with “PI11.1,” a distorted, scratchy rhythm that pays tribute to his roots in industrial and metal music while spiraling even further down the rabbit hole of abstract sound design and synthesis.

12. G​ö​cke & Anniverse – ACGTU (Luigi Tozzi Remix) [Aedi Records]

The already hypnotic “ACGTU” gets a remix from Luigi Tozzi. The Italian maestro turns it into a psychedelic, ambient techno trip that’s equally effective late at night on a big sound system as it is playing through headphones at the afters.

13. Mark Williams – Subliminal Fragment [N&N Records]

Legendary hardgroove producer Mark Williams is on a roll lately, returning from an eight-year hiatus to drop rolling, percussive grooves like he never even left. “Subliminal Fragment” is quintessential Williams: funky, tough and full of clever sample manipulation.

14. Jeff Mills – Methane Bubbles [Axis]

“Methane Bubbles” is the kind of jazzy, cosmic, soulful house music with a touch of techno flair that only Jeff Mills knows how to make.

15. Minimalphunk Featuring Juliane – unless sweet [Area Code 221]

A beautiful leftfield electronica piece, “unless sweet” was originally commissioned for a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which unfortunately never went ahead. The track ended up on an obscure chillout compilation released at the turn of the millennium. Minimalphunk has recently uncovered the track, uploading it to his Bandcamp for a new generation to experience.