Under The Current is a guide to the best new releases from artists that need to be on your radar.
The decade is almost over, and while I’ve been spending most of the month getting nostalgic over some of my favorite songs from the past 10 years, I still made time to bring you some fresh new music.
Check out our favorite new releases below, and stream our entire Freshly Picked Beats playlist, featuring these tracks and more.
Gene Farris & John Summit – Bass Go
Bonafide Chicago house legend Gene Farris and rising tech-house producer
John Summit have joined forces to bring winter sizzler “Bass Go” on Sonny
Fodera’s Solotoko imprint. This song is an absolute heater for these cold winter months, with monster bass lines and funky drums that will have you dancing the whole time.
broox – She’s Been Listening
Brooklyn-based artist broox makes music to make you feel. Her svelte, soul-baring songs glitter with R&B, indie-pop, and electronica influences in a way that feels fresh and authentic. With lyrics that revolve around her experience as a young, queer woman in 2019, broox pushes the envelope of queer representation in music with each new release. Her music video for standout track “She’s Been Listening” brings to life a queer re-imagination of childhood.
“This music video was thanking my 10 year old self. I got to revisit a queer baby wonderland and relive a time of exploration and fluctuation that is still relevant today.” – broox
Local Dialect – Demeter
Having already experienced a breakout 2019, NYC duo Local Dialect close out the year with new
single “Demeter” on Gorgon City’s revered Realm imprint. The duo have crafted official remixes for artists like Nora En Pure and Lane 8 and the influences shine bright in this track.
Proxy – Collusion EP
Following a nearly year-long hiatus, Russian producer/DJ Proxy is back with his Collusion EP on Night Bass Records. The EP begins with “Have Some Fun,” a collaboration with the labelhead himself, AC Slater. Then Proxy picks up the pace with the euphoric bass house cut “No More” with UK Garage producer Armodine. The journey peaks with the Paxmen-assisted “Fitness” and its huge basslines which demonstrate Proxy’s classic ability to create simple but hugely energetic music. The EP comes to a dramatic close with “Poltora,” a collaboration with well-known Russian producer DZA which is a taste of Proxy’s new flavor of tech house.
Ben Böhmer – Breathing LP
Berlin-based producer and live artist Ben Böhmer is one of the rising stars coming out of Ajunadeep, but if you haven’t heard him yet now is the perfect time to start. The moody and reflective sounds of Ben’s early work made way for brighter and more melodic music, keeping the depth and texture, but changing the tone from darkness to light. Finding a sense of hope and optimism in uplifting emotions and euphoric melodies, Ben’s debut album Breathing marks the closing of a chapter in Ben’s life, the culmination of a period of heartache and recovery, and a coming of age as an artist.
Biicla – Heart & Stay
Discovered by the team that brought us River Beats favorites Whethan & Oliver Tree, Biicla is from an extremely small town in Russia called Labytnangi which has a population of less than 30,000. He’s had success in Russia and recently began to make waves in the US with his unique, international style of indie electronic music. While Biicla only has three releases under his belt available here, each one is something special and we’re excited to hear more from him.
Drishti Beats – Hidden Temple
Collective Drishti Beats melds downtempo bass music with yoga for a truly unique sound and live experience. Inspired by the sounds of the Middle East, mysticism, and the powerful connection with their fans, “Hidden Temple” will take you through a hypnotic and musical yoga journey.
Dr. Fresch & BIJOU – Get Back
Frequent collaborators and long-time friends Dr. Fresch & BIJOU return with their latest release “Get Back,” a G-House banger that the duo released on Tchami‘s CONFESSION label.
“It was a very special week with Tony where “Get Back” came to life. We were locked away in northern California with no internet, no phones, just the two of us having fun making the music that we love. Our goal with this one was to make the most banging G-House record that had ever been done. Once we had the baseline built out, the rest of the record came seamlessly and we knew we had a banger on our hands!” – BIJOU
Ian Munro – Liminal (The Remixes)
In late May, Ian Munro released his highly anticipated sophomore EP Liminal on Quality Goods Records. The project marked a new chapter in his artistic evolution, presenting a visceral and deeply emotional sound. Breathing new life into the project comes Liminal (The Remixes) a five track EP that features remixes from some of the underground’s brightest new stars including a special focus on showing love to artists from his homeland of New Zealand (nekolai, CORTR, MICA).
These are just a few of the songs in the newest update to Freshly Picked Beats. Be sure to check out the Spotify playlist in its entirety below.
Featured Image: Biicla