The Best New Tracks for DJs - July 2024
I’ve been listening to a lot of new music lately, scouring the Internet to figure out what the DJs I like are playing this summer, and what kind of IDs would make a nice addition to my own DJ arsenal. I’m not one to gatekeep, so I thought I might as well share my favorite picks with you. This month, we have a lot of good stuff, including a groovy Empress Of collab, a nod to hyperpop from a legend, and a trance-y track that will give you a new outlook on your life (especially wrt how much it ROCKS!) If you want more cool IDs for your mixes, follow our Spotify playlist.
The Best New Tracks for DJs - July 2024
side by side | Logic1000 feat. Empress Of
No Time | Interplanetary Criminal feat. SadBoi
Broke My Heart | Caribou
You Luv Me | DJ BORING
The City Never Felt So Good | 1tbsp
K On My D + C - AIROD Remix | Partiboi69 & Juicy Romance
Long Story Short | Mall Grab, Flansie & Sunnysoposted
Get My Luv | Luuk Van Dijk
Band to the Groove | Justin Jay, coldsweat & DJ Deeon
1. side by side | Logic1000 feat. Empress Of
The Australian producer known as Logic1000 is one of those left-field house luminaries that made the jump to the big league without sacrificing their vibe-y aesthetic. Her full-length Mother already featured the track Side By Side in its instrumental form, but it’s now been augmented by chill vocals by Empress Of.
Like any great meeting of the minds, this one results in a plunk-y and extremely danceable masterpiece that should ignite dance floors around the world with it’s laid-back groove and it’s bouncy synths.
2. No Time | Interplanetary Criminal feat. SadBoi
Dance music’s iconoclast Interplanetary Criminal is back with a vengeance. His upbeat house single No Time would be a perfectly legit banger if it had just been released as an instrumental, but it clicks in awesome mode thanks to some impish vocals from SadBoi.
The Manchester DJ and producer is currently touring the world. He’ll be stopping in my town in a few weeks, and I’m really excited to see what he has in store for us. Check out his calendar to see if he’ll be in a town near you soon.
Download: Beatport
3. Broke My Heart | Caribou
Caribou’s music has always oscillated between moody indie pop and crunchy garage-y house. His Daphni side-project was a nice way for him to experiment with dance music less obliquely, but it was just a matter of time before a pure dance floor beat would show its face in his main project.
Well, it has happened. Broke My Heart is a cute track that sends back to the salad days of PC Music (R.I.P.) and mixes some UKG textures with some uptempo house drums. Throw a high-pitched vocal in there and what you got is a pretty lovely club-ready hit.
4. You Luv Me | DJ BORING
When it was announced that DJ BORING would contribute to the illustrious DJ-Kicks series, I nearly passed out. For those of us who have followed the left-field producer since the lofi house-defining Winona, it was hard not to see the album as a win.
If you haven’t kept up with DJB’s evolution, you might be surprised by You Luv Me’s relentless vibe and cutting synths. But underneath all the dance bravado, you’ll also be happy to discover that the compilation’s highlight has a good dose of emotion under the hood.
5. The City Never Felt So Good | 1tbsp
The City Never Felt So Good’s vocals sound like an auto-tune voice note recorded as someone was falling asleep after a night out clubbing. There’s that conflicting mélange of euphoric longing and melancholic excitement, which contrasts beautifully with the sped-up beat it’s placed against.
Like a nighttime skyline that moves too quickly outside of the Uber’s window on your way to another airport, 1tbsp new track makes you feel all sorts of things.
I saw 1tbsp in Montreal last winter, and there was a point - one of the night’s highlights - when the DJ dropped a sped-up Crystal Castles song between two house bangers. This sort of reminds me of that.
6. K On My D + C - AIROD Remix | Partiboi69 & Juicy Romance
I can’t wait to corner people at parties to explain to them how the most romantic song of all time isn’t some diddy written by The Beatles a million years ago, but it’s actually K On My D + C by Partiboi69 & Juicy Romance. Will I use the phrase: “It speaks volumes to the way our generation uses love”? You bet your sweet ass I will.
If you thought the original was good, but it could’ve used about 200% more coked-up energy, then the AIROD remix is for you. Full of brutal kick drums and explosive bass arpeggios, this is the one to play at the end of the night to give everyone a much deserved heart attack.
7. Long Story Short | Mall Grab, Flansie & Sunnysoposted
Etheral vibe? Yup.
Trance-y synths? Got ‘em.
Bangin’ drums? Sure thing.
That fleeting feeling that the best moment of your life is right now? It’s in there.
Long story short, um… this a great track. [Laughs at his own dorky pun.]
Download: Beatport
8. Get My Luv | Luuk Van Dijk
Always on point, the Amsterdam-based DJ Luuk Van Dijk seems to be sitting on an endless supply of absolute bangers. My Spotify Release Radar playlist might as well be re-titled “Luuk Van Dijk and some other stuff” because he’s always in there with a bunch of great tracks. But, hey, I’m not mad about it.
Get My Luv is a sweet banger where old school charm meets modern edge. If you’re DJ-ing poolside this summer, put this one on a loop for a couple hours while you go drink daiquiris in a hamac. I guarantee you won’t be getting any complaints.
Download: Beatport
9. Back to the Groove | Justin Jay, coldsweat & DJ Deeon
I’m always excited when Justin Jay drops a new beat. His upbeat, minimal tracks have those pure and uncomplicated rhythmic lines that makes them incredibly sophisticated, yet instantly loveable.
Back to the Groove is a collaboration with coldsweat, and it features vocals by DJ Deeon. It’s fresh and exciting, and quite frankly… I can’t wait to play this beauty during my next DJ set.