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Recommended Dose: The Best Dance Tracks Of May

Dutch producer Shinedoe teamed up with The Knife's Karin Dreijer for one of our favorite dance tracks of May.
Jos Kottmann
/
Courtesy of the artist
Dutch producer Shinedoe teamed up with The Knife's Karin Dreijer for one of our favorite dance tracks of May.

Another month means another Recommended Dose from All Songs Considered. We listen to literally hundreds of new electronic music tracks each month, test the standouts on some very loud speakers and highlight the best of the best in a 30-minute mix.

You can stream this month's mix here or NPR Music's SoundCloud account. If you'd rather just hear each song individually, check out the playlist below.

You can keep up with our favorite discoveries on Twitter by following @Sami_Yenigun and @spotieotis.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Recommended Dose: The Best Dance Tracks Of May

Josh Milan, 'Electro Dreams'

From 'Vibes: New and Rare Music 2'

Josh Milan has been making house music in one form or another since 1984. As one-half of the soulful house duo Blaze, he remixed R&B stars like Diana Ross and Babyface and released more than 50 singles before he and Kevin Hedges severed ties earlier this decade. His latest track, "Electro Dreams," kicks off Detroit legend Rick Wilhite's recent compilation of New York, Chicago and Motor City dance music called Vibes: New and Rare Music 2.

Rx Timecode: 00:00 - 07:24

ItaloJohnson, 'A1'

From 'ItaloJohnson 08'

Anonymity is an all-too-common trait when it comes to dance producers these days, but the German act ItaloJohnson insists it wants everyone's focus on the music. On its latest self-released white label, the anonymous trio raises the stakes significantly with "A1, a knocking, percussive thrasher propelled by a skipping vocal. Equal parts frenetic and direct, this one belongs on big systems at peak hour.

Rx Timecode: 07:25 - 11:56

Shinedoe, 'Discourse My New Romance' (feat. Karin Dreijer of The Knife)

Natascha Romboy

From 'Illogical Directions'

Dutch producer Chinedum Nwosu, known on the DJ circuit as Shinedoe (pronounced shin-eh-DOO), teamed up with The Knife's Karin Dreijer for "Discourse My New Romance," the creepiest dance anthem we've heard in 2014. Shinedoe's descending pogo-stick of a bassline takes the low road, while Dreijer sounds otherworldly listing off the various beds she's (figuratively?) sleeping in. The track can be found on Shinedoe's latest LP, Illogical Directions, on her own Intacto label.

Rx Timecode: 11:57 - 17:17

Sully, 'Solitaire'

From 'Blue'

Jungle, the frenetic breakbeat sound of Britain's hardcore halcyon days, isn't something you hear everyday in 2014. While its '90s cousin drum 'n' bass makes occasional appearances on the U.K. pop chart, jungle still feels like a window into another era of electronic music. Sully, a.k.a. Jack Stevens, cut his proverbial teeth on the genre in the early '00s, and revisits those days on his new album, Blue, out June 16 on Keysound Recordings. "Solitaire" was leaked on SoundCloud at the beginning of May and we haven't stopped streaming it since.

Rx Timecode: 17:18 - 20:55

Stump Valley, 'Hollywood'

From 'Hollywood'

The anonymous duo Stump Valley appeared on the internet earlier this year, and their introductory post on Facebook was a link to a Theo Parrish song. That's always a good sign around these parts, as is the A&R approval of Dutch producer Jordan Czamanski, who signed Stump Valley to his Off Minor Recordings label. "Hollywood"'s simplistic opening bars belies the creativity on display later on, where our mystery hosts balance Sonar bass bleeps with jazzy synth noodling.

Rx Timecode: 20:56 - 27:15

Sami Yenigun is the Executive Producer of NPR's All Things Considered and the Consider This podcast. Yenigun works with hosts, editors, and producers to plan and execute the editorial vision of NPR's flagship afternoon newsmagazine and evening podcast. He comes to this role after serving as a Supervising Editor on All Things Considered, where he helped launch Consider This and oversaw the growth of the newsmagazine on new platforms.
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