Premiere: Feiertag – “High Expectations”

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Dutch drummer/producer Feiertag is just getting his career under way, but he’s already begun making a mark for himself, via his first single, “Damn You,” a collaboration with David Dam that was released earlier in 2015 via BMKLTSCH. But now he’s hopping over to Kraak & Smaak’s Boogie Angst label for a new EP. High Expectations is, er, highly expected to be released on November 26. On two of the EP’s four tracks, Feiertag moves further into his aural explorations. Pop radio potential, club appeal and luminous leftfield moves all come together on this release.

Grab an earful of the pulsing, atmospheric, but eminently danceable title track below to get an idea of what’s coming next from Feiertag.

Premiere: District 78 feat. LACES – “Cardiocide”

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What exactly is “Cardiocide?” Sounds sinister, but is it a capital crime? Is it even on the books? For the most reliable information on the topic, we should probably turn to the originators of the term, dance group and production team District 78.

According to them, “Cardiocide is about what drives people to get into and stay in toxic relationships. Anyone who’s been in one can relate to it. In a way it’s the opposite of a love song because it’s about the decisions we make when we think we don’t deserve something better.”

So, you probably won’t get arrested for it, but it’s definitely something you want to avoid, unlike the single of the same name from the group’s upcoming album, Always Thumpin’, which is due out in 2016.

Chris Lightbody, Spencer Yaras, Jay Kim and Bob Steinmiller make up District 78, and if their sound seems familiar, you may have heard their music on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, ​FOX’s ​So You Think You Can Dance, NBC’s Parks and Recreation, or any of a number of other places. And if the female vocal on “Cardiocide” sounds equally familiar, you may have heard guest singer LACES (a.k.a. Jessie Polland/Charlotte Sometimes) on The Voice. But she and District 78 are together on this track, and for now, that’s really all you need to know.

Premiere: taMe feat. Lauren Francis – “Lucid Dream” (Club Mix)

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The taMe brand of techno can be atmospheric and alluring or it can be propulsive and powerful, but the beauty of the London duo’s approach is that they can shift on a dime from one end of the dynamic spectrum to the other. The seventh outing on the twosome’s own label, taMe Music, offers two new tracks plus a bonus mix.

On “Lucid Dream,” taMe manages to keep the groove supple and sensual while still moving it forward with an impressive amount of momentum. Fat, round bass tones go a long way toward giving the groove some gravitas, but on the upper end of the track, the otherworldly vocals of guest singer Lauren Francis really complete the picture.

On the Club Mix of the tune, which you’ll find premiered below, those vocals sound just a wee bit disembodied, giving them an even more ethereal vibe than on the original track. Prepare to be agreeably unmoored.

Video Premiere: President Bongo – “Greco”

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What if — at least for a little while — Africa’s legendary Serengeti region was relocated to outer space? That’s one of the questions that comes to mind as President Bongo & the Emotional Carpenters unleash their ode to the annual animal migration across the Serengeti. The album, appropriately entitled Serengeti, which was released last month on the AlbumLabel imprint. Odds are that you’ve heard President Bongo before, as Stephan Stephensen, is a founding member of Icelandic electronic popsters GusGus, whom he left earlier this year to pursue his own projects. (Recently, Stephensen was kind enough to provide us with an exclusive mix.)

The feel created by Bongo and company on the album combine organic, acoustic sounds with cutting-edge electronic technology for a dizzying mix of past, present, and future. And the video directed by Snorri Bros for “Greco” follows suit, blending ancient African imagery with modern visual effects to create something strangely timeless.