Turn up the BPM. Turn up the dB. If it’s got a dial, turn it up.
Here’s the fourth round of our favorite Bay Area albums of 2023. From Baalti to Bored Lord, the artists on this list synthesize forward-thinking, discotastic diamonds perfectly chopped and chiseled to get the dancefloor rolling.
Alley Ghost – Kush Arora and HMXGOD
“One for the dancers, riddim addicts, and hybridizers from soundsystem culture.”
Kush Arora (aka Only Now), one of the Bay’s chief producers of dark and gritty dancehall, joined forces with Brooklyn producer HMXGOD (aka Hitmakerchinx) on Alley Ghost, a trio of instrumentals just waiting for an underground toasting. Cinematic in its deployment of sound production and wobbling its way onto the dancefloor, each track here pulses and thumps with deep drum and bass, balanced out by twittering vocal samples and clarion synthesizers. Made either for the late late night warehouse party, or maybe just the deep recesses of consciousness.
— Ronny Kerr
FREAKED IT – RITCHRD
We didn’t formally review this release, but FREAKED IT is just another example of the amazing house and techno released by local producer RITCHRD through their always top-notch label NO BIAS. From the same label, check out the Taraneh release below.
— Ronny Kerr
Better Together – Baalti
“There isn’t a clear Bombay sound or an SF sound yet when it comes to electronic music. I think that’s really cool and indicative of the diversity of sound in the emerging talent in both cities and probably makes a lot more space for exploration.”
Mihir Chauhan in Mixmag
Mihir Chauhan and Jaiveer Singh of the SF-based producer/DJ duo Baalti provide so many choice quotes in their new interview with Mixmag that it was hard to pick just one. Aside from their comparison of Bombay and Bay Area dance music scenes, one of the best quotes revolves around their concept of “masala.” Though stateside we’re probably most familiar with masala chai and chicken masala, masala can describe any number of spice mixtures.
Baalti extends this concept even further by envisioning the power of masala when concocting their rich, varied, and flavorful sonic blends. On five-track EP Better Together, the duo continues crossing Bollywood and South Asian samples with deep house, breaks, and electro. Does it slap? Yes, yes it does.
— Ronny Kerr
FR023 – Soulox & Soeneido
One of this year’s entrants for Future Retro London—Tim Reaper’s consistently high-quality label and “jungle testing grounds”—FR023 brings the California drum and bass stylings of Soulox and Soeneido to the world stage. Representing Sacramento and Oakland, respectively, the two producers get lush and “Lavish” with their west coast drum and bass, accented by psychedelic bird calls, pillowy piano reverb, and, of course, viciously sweet slicing breaks. The four-track EP includes original tracks by each artist, a collaboration between the two, and a remix by Toronto producer Comfort Zone. A pleasure in sound, and in the simple fact of seeing these artists showcased in the same spotlight as Dwarde, Coco Bryce, Sully, and many more great jungle producers.
— Ronny Kerr
KMS Juice – Taraneh
It’s not often we get treated to a surprise rave jewel from Alameda. But because the real housewives of that famed bayside island have only our best interests at heart, this year we were blessed with Taraneh’s KMS JUICE on NO BIAS. What is this “KMS” juice? The artist assures us it stands for “Killer Music Style” and so we confidently take our first sip. Immediately we begin hearing voices, serene and spiritual over a tense buildup, noisily declaring “God is Love.” By the time the second track arrives—”Drowning in My Sleep,” co-produced by Bored Lord—we start to wonder if the juice was spiked. But it’s too late, it’s already two-thirds drunk, and so we swallow the rest, fading into a blissed out ego death soundtracked by stately grand pianos, twittering synths, and a thousand pounds of reverb.
— Ronny Kerr
Name It – Bored Lord
“I want the industry people to be confused while the ravers understand the very moment they press play. I want to challenge everyone to name it.”
Daria Lourd
Breaks and love, love and breaks. Press play, close your eyes, and let your limbs savor the movement that flows from Name It, the latest full-length album by Bored Lord (aka DJ Daria aka Daria Lourd). No longer a secret, Bored Lord is one of the most acclaimed producers and DJs from the Bay Area underground.
Out on T4T LUV NRG (the New Hampshire label created by love-and-music partners Eris Drew and Octo Octa), Name It highlights Daria’s pitch-perfect mixing style and joyous use of samples—Is that hysterical flamboyant laughing on “Believe” taken from the 1982 Larry Levan production “Don’t Make Me Wait” by the Peech Boys? Maybe, maybe not. But the exploration and experimentation that Daria plays with through her music and community refracts itself through the beats, channeling a freedom of expression to the listener. There is more to life than suffering, especially when we embrace “prismatic movement in unison with others.”
— Ronny Kerr
SIDESHOW – Bastiengoat
If you ever need a pick-me-up, bastiengoat’s SIDESHOW will make you go dumb. It starts out fast with a choice E-40 flip on “Don’t Slap Mainstream,” and the jersey club-indebted record keeps piling on bangers featuring several Bay Area-specific samples after that.
— Elliot Engel
Tormenta Emocional – DJ Juanny
We didn’t review this EP this year, but the frequent releases by DJ Juanny on his innovative, blended Latin club music stylings on Amor Digital always surprise and delight us.
— Ronny Kerr
“Golden State Dub” b/w “Fillmore” – Shibumi
Smoothly blissed out two-step with Too $hort as spiritual leader? That’s “Golden State Dub”, the newest single from Shibumi, bringing Bay Area vibes to the rest of the world via UK drum and bass label Skankandbass. On the flip side is “Fillmore,” a crisp and vicious lockstep beat that marches its dancing feet into gritty industrial territory.
— Ronny Kerr
