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 on NPR Music's SoundCloud page. If you'd rather just hear each song individually, check out the playlist below.
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Recommended Dose: The Best Dance Tracks Of April
Fatima Al Qadiri, 'Shanghai Freeway'
From 'Asiatisch'
One of the more complicated albums of 2014 also knows its way around a dancefloor. Fatima Al Qadiri, a Kuwaiti producer based in Brooklyn, will release Asiatisch (the German word for "Asian") on May 6, a record that examines China's influence on the London grime scene. "Shanghai Freeway" is its penultimate juggernaut, but we think the track's signature metallic loop makes for the perfect opener to our set.
Rx Timecode: 0:00-5:25
Person Of Interest, 'Down For'
From 'L.I.E.S. 20.5'
This is a web premiere, but we'd be shocked if DJs haven't been spinning this track in sets over the past couple weeks. "Down For," the b-side of Person Of Interest's debut 12", is a grainy techno thumper akin to the dark, dramatic output of the Downwards or Sandwell District labels. Another impressive addition to the L.I.E.S. catalog.
Rx Timecode: 5:26-12:40
Seven Davis Jr., 'P.A.R.T.Y. (Live Version)'
From 'Unreleased'
Everything in Seven Davis Jr's burgeoning catalog has a nasty bit of funk to it. "P.A.R.T.Y.", his latest release for Apron records, sets a queasy, harmonized vocal atop snapping drums. On the live version, those vocals been swapped for synth stabs that shriek out over twanging bass plucks. Later on, those shrieks open up into a sustained wail, bringing the song to climax, all hazy and mad. It's a stripped down take that loses none of its nastiness.
Rx Timecode: 12:41-17:12
DJ Clent, 'Hyper Feet'
From 'Hyper Feet'
DJ Clent is one of the longest tenured juke/footwork artists in Chicago, debuting on the Dance Mania record label in 1998 alongside the recently departed DJ Rashad. On "Hyper Feet," Clent re-imagines fellow Chi producer Mike Dunn's proto-house hit "Magic Feet," adding asymmetric tenacity via car alarm counterpoint and woozy shifts in tempo.
Rx Timecode: 17:13-20:49
Percussions, 'KHLHI'
From 'TEXT029'
Four Tet released his latest recordings — two 12" records made to move a room — under his Percussions moniker. Of the four cuts he's put online so far, "KHLHI" swings the hardest. Armed with a sample from Detroit soul singer Syreeta Wright and cut with a techno bassline, the song snaps from drum track to vocal and back before you can say "KHLHI." Slackened drums keep this bob upright and swaying.
Rx Timecode: 20:50-26:15
