In each volume, I played on the subtle balance between popular releases and lesser-known cuts. I wanted you to hear the craftsmanship of the selection, to feel the human hand rather than the algorithmic one. Occasionally, I admit I sought nerdiness to an excessive degree, excluding excellent but already trendy tracks in favour of left-field pieces, but overall I’d say I achieved my goal. Another side of the same coin was the precise choice to include the most prolific artists with nauseating regularity. The presence of Juche’s releases, for instance, soon became a recurring inside joke, but fit perfectly into my search for realism. Artists like him, or MRJay have been, in some ways, undisputed protagonists of 2024, so why not represent this trend? Ignoring, at the end of the year, all this effort in favour of a more classic ranking seemed unfair, even if it meant to exclude high-profile releases.

Before jumping into the list, I’ll indulge in some general reflections on the macro trends that have marked (in good or bad ways) the wave movement. I’m going to start with a response to all the people who complained about the lack of ‘og wave releases’ on Reddit, X, and Discord. Look harder. Get out of your bubbles and learn to scour the web better. The songs you’re looking for are there. They’re just waiting to be found. Besides, if you miss the early days of the genre, I don’t think you lack material to listen to. If your culture only gravitates around wavemob’s compilations and little else, that’s on you.

Moving on, we’ve witnessed the definitive lofi-zation of wavephonk (yes, I vouch for this term). Despite being the majority current, in terms of volume of releases, the creative offering of the combo of rap vocals and wave instrumentals has proved sterile, relying mainly on stereotyped formulas and copycat solutions. As in the case of lofi, it has mainly become muzak, perfect for passive listening while doing something else, like playing or driving, or a stylistic choice that artists fall back on for promotional or economic purposes.

Speaking of driving, it can be said that ‘Nightdrive’ has officially become a sub-subculture of wavephonk. skeler is clearly the undisputed father figure of this niche, which however remains, to a large extent, a pale imitation of the Australian artist’s style. With his NightDrive 4 mix he has further demonstrated that he’s in a league of his own and at this point, the car-based imagery might be the only contact point between him and most of the other actors in this space. It’s not all doom and gloom, of course. Everything goes in cycles, and although wavephonk is at a standstill, I’m sure it’s creating the hummus for the new sounds of tomorrow.

At another point in the wave universe, Hardwave 2 became a thing. A real thing. Yes, the name may sound cocky or, on the contrary, overly formulaic, but it represents the group of producers I have enjoyed following the most this year. If the Hardwave has always been the noisy twin of the wave, the Hardwave 2 is its punk cousin who snorts lines of coke at family dinners. Over the years the definition of hardwave had already expanded (watered down some would say) to embrace tracks that flirted significantly with riddim, colour bass, and other bass sub-genres. Hardwave 2, however, bypasses simple flirtation and shamelessly jumps into sonic orgies where the Y2K trance component reigns supreme. Hardwave 2 is loud, massive, irreverent, fun, and, last but not least, emotional. It’s exactly what I’d expect to hear if Armin Van Buuren played Lost Lands. Artists like crowit, Altered Soul, Exodynamix, CNQR+, KENOK, and Teneki are responsible for the most daring and unpredictable releases I heard in the wave space in 2024. Hearing trancey arpeggios side by side with dubstep snares or amen breaks blows my mind every time. All that glitters is not gold though. Many Hardwave 2 tracks are still experiments from a technical or writing point of view but this is the kind of creativity I’m looking for. The kind that can stop me from scrolling and make me say “something is happening here.”

To cap it all, let’s take a quick look at the list. Again, these are the best songs picked from the eleven editions of WAVE Monthly I compiled through 2024 and they are placed in no particular order. In addition, some tracks that met the criteria were still excluded because they’ve been already included in our Top Songs Of The Year list. Most of the wave scene’s pantheon is present though. skeler, barnacle boi, Juche, Sibewest, enjoii, Klasey Jones, Pholo, vowl. have continued to develop their respective styles, further consolidating their leading position in the international scene. Some of these songs, in my opinion, must be considered among the best of the genre ever.

In the spectrum ranging from og wave to neo-grime, you find the future-garage-esque collab by calicry & FIVESUN ‘hamadryad’, Planet V and LOSTMANE’s ‘Immersion’, EVERYST and BACKWHEN with their beautiful ballad ‘Lovespell’, Gladkill’s ‘Future Unknown’, ‘Water’ by EONE and forget, MYSTXRIVL and Soko’s collab ‘Pixel’, SHXPE with ‘SOUL’ (the only 4/4 entry in the list), ‘Redemption’ by ovmegacvrse and heimanu’s bootleg of  ‘Red Stars’ by The Birthday Massacre. Among the best bangers of the year are Affectwave’s ‘CODE:NIGHT’, ‘Decrypt’ by crowit. and Exodynamix, the dreamteam REMNANT.exe and Noah B with ‘TRANSMIT’, MRJay’s ‘Break Away’, Teneki and CNQR+’s ‘Mirage’, ‘Broken Dreams’ by MitroWave and KENØK’s ‘LOVE AI’.

The post Wave Monthly | Best of 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Let’s start in the US, where Sidewalks & Skeletons and Brothel have been touring throughout all of October, bringing their bewitching show along a series of exciting openers such as Kota Kira and tomkillsjerry. ‘Phase 1’ of this tour features a few more dates in the States later this month before moving to Europe. If you’re in Los Angeles, Seattle, or Portland, check here for more info and tickets.

Talking about Europe, ADE 2024 was a quiet year for wave, with no dedicated events. It fell to skeler to represent the whole movement with a set at the insane VISION x Kompass Music Group boat party and, from what I’ve heard, he didn’t disappoint. “It was really surprising to see skeler on an almost exclusively Drum & Bass lineup” was the first thing that crowit., who attended the event, told me, adding that “this is also what made the set feel really special. Coming from high tempos and gnarly basses into a melody-driven Wave, Phonk & Hardwave set was like a needed breath of fresh air in the middle of the night.” crowit. also reported that “skeler’s set was a good mixture of his signature hardwave sound, his newer wave/phonk tunes” and, as expected from him, “a couple edits I haven’t heard before”.  “My highlight of the set was definitely the ending, where he played Tel Aviv and right afterwards an edit of it, with a mindblowing four-on-the-floor section”. 

After finishing writing the previous paragraph I realized how fantastic it is that the news I report in this monthly column is increasingly related to tours, festivals, and shows. We’re in a new era for the wave scene. We’ve been in for a while, to be honest, but sometimes is important just to say it out loud. Almost ten years in and the movement is going strong, eyes on the future. Plastician himself recently tweeted his call for a 10-year celebration event next year. Nothing is settled at the moment, but keep an eye on his and our social accounts to see how this plan will unfold. 

Moving on from live to recorded music, October’s playlist is, not surprisingly, a little bit spookier than the previous ones. I know Halloween is behind us at this point, but come on, true waveheads are into spookier vibes all year round.  For the first time in 2024, you won’t find a Juche song featured. Feels weird? I agree, but we actually got no releases from him this past month. MRJay didn’t break his streak instead, unveiling a new collaboration with the one and only Kareful. The good people at Harmony Heaven published an horror-themed compilation, excerpts of which you will find in the playlist, alongside tracks from Nick Neutronz, Heimanu, Altare, HAIKU, Tokyo Tears, almogfx, MYSTYK, nibiru’, and many more.  

The post Wave Monthly | October 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

As for September’s playlist, the spotlight is deservedly occupied by Sibewest and his brand-new album Fallout. Presented as “the epitome of the past year of my life, my condition, thoughts, attitude and inner struggle with myself. Self-disappointment, emptiness and weakness”, the project indeed sounds like an emotional autopsy that lays bare the Russian producer’s inner self. Conceived by Sibewest as a story divided into chapters, Fallout oscillates between moments of contemplation characterized by wave and ambient tropes, and tumultuous segments that embrace electro and post-rock influences. The ten songs compose a journey that unfolds through passions, nightmares, and epiphanies, and which serves Sibewest (and all of us) “as a reminder that even after the darkest times, the light ones will surely come“. Excluding the tracks already published during the rollout, ‘Thunder’ seems to have quickly become the fan favorite cut. If you don’t feel like listening to the whole album, this is a single not to be missed.

Other personal highlights among the thirty songs featured in the tracklist are MitraWave’s ‘Last Call’, vowl.’s ‘The End’, and ‘Gateway’ by HAIKU. This month we also have a solid remix and bootleg section courtesy of lvst, Førgøtten, DIGITAL ENTITY, MIRAJ, and Myrmax. rvnti’s wave arc keeps getting better and better as well as Heimanu’s recent release streak. Juche showed no signs of letting up and dropped three releases in September as well.

Out of the blue, MYSTXRIVL and Sokos decided to release (or re-release) their 2017 classic, ‘Pixel’, on SoundCloud. I have no idea if there is a deeper meaning behind this choice, but in the meantime, I didn’t miss the opportunity to sneak such a timeless masterpiece in between all the new releases.

The post Wave Monthly | September 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

There was no shortage of major releases that raised the OG sound to new heights, but at the same time there was no lack of artists venturing into largely virgin territories where they mixed the wave approach with drum&bass, trance, house, planting the seeds for a promising future for the movement. To be remembered in the same way as its predecessor, 2024 will have to hold no small surprises in store for us. For the time being, I believe the premises are there. On my side, to help you keep track of all the music to be released in the next eleven months, I will compile a monthly summary with the best releases, here on FUXWITHIT.

Easier said than done. If the next months are anything like February,  this will be one hell of a journey. To make amends for missing the January issue, I’m doubling down this month, but still, where can I start? cali.xo released her long-awaited EP ‘cry‘ at the beginning of the month, a suggestive project that alone would fill this list. Then Juche decided to show us no mercy, delivering one new release per week (one better than the others, of course), forcing me to make choices I didn’t want to make. He’s not alone though. Heimanu, Nick Neutronz, vowl, Kareful, Enjoii, Øtherside., all published multiple tracks this month as well. Then there’s Static Angel, who gifted us with one of her classic euphoric pieces, obey who went on remix duties on skeler’s ‘my fight‘,  KENOK who managed to squeeze hardware, breaks and trance in a single track and MitroWave who dived into electroclash territories with his latest EP. And that’s not all.

Check the full playlist below.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1784120976″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Wave Monthly | February 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Over the last year, Heimanu’s growth in the scene has only continued in the upward direction, releasing on labels such as NIGHTMODE, Proximity and SABLE VALLEY and collaborating with the likes of KRANE, Juelz and Hex Cougar. These are no small feats, as the ensemble of names are among the pioneers of future bass and trap, and Heimanu joining forces with them displays his true talent.

Despite this growth, the most impressive aspect of Heimanu’s rise is his ability to stay true to himself. Whether in collaborations or individual works, the artist makes his sound heard. Such is the case in his newest track ‘Slumber’ which we have the extreme pleasure of premiering today. Released via Bassrush‘s The Prophecy: Volume 6 compilation, ‘Slumber’ is everything one expects from Heimanu, and more. As my colleague Alessio said last year, the beauty of Heimanu is that his vision is clear. “A vision in which he believes with all of himself and which he has decided to devote himself completely to. He’s slowly exploring it, deciphering it, and giving back to us the various interpretations that come out of this personal journey.” With this clarity comes certainty of a certain level of the emphatic Heimanu sound that he has championed. In ‘Slumber,’ there’s no shortage of this sound, and the artist elevates it with a tension-filled introduction, controlled chaos layered seemlessly throughout the drops, and sheer festival-primed energy.

‘Slumber’ is Heimanu at his finest. Don’t miss it below and catch The Prophecy: Volume 6 in full tomorrow.

The post PREMIERE: Heimanu Elevates His Sound To New Heights In ‘Slumber’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Following ‘Alaris’ and ‘Aeske’, here I am writing about his latest effort, a double single on NIGHTMODE titled ‘Raeen’ and ‘Die Awake’. The trio of releases Heimanu has delivered after a more intimate parenthesis of ‘Alaris’ is all focused on the core essence of his own infamous trademark sound, NuRave. The formula is clear: sweeping synths, hammering drums, breakbeat loops, ghostly melodies, frenetic arpeggiations. Both the tunes go down hard as always, providing the expected dose of epicness. Try to play this during your sets and I can already see the mayhem that would break out. Giant moshpits, people screaming and crying, t-shirts flying everywhere. The vocals on ‘Raeen’ aren’t exactly the best example in his catalog while those on ‘Die Awake’ (which I suspect are made by Heimanu himself) gives us a more interesting performance. In the first case, the voice is merely a filler that covers a marginal role. In the second track instead, its presence is more relevant as it actively helps to build the mood and set the final tone of the song.

Now, if you’re attentive and assiduous readers, you may have noticed that in this review I have not said anything new. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the formula that we find in ‘Raeen’ and ‘Die Awake’ is classic Heimanu. However, this isn’t in any way a good reason to underestimate this release. To the people who complain that Heimanu’s releases are starting to sound all the same, I’d like to answer “yes, and that’s the cool part”. Let me explain. I do think that some of his releases are very similar? Yes, without a doubt. But again, I see this as a positive thing. We’re in the presence of an artist who has a very clear vision in mind. A vision in which he believes with all of himself and which he has decided to devote himself completely to. He’s slowly exploring it, deciphering it, and giving back to us the various interpretations that come out of this personal journey. Some are exceptional, others less impressive. It’s all part of the game. Given how many artistic ideas and trends arise, grow and die in just a matter of months nowadays, I believe we should appreciate artists that decide to take the risk to “get stuck” on their own beliefs, gifting us with deeper and more elaborate experiences. They are the narrators I look for. Theirs are the stories I like to follow and the ones that get me involved in the long run. Heimanu has already proven to be versatile. We know he has the skills. So I don’t see why we should be impatient to see him rushing to a new sound. The routine pushes us to judge artists and music Friday by Friday, but it’s essential to step back and pay attention also to the context. By doing this you’re able to connect the dots, learn more about your favorite artists, understand more about their perspective and probably enjoy your favorite music even more than you are already doing.

What I suggest you do after listening to ‘Raeen’ and ‘Die Awake’ is to take the time to both watch the bigger picture of Heimanu’s journey as well as to dwell upon the little details he spent hundreds of hours working on. Stream the double release below or on your favorite platform here.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1324767340″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Heimanu Reunites With NIGHTMODE For Double Release ‘Raeen’ and ‘Die Awake’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Of course ‘Alaris’ provides the boisterous bass and thunderous drums that are needed to fill out festival mosh pits and club dance floors. Nevertheless, it doesn’t sacrifice the emotional side either and provides the right amount of feelings thanks to what I think is the standout element of this release: the vocals. Unlike what we are used to getting in wave songs- that is ethereal, elusive, mostly female, voices. Here the vocals stand out with a very strong personality. They are the element that drives the whole composition. They aren’t a mere side dish, they are the main treat. In addition, they have a retro taste, which reminds me of 2000s dance music and hardstyle, that gives the song a nice “rave” touch I really love. To best describe ‘Alaris’, I would like to reuse the words that Heimanu had stated on the occasion of the publication of ‘Mira,’ “I wanted to make something with a bit more emotional depth and perspective to it… A song that grabs at the heart and doesn’t let go, which is very different to my normal Wave sound.”

Stream ‘Alaris’ below or on your favorite platform here.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1096219366″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Heimanu Makes Triumphant Return On Liquid Ritual With ‘Alaris’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

This is how Heimanu presents us his latest creation, released a couple of days ago on the infallible Liquid Ritual imprint. Being used to his electrifying and stormy NuRave tunes, I have to say these words have definitely tickled my interest and I was curious to see to which extent they had been put into practice. ‘Mira’ (not to be confused with this ‘Mirae‘) is indeed one of the most reflective works we ever got from the Aussie producer. Instead of explosive drops and whirling build-ups, its massive chords and airy vibes bring in atmospheres that are definitely more close to the world of movie and videogame scores. Anyway, it’s Heimanu we’re talking about, not Brian Eno. It might not be a mosh-pit starter, but ‘Mira’ is still highly imbued with an uplifting and euphoric aura that makes this song one of the most unconventional dancefloor anthems of the past years. It’s been a long while since the last time I heard a bass tune able to lead me into a self-discovery journey and at the same time make me want to be in a sweaty crowd. Usually, the two reactions are diametrically opposite, but ‘Mira’s emotional charge is so powerful that it really inspires me to let myself go and cry on the dancefloor.

On Twitter, Heimanu managed to add more context around this special release. ‘Mira’ is “A song probably best enjoyed while the skies are grey with sleeting rain, or as you drive at night through a sleeping city. Or both. More importantly, I hope this song helps you cope with hopelessness, loss or grief. It certainly helped me.”

‘Mira’ is out now via Liquid Ritual and is available for both listening and purchasing here.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/973653823″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Heimanu Does It Again With Emotional Anthem ‘Mira’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

First up, we have a special reimagined version of ‘Ego Death’ by Juelz and RemK. With the original having a deep house flavor, these heavy hitters decided to flip it into something much more. Their trap influences come out very strong with every note being played. From hard hitting drums, to a trippy acid lead over the top, this remix honors the original fully to the core. Every second is a breath of fresh air and brings their musical bond together even more. As a result, they’ve created the best flip of ‘Ego Death’ by far thanks to the rhythm alone.

Next, Juelz and Heimanu race through the dawn of time with their remix of Baauer’s song, ‘Aether.’ Being released on his recent album, ‘Aether’ was one of the tracks which stood out the most on the project. And with Heimanu having such a futuristic style of production, it was a perfect match for these two to flip this masterpiece. Taking off with no hesitation, they completely take the original into their own hands by adding monumental sounding drums, atmosphere and overall arrangement. They take us farther into the unknown with every section within this remix. Adding unimaginable elements while still preserving the priceless vision which Baauer created in the original.

Right after, Juelz slows it down by remixing the Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti track, ‘No Stylist.’ What makes this one truly special, is the diversity within. From a gorgeous hip-hop section to honor the vocal, to a spacious and lush chorus, there’s no telling what might come next. The way he used a distorted vocal as a lead was a genius route to take. He truly kept the beautiful qualities from the original and made it into his own. Resulting in a dreamy lullaby for hip-hop and electronic music lovers.

Finally, Juelz and anti. close this mixtape off with an energetic and powerful remix of Flo Mili’s, ‘In The Party.’ You’re going to want to brace yourselves for this one. Starting off with a heavy and nasty introduction, they honor Flo Mili’s attitude in her vocals using a thick 808 and light drums. Bringing it all together, a buildup forms, clearly hearing a classic anti. vibe in there. Telling us they’re both about to make an impact. And once that chorus drops, it will blow you away. anti. incorporating his signature gritty bass and sound design makes this extra spicy. Making each section flow so smoothly in an orderly fashion. All together this one is a certified banger. They really went all out on this one.

it’s the 2020 bbjuelz remix tape for me is a wonderful and gorgeous work of art. You can tell they all took a good amount of time to perfect and care for each element being placed. Bravo to Juelz and his friends. Make sure to go support by streaming the project on SoundCloud and Audius.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1187475319″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Crowds Are Saying ‘it’s the 2020 bbjuelz remix tape for me’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Cruising with TWERL and Heimanu, the journey starts off with echos of distorted vocals intertwined with high-pitched frequencies which get stronger along the way. With elements of surprise clearly in these producers’ favor, listeners are welcomed into the beauty of melodic bass. As the tempo begins to slowly rise, TWERL and Heimanu begin to shift levels which resembles these producer’s sonic adaptability. Riding through the sound of the future, hints of captivating vocals phase in and out which provide a sense of euphoria to the listener. Unarguably the perfect fit for Dark Machine Records, TWERL and Heimanu share:

“When ShockOne told us he was starting a new label, we knew we had the perfect track. ‘Nightrider’s’ dark and moody tone sounded like it would be a great fit for Dark Machine Records.” 

The post TWERL And Heimanu Guide Listeners Into The Future Of The Unknown With ‘Night Rider’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.