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’.

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Kicking off with the newest single by barnacle boi, ‘KNOW Ü’, our Wave Monthly playlist offers the usual dive into the best in wave, hardwave, phonk, and everything in between.  We have a gritty edit of ‘Baby again..’ by hyperforms and more flips and remixes from obey, haydys, deadcrow, and MYSTYK.  For the more soft-hearted, there are plenty of vocal and instrumental ballads such as niburu’s ‘TOGETHER’ , etsu’s ‘Continuum’ or TYLER BREAKS’ ‘angel’. For the lovers of hardwave or stumping phonk-inspired beats, KTrek, KYLLER, kim & limedisx, FATE, Bafu, SBU & MRKRYL and DRIVERAVE got you covered. There’s even space for a couple of liquid drum&bass and jungle crossovers to cap off the playlist.  For the first time since the beginning of the year there’s no Juche music, but only because his two new tracks weren’t uploaded on SoundCloud. You can check them on Spotify.

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To begin with, I must mention the arrival of the notorious ‘Look Forward at 2024‘ mixtape. Curated and mixed by Brett from vibe.digital, this mix series (which in this edition features around 100 tunes from 60+ artists) is comparable to an annual religious fixture for all of us in the wave scene. Like Ultra Music Festival for the EDM scene, it’s a proper trendsetter that shows what the hottest sounds are and hints at how the rest of the year will unfold.

Talking about festivals, following the tragic events that occurred on the 22nd of March in Moscow, IMMINET’s crew postponed the second edition of their ARCADIA festival, which was set to be the biggest wave event of the year. The new dates are yet to be announced, but for real-time updates you can join their Telegram channel.

At the beginning of the month, Ravescoon’s first ever Wave & Rave curated event took place in Denver, featuring performances by barnacle boi, brothel, Ktrek b2b Remnant.exe, Djedi b2b w/out (plus a two-hour set by Ravescoon himself). Rumours say that the video recordings of all these sets will surface on YouTube very soon, so keep an eye out!

Last but not least, my fellow writer Ambur Masen published an excellent report on the state of the wave scene on Electric Hawk. I can’t recommend this article enough as it’s filled with essential insights and contributions and provides the basis for understanding and approaching the movement in 2024.

Going back to the music itself, I guess no one was surprised to see Juche dropping two new songs in March too, bringing up to nine the number of official releases in 2024 so far. Besides his collaboration with Sublab, in this Monthly Wave playlist you’ll also find extracts from aeral’s final project LOOSE // ENDS and Just Connor’s new EP Another Realm. Remixes of fred again’s ‘stayinit’ and skeler’s ‘AYEN’, an 8-minute fusion experiment of trap, wave, and French underground rap (it’s not even the only eight-minute track this month), and dozens of new singles from Affectwave, Aekae, axiøs,  lvst, MIRAJ, Klasey Jones, Krull (his debut release) and many, many more.

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This “experiment,” if we want to call it that, offers us another new take on the style of the UK producer. While the aforementioned ‘Trojan Horse’ was still deeply permeated by his polychromatic signature sound, ‘Bad Blood’ raises the curtain on a more “light” version, where a dancefloor-friendly spontaneity has been preferred to complexity. As a hardcore fan, I have to say this is a bargain I’m totally ok with.  I love when my favorite artists evolve. I like to be part of both the genuine successes and failures of my idols, knowing that art is by definition dynamic and ever-changing. That said, when you are a fan of Klasey Jones there is little to fear, the man simply doesn’t miss. Small note for all the “old school” Klasey supporters: don’t miss the second drop because there’re some treats for you.

Stream ‘Bad Blood’ on your favorite platform here.

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In this second chapter, the story takes off in grand style and continues its highly cinematic journey. It’s interesting to notice how the five tracks are not all collaborations between the two acts. There are indeed three joint ventures but we also have two individual cuts where the artists showcase their individual visions. For me, this was an unexpected and welcome surprise since I’m not as familiar with The Wildcatz style as I am with Klasey’s discography. In order not to spoil everything for you, in this review I’ll focus only on these two tracks from this second chapter of Operation Midnight.

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In the past months, I had hints of Klasey Jones secretly working on some drum&bass tunes, but I wasn’t expecting to find an early taste of these experiments inside Operation Midnight. This EP series has been a showcase of so many fascinating sonic explorations from its very inception, but despite the name, I couldn’t foresee ‘Trojan Horse’ sneaking a D&B incursion inside the tracklist. In this song the UK DNA of Klasey Jones has taken over,  unveiling a new identity of the artist. I was expecting something more in line with what Noah B‘s presented in his release on Pilot, but ‘Trojan Horse’ is of a whole another breed. It mixes the exotic melodies and a sense of spirituality that deeply characterize the entire Klasey Jones repertoire (somehow it recalls me of his 2017’s album Eleven ) with sharp, acid synths (which instead reminds me of Dimension’s latest album) and a fat, synthwave-inspired, bassline. Seeing a singer featured on a track by the London producer is truly a rare occurrence. For this special occasion, he has called back fellow citizen Sooski whose voice works very well in adding more emotional intensity and complexity to ‘Trojan Horse’.

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The Wildcatz’s “answer” is equally spectacular. ‘Elysian Fields’ sticks to a more classic wave sound but don’t get fooled, it’s full of surprises as well. Taking its role as a closing track seriously, ‘Elysian Fields’ pulls together various cues taken from the previous four singles and mixes them to compose a brand new puzzle. The first seconds after the intro where the massive bass kicks accompanied only by those percussions (I can’t really tell which kind of sound it is) are a true musical orgasm. Call me a simple man, but being swallowed by low frequencies still freaking excites me even after a lifetime spent listening to electronic music. Not that the rest of the tune falls short. Indeed, ‘Elysian Fields’ displays one of the most peculiar and glamorous selections of sounds I’ve heard in the while.

I know I told you that I was going to talk only about ‘Trojan Horse’ and ‘Elysian Fields’, but at this point, I can’t turn down the opportunity to say something about the other tracks. I swear, this time I’ll be concise.  Let’s start with ‘Hands of Time’, the single that anticipated this second part of Operation Midnight. From my point of view, this is a hit. The vocal sample turns me on every time I hear it while I love how the drops punch my eardrums. ‘Breaking Point’ seems to come straight out of part one of Operation Midnight and for me works perfectly as the first track of the EP (as it is on the Spotify version). ‘Diego’s Theme’ is the hardest piece of the entire saga but also my least favorite one. Noteworthy is the psy-trance inspired finale, another unexpected gem, and how the overall aggressive vibe of this tune fits very well the storytelling. We’re following a  top-secret interplanetary theft attempt after all.

Just a few final notes about this amazing artistic effort in its entirety. First of all, it’s an indisputable testament of the impressive creative chemistry between Klasey Jones and The Wildcatz. I’ve never, ever, seen such a perfect match. Secondly, I have to express how much I appreciate the “holistic” essence of the project. Both the two EPs feature incredible standalone singles, but when they’re taken in their entirety they become an even more memorable piece of art. By binge-listening to the full project, you get the adrenaline of the storytelling, the magic of following a proper story, and the highs and lows.

The end.

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Not many days ago Klasey himself tweeted “We need more vocals on wave music!” and voilà. True to his word, with ‘Worst Way’ he gives us practical proof of what he meant. Unlike most of we’ve heard from the London-raised producer before, ‘Worst Way’ easily gains the title of the most trance-inspired piece in his repertoire. The song opens with some solemn vocals that immediately brought me back to my trance kid days. The first drop gave me, even more, stronger suggestions as it vividly reminded me of some of GAIA’s (Armin Van Buuren and Rank1 side project) classics that I still deeply love. However, the charm of ‘Worst Way’ is not reduced only to a little nostalgia mixed with a formula that’s not even that rare in the wave scene. Remember, Klasey Jones never plays it safe. Indeed, he throws the most unforeseen guests into the fray: the amen break. Unexpectedly, out of nowhere, it comes like a wrecking ball and for a few tens of seconds, it twists the overall mood from a cathartic trancey scenario to a UK bass dungeon. As it arrives, it then disappears just as suddenly, leaving ‘Worst Way’ to its initial state. It might sound a bit drastic but trust me, your ears will be delighted by Klasey’s audacity.

“In the Klasey Universe anything is possible. With this EP I wanted to show new music that’s unlike anything I’ve made in the past but still remain true to my sound. You will notice a difference in my usual drum structure, as I have recently been influenced by breakbeat and jungle. My goal was to keep the cinematic feel that listeners are accustomed to but with a darker, more energetic sound in each song.” – Klasey Jones

Stream ‘Worst Way’ exclusively here on FUXWITHIT today and be sure to catch it tomorrow alongside the full Hostile Takeover EP on Spotify, Bandcamp or your favorite platform.

The post PREMIERE: Klasey Jones Explores New Boundaries With ‘Worst Way’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Before the notorious crew began their work together, they did work for hire apart. The Wildcatz are
headed to Bastion Station, where their delivery may bring peace or incite a revolution. Klasey Jones and Mononoke are tasked with stealing their delivery before it arrives at its destination…

What did I just tell you? I was not exaggerating, we are in the presence of a real multisensory adventure that combines audio, visuals, and storytelling. The presentations have already been made. The Wildcatz and Klasey Jones are our protagonists (assisted by the one and only Mizucat on visuals) and the great puppeteers who move the threads of this tale with their musical creations.

‘Road To Bastion’ is the prologue of Operation Midnight EP, out in full tomorrow on vibe.digital, and focuses on the journey of The Wildcatz (code names, Lynx and Jaguar) to Bastion Station. Close you’re eyes and imagine you are racing on a highway immersed in dystopian scenery. Wind and dust clash against your helmet as your motorcycle grinds miles across hostile desert landscapes. The snappy roar of the engine, with its metal pistons and burning muffler, is the only sound that pierces the surrounding silence. The thrill of the upcoming adventure makes your blood boil, and the adrenaline makes you press the accelerator as hard as you can. The soundscapes created by ‘Road To Bastion’ are wide, vast, immersive, and envelop you like the shadows of the sunset. The atmosphere you breathe is euphoric, almost cheerful, but in some moments it also hides sinister elements, which suggest obstacles and perils on the horizon.

How will The Wildcatz and Klasey Jones find themselves allied in the Foreign Buyers Club? Be sure to experience the whole Operation Midnight EP tomorrow and you’ll maybe find out. For now, you can stream ‘Road To Bastion’ below.

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In addition to limited edition merch, Klasey Jones & The Wildcatz will be releasing a two-part short story in web-comic form online in the near future, to coincide with the two EPs forthcoming on vibe.digital, the first being Operation Midnight.

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