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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skeler wasn’t the only one cooking though. Thirty days is a long time frame in the modern music industry and June was another month filled with freshly baked songs. June also means it’s time for the traditional mid-year reports and I was glad to notice how this column makes this process incredibly fluent. I won’t geek out and bring up stats and analysis here, but take a few minutes to go through the previous playlists if you want to get a more three-dimensional picture of the scene over the past six months. You’ll find interesting creative and release patterns that otherwise are hard to spot in the boisterous Friday-to-Friday routine.

If I had to highlight two artists who have stolen the show over the past six months, I would select Bafu and Juche. Bafu wasn’t a new name for me, but with a superlative streak of devastating remixes and originals, he rightfully became the unpredicted hero of the first half of 2024. On the other end, Juche‘s massive impact on the scene was everything but unpredictable. He’s already a superstar, but despite his status, he deservedly earned this shout-out for having released a staggering total of fourteen original singles so far (collab with Sublab included).

In addition to tracks from these two champions, in this Wave Monthly playlist, you’ll find charming and introspective tracks from STATIC ANGEL, BL1THE and cali.xo, glyte and Øtherside. SBU, Teneki, crowit., ZETMO, KENØK, Exodynamix, and the dream team REMNANT.exe & Noah B brought in some hardwave-ish energy while if you’re eager for obscure and mental cuts you have to check Cirrus Minus, GAZHELL and SAGE & KYLLER’s collaboration.

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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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Talking instead of releases, April will go down as the month that saw the release of one of the best compilation albums of the year. Curated and released by Interval Audio, hands down the best compilation-dealer in the game, Neo Subculture 3 is a 33-track masterclass in Wave, Hardwave, Trance, and Neo Trance. With 46 artists involved, it is a comprehensive testament to the power of this artistic community that never stops opening their hearts and minds to the unknown to redefine the boundaries of these genres. Due to the relevance of this album, I decided to reserve five spots on this month’s playlist for extracts from Neo Subculture 3. You’ll find them mixed among singles from familiar faces as tearsofmine, enjoii, KTrek (via vibe.digital), Klasey Jones, Pholo, SBU, but also newer names like nibiru’, FQYL, kub0, Michiya Mirai, anølemma and many more. In case you’re wondering, yes, there’s a Juche release this month as well.

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

Each contains shining characteristics that describe them as humans and creatives. While honoring the Sable Valley name and its roots. From electronic trap, drum n bass, and even some breakbeat, there are a ton of tones and rhythms to make your days even more fulfilling. Being blown away by returning veterans while discovering some fresh new talent along the way. Easily making this one of their most diverse compilations to date.

The raw and organic technique flowing throughout will no doubt inspire you on a whole new scale. Transporting listeners into a far-out dystopia and beyond. Discovering its secret gems and overall treasures to enrich anyone’s life. With hard-hitting sound design from Lizdek and Ivoryghost, a summer smash from Dabow and Jessy Covets, and an immaculate rhythmic structure from Cerdin and Squired, this yearly journey delivers time and time again. From its breathtaking music, to the iconic artists that create them. Bravo to everyone. So make sure to show your support by streaming Sable Valley Summer Vol. 4 everywhere via Sable Valley!

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Each time a compilation is released, therefore, it’s a proper event, a moment to look forward to with curiosity, trepidation, and celebration. I might have been quiet about it, but this is exactly what I was feeling during the rollout of the long-awaited Liquid Ritual vol. 3 album. And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one watching the label’s moves closely. After all, as one of the undisputed leaders of the scene, the Liquid Ritual team has both the honor of being in a position to lead the way into the future and, at the same time, the responsibility of keeping alive the roots on which it has built its legacy. For those familiar with their releases in the past ten months, the artistic direction of the Liquid Ritual brand was crystal clear (the melodic and darker side of wave), but with the recent launch of the ambitious Wave Global project, it wasn’t easy to make predictions.

After dozens of listens, I can say it without a shadow of doubt:  Vol. 3 is Liquid Ritual’s crown jewel.  This compilation is a testament to the label’s cultural commitment to showcasing the evolution of the genre and a tangent proof of the talent that crowds the scene at the moment. The sixteen artists involved, a clever mix of familiar and brand-new names, all delivered premium performances, without exception. Sixteen songs that span a diverse range of styles, from highly atmospheric cuts (‘let me go’, ‘NEVA’, ‘Mirage’) to more alternative works (‘Subterranea’, ‘U Hurt Me’) to garage-influenced tracks (‘The Morning After’, ‘Freefall’, ‘Where Are You Now’), bringing the listener on an immersive yet kaleidoscopic journey through the wave sound. The vocal pieces are exquisitely crafted as they all double down in the classic melancholic, ethereal, trancey mood that defines the genre.

The greatest merit of Liquid Ritual Vol. 3 is, in my opinion, that it’s a compilation that sounds extremely contemporary, yet it reflects well the essence and heritage of wave. It’s a must-listen for the most hardcore fans, but I can see it acting also as the perfect starting point for new adepts. Compared to many other compilations released in previous years, which embodied a specific historical moment or trend, Vol. 3 has the potential to evade temporal boundaries and stand as a timeless chapter in the history of the label and the wave movement. Props to Jude, Oskar, and the entire Liquid Ritual team for another first-class project and for showing once again where the “Home of Wave” is.

Listen to Liquid Ritual Vol.3 below or on your favorite platform.

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Pantheon kicks off on Thursday, with the official pre-party at the High Dive, which will see calicry and Static Angel behind the decks, two of my favorite producers in the game at the moment. The festival reaches its climax on Friday and Saturday nights, where more than 30 artists will take the stage at the Substation. The gargantuan lineup includes some familiar names such as Remnant.exe, barnacle boi, brothel, Noah B, Falldren, Ramon Pang, Angel Cannon, and many more.

You can find the last tickets for the pre-party and the two-day festival here and here.

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Sable Valley Summer Vol. 3 is a burst of static electricity. Running through your body in the form of powerful sound design, unique arrangements, and cinematic visions from each track. Every artist showcased what makes their tones and vision memorable while honoring the Sable Valley name. From a futuristic atom bomb from RL Grime, Hex Cougar, and fknsyd, to a mind-boggling journey from Ivoryghost, the surprises are endless throughout this wild ride. Showcasing another huge success for their team and their artists. Heavy bass designs, angelic melody structures, and violent rhythms are what you’ll find and hear within. So make sure to show your support by streaming Sable Valley Summer Vol. 3 everywhere via Sable Valley!

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But this exclusive premiere is especially dedicated to you who still have no idea what you are messing with. You’re about to face a blizzard of angry and raucous synths, a storm of pounding low frequencies, an untamable tsunami of industrial vibes.  To give you something more practical than just flamboyant terms, think about an RL Grime’s trap classic but on steroids. And very, very angry.  It wasn’t a surprise by any means when I read that Remnant.exe and Deadcrow pulled influence from Mick Gordon’s Doom Eternal OST. ‘Reign’ is ostensibly permeated by the brutal and savage nature of the iconic game, magistrally reinterpreted in a rave aesthetic. Two producers have decided to go all out, cutting out everything that wasn’t functional for creating carnage on the dancefloor. As a matter of fact, the breakdown here fulfills a mere filler role, probably because someone pointed out to Deadcrow and Remnant.exe. that two consecutive minutes of drops (with even a change of tempo) would perhaps have been a bit too much.

‘Reign’ is out tomorrow on all streaming platforms via Dektora, but you can have an early listen exclusively here on FUXWITHIT. Don’t forget to support the release by pre-saving the track and by spreading the word.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-qMLeJFus]

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‘Psychokinesis’, the title track that opens this new, outstanding REMNANT.exe EP, is the exact transposition into music of this vision and sensation. Minimalist structure, elegant and geometric design, and fascinating use of space are terms that fit perfectly also in the description of the track. With its opening two minutes completely dedicated to melodies and arpeggios, ‘Psychokinesis’ sweeps away all the chaos and confusion in our mind and transports it to an unreal neutral space, which then fills with extremely vivid and three-dimensional scenes. Closing your eyes you will seem to drift in the vastness of this limbo but the magnetic power of REMNANT.exe’s sound will keep you firmly anchored to its center of gravity. The sound selection, both in the intro and in the drops, is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. Everything sounds so polished and crystalline. In several sections, I had the impression to be listening to a Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz collaboration. At 50 seconds I personally hear some serious ‘Strobe’ echoes while later on at 3 minutes I spotted some ‘Sunset At Cafè Mambo’ vibes. All this dropped in a wave context, which is mindblowing!

Stream ‘Psychokinesis’ and the full EP below or on your favorite platform here.

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After writing this article I actually downloaded the new Unreal Tournament game, started a match in Facing Worlds and, instead of playing, I just stared at the view with ‘Psychokinesis’ playing in the background. A sublime experience that I highly suggest. In a time where gaming and music and interconnected more than ever, I don’t lie when I say that I’d crave to buy a ticket for a REMNANT.exe show inside this arena. Epic Games, are you taking notes?

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