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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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.

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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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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.

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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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When asked about how the track was started, vowl. states, “We started this track probably about 8 months ago, after I stumbled across one of Brock’s tracks on SoundCloud earlier in the year and instantly fell in love with his sound. I sent him a message one day, an idea the next, and before we knew it the main concept of the track was in place.” The chemistry between the two is undeniable. “I’ve been a fan of Nic’s music for a while now, well before we ever started working on stuff. I put out a track last November and he hit me up on SoundCloud after hearing it. Since then we’ve been good friends, he’s come to chill with me in Vancouver, I went out to hang with him in Australia, and we’ve been working on this track the whole time,” Brock adds.

‘Recluse’ is a slow-burning jam that gradually builds to an emotional drop, highlighting the strengths of both talented artists. Brock’s poignant vocals lead off the track, all layered over a pensive soundscape that slowly ups the energy. As the forty second mark hits, instrumentals shine through to drive a section riddled with emotion. Straddling the lines between a slow pop jam and cutesy electronic music, ‘Recluse’ is easy on the ears and perfect for any laid-back playlist. Don’t miss it below.

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Twinkling bells and chimes filter us into a state of bliss surrounded by one of the biggest bass lines you’ve ever heard, accompanied by intricate drum work and those bone chilling bells and chimes. 55 seconds into this masterpiece, intoxicating vocals greet us warmly and slowly introduces us to the melody of the lead that hits us shortly after. That huge bass makes a triumphant return to our ears, this time accompanied by a gorgeous melody. Chilling out a bit, we’re escorted to the end of the song by the mellow vibe of the intro. Do yourself a favor, and just click play on this incredible song.

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