Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week's Best New Tracks From REZZ & Holly, Shygirl & Boys Noize & More

This week in dance music: Coachella has announced a 2024 lineup featuring more than 60 dance artists, including the long-awaited return of French duo Justice. We also got the first look at Hollywood's newest nightclub, The Spotlight.

And there was, as always, a bunch of fresh new tracks. These are the best dance songs of the week.

REZZ & Holly, “DYSPHORIA”

REZZ and Portuguese bass producer Holly link up on the expectedly heavy “DYSPHORIA,” the pair's first collaboration. The track falls right into any producer's wheelhouse, with huge drum hits, meticulously cut and twisted bass, cinematic builds and inventive climaxes. From REZZ's label, HypnoVizion, the song is the lead single from CAN YOU SEE ME?, the Canadian producer's fourth studio LP. Touted by REZZ as “the perfect entry into this new era of bass music for my work”, the song is happily challenging, veers in unexpected directions and showcases the best of both producers.

“That means a lot,” adds Holly. “I've been rooting for Rezz since coming across her music in 2015. I've always respected the world she's built with her art and how true to herself she's been since day one.”

Shygirl feat. Boys Noize, “Tell Me”

The house music of the 90s retains its huge influence on the dance music of the moment, with varying degrees of success and innovation. British artist Shygirl, working here in collaboration with German fan favorites Boys Noize, gets right on top of this trend with the impressive new track 'tell me'. It is taken from her next Club Shy EP, due February 9th on Because, Shygirl teams up with contemporary Romy and Dua Lipa to romanticize Y2K clubbing culture. And with “tell me,” he'll make you want to dance, just like he did for tens of thousands of fans when he opened for Beyoncé at Renaissance tour stop in London last summer.

Sammy Virgin, “Moonlight”

British producer Sammy Virji is one of the rising producers carrying the ever-burning torch of U..K Garage to a new generation. His latest, “Moonlight,” out on Positiva/EMI Records, brings the familiar groove of garage beats under a catchy vocal hook and hypnotic synth chords, with the production providing a pleasant twist to its eventual key change. Kicking off his North American tour in Toronto on January 25, the artist and DJ is one to watch for 2024.

Joy Orbison, “flight FM”

Packed with the inner sound design we've come to expect from UK producer Joy Orbison, “flight fm” is an uptempo house track with deep, rolling bass lines reminiscent of fellow Croydon natives Skream and Benga. Released on XL Recordings, the track was created while the artist was waiting for a ride to his show at the Lost Village festival, tested on the car's speakers before debuting that night. The song has since been washed up by contemporaries including Four Tet, who spun it not once but three times during a Manchester B2B2B sans Skrillex and Fred Again.. last year.

Elkka, “Passionfruit”

Clocking in at over nine minutes, Elkka's “Passionfruit” revolves around an omnipresent synth melody and elegant piano phrases courtesy of American pianist John Carroll Kirby. On Ninja Tune, the song is a tribute to patience — “the pleasure of spending time with someone, exploring them and you,” he says.

“This song was born out of an improvisation between John and I in the studio,” adds Elkka. “I took it home and expected to cut out certain sections, rearrange etc., but I quickly realized that I liked the way it developed, expanded and I didn't rush it. This is the song”.

Wh0, Mark Knight & James Hurr feat. Kathy Brown, “Turn Me Deeper”

Toolroom head Mark Knight rallies with James Hurr and Wh0, bringing the label's signature energy to Sol Brothers and Kathy Brown's iconic '90s anthem “Turn Me Out” — and for a good cause. Funds raised from “Turn Me Deeper” benefit the song's singer, Kathy Brown, who is currently undergoing treatment for stage four lung cancer. The company has pledged all its rights to Brown's GoFundMe campaign to pay for healthcare fees, while all original authors have donated their publishing proceeds to the cause as well.