Charli XCX Is Everything on ‘Brat’
Brat is next-level Charli XCX, a miracle and an instant classic. It’s the kind of album that makes you feel lucky to be alive at the same time as it.
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Pretty Lights Ignite at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco
Electronic dance act Pretty Lights crank up their interdimensional soundship space system with transcendent results and a dazzling psychedelic light show.
The Lively World of Dance Music’s Deadhead LP Giobbi
Possibly the only DJ on earth to get the blessing of the Jerry Garcia estate, LP Giobbi’s first solo record charts a new course for contemporary dance music.
Madonna Returned to Her Roots on ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor’
Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor is a self-contained dance record, an unqualified triumph, and a study of dance music from the 1970s to the 2000s.
Sziget Days 3 and 4: Justin Bieber and Calvin Harris Keep the Party Jumping
The triumphant third and fourth days of the Sziget Festival saw massive crowds drawn to its pop megastars, Justin Bieber and Calvin Harris.
The Range’s ‘Mercury’ Is Engrossing, Danceable, and Nostalgic
The not-to-be-missed fourth album by EDM artist James Hinton aka the Range is simultaneously his most retro sounding and forward-looking. Mercury is engrossing.
OH MY GIRL’s ‘Real Love’ Holds Appeal for Britney Spears Fans
If there is such a thing as “alternative K-pop”, OH MY GIRL are strong contenders for the title of this genre’s queens.
SCALPING Embrace Eclectic EDM Approaches on Debut ‘Void’
SCALPING’s Void energetically captures music designed for a club/real-time environment and hybridizes any number of EDM, punk, and metal precursors.
Madonna Reveled in DJ Club Culture with ‘MDNA’ 10 Years Ago
Madonna’s MDNA is an embrace of her club roots and the high-octane EDM popular in the 2010s with the novel concept of the DJ as a celebrity. For Madonna, music and dance mean salvation and freedom.
Does Gay Fandom Help Pop Divas?
Looking at Rina Sawayama, Azealia Banks, Charli XCX, and Kim Petras’ rise and fall in the charts one wonders – does gay fandom help pop divas’ careers?
aespa Straddle Realities on Debut EP ‘Savage’
As a nod to their AI-inspired concept, K-pop group aespa make electronic music that challenges the limits of genres and song structures in debut EP, Savage.
Wonho Explores Shades of Blue on ‘Blue Letter’
The second EP by the multitalented K-pop artist Wonho, Blue Letter is like a soothing summer breeze there to enhance a perfect summer blue sky.