Jamie, Giorgio, Diplo & HudMo: How To Know Which Big Summer Dance Album Is For You
Summer signifies many things, but mainly it’s a time to listen to music as loud as possible with as many of your friends as possible. In lieu of that, many music sites jockey to anoint the song of the season each year — btw, congrats to “Lean On” — but this piece has a different aim. In the past month alone, four venerable producer/DJs, spanning a few generations, released solo albums of superlative dance music, each of which can provide the perfect soundtrack for a particular scene and a particular music fan this summer. And after spending a lot of our time writing about and reviewing dance music — which is seriously the lamest way to actually enjoy it — we wanted to make some hypotheses regarding how the albums from Hudson Mohawke, Major Lazer, Jamie xx and Giorgio Moroder will be consumed in the field, especially with the long Fourth Of July weekend finally here.
How do you know which album is appropriate for which occasion? How do you avoid alienating half of your group with an incompatible vibe? More importantly, how do you know what to do/which drugs to take when a specific producer/DJ’s music is playing? With our handy Consumer Guide, you’ll have all the answers needed to maximize lit-ness at summer parties, cookouts, festivals or impromptu raves with club fiends of the same stripe. We guarantee it!
Hudson Mohawke — Lantern
Who should listen to this? Hudson Mohawke made a statement with sophomore album Lantern, and that statement was basically a teenager shouting at the top of his lungs “DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” After shaking up the EDM landscape a couple years ago with TNGHT, his partnership with Canadian producer/DJ Lunice, HudMo became known for his hip-hop production, most notably on Kanye West’s “Blood on the Leaves.” But Lantern is a schizophrenic confetti canon of electronic music, showing off his versatility in tantrum-like doses. I see this album being the gateway drug for the next generation of dance music fans…kids who were in middle school when “Levels” and Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites came out, and have little time to discern between hip-hop and EDM beat drops or trap and trap-rave. Basically, I see a lot of teenagers making out to “Very First Breath” one minute, then cruising down suburban streets bumping the old school soul rendered in 3D that is “Ryderz” the next.
Where should they listen to this? In suburban basements hosting their teenage sex-and-beer ragers that freak out the olds. It’s The Leftovers‘ pilot episode all over again! Honestly, the score in that scene could have been lifted straight from Lantern.
What should they be doing? Did I say making out already? And partying? And doing all the things the grownups don’t like? Unlike this album, teenagers are pretty simple.
