This week in dance music: Fred again.. played the first North American set in his 10 shows/10 songs/10 cities run, Dom Dolla told Billboard that “My head’s definitely spinning a bit, but I’m having so much fun along the way,” ahead of the ARIA Awards in Sydney on Nov. 19, where the producer became the inaugural recipient of ARIA’s new Global Impact Award presented by Spotify.
Circuit Capital, a new initiative from The Circuit Group, launched with more than $500 million in backing from Create Music Group, with the fund intended for investment in catalogs, record labels, publishers and other music-driven ventures with a mission to build long-term sustainable value.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland rap trio Kneecap dropped a surprise drum & bass single with Sub Focus, The Chainsmokers extended their Wynn Nightlife residency in Las Vegas until 2029 and Calvin Harris moved from WME to Wasserman.
We caught up with Welsh producer Kelly Lee Owens on the occasion of her new Kelly EP and spoke with Billboard’s Dance Rookie of the Month Kito about her work co-executive producing Lily Allen’s new album West End Girl.
And there’s more: Charli xcx appeared as a fictionalized version of herself in a new trailer for The Moment, and Jessie Reyez scored her first Billboard No. 1 with her Calvin Harris collab “Ocean,” which hit the top spot on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. Harris was also announced as a headliner for the college football weekend national championship, a bill he shares with John Summit and Peso Pluma. We debuted the genuinely very nice Channel Flipping 2: Only You mashup video from Zeds Dead and the queen Robyn performed her new song “Dopamine” live for the very first time during a concert from Spotify x Acne Studios at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.
And finally, the music. These are the week’s best new dance projects.
1 – Skrillex, hit me where it hurts x
Skrillex is back again with hit me where it hurts x, a five-track EP that’s effectively a companion piece to his April album F*ck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol But Ur Not!! <3. The new project brings in a bunch of the same collaborators as the LP, with isoXO, Dylan Brady, Nakeesha and more across the project, but gratefully expands the tracks beyond the bite-sized length of most of the work on F*ck U Skrillex, offering fleshed out and reimagined versions of “Zeet Noise” and “Voltage” and altogether delivering the same gut punch of nostalgia for the Skrillex breakout era as the now Grammy-nominated album did.
hit me where it hurts x is out on OWSLA/Atlantic. Listen to it here.
2 – Major Lazer, Gyalgebra
Major Lazer returns with its first full length project since 2020 years via Gyalgebra, which yes, translates to “girl math.” The title is perhaps an homage to the longstanding group now having its first female member, with America Foster’s addition to the group announced in the fall. Whether it’s the female influence or not, the nine-track mixtape fully drenched in Major Lazer’s classic Caribbean influences) is often raunchy to the point of explicit as Foster and guests including Parris Goebel, Sadboi, Tokischa, Bunji Garlin and Busy Signal delivers vocals over tracks alternatively bouncy (“What Is the Time”), spooky (“Guayando”) and in what’s maybe a first for the group, metal-influenced (“Mini Skirt”).
“Gyalgebra is all about having fun, we want you guys to move and enjoy life,” says America. “Girl math is all about making excuses to live in the present — don’t worry about tomorrow! — and that’s exactly what we want from you guys: tune in, live in the present and party with us. It won’t be hard as we have some amazing names and voices on this mixtape. From yours truly, we ventured over to the hot island of Trinidad and Tobago with Lady Lava and added the Latina spice that is nice with Tokischa, but the list doesn’t end there.”
Gyalgebra is out on Mad Decent. Listen to it here.
3 – Laidback Luke, Code/Red
Laidback Although Luke has never truly disappeared, his most recent EP, Code/Red, seems like a return. The six-track project is full of previously released singles, such as the blog house throwback “It Clicked,” the electro whiz “Sippin,” and “I Got Soul (Super Bad),” an official edit of the James Brown original made with Brown’s grandson. Together, these songs create the fresh yet retro vibe the seasoned producer is going for.
The whole project’s release highlights what LBL refers to as his “year of rebellion,” which he defines in a statement as “breaking out of a decade long mold that I had found myself in: an artist that got stale, a style that was vanilla.” I reimagined myself by returning to the era of bloghouse, which was just prior to my major breakthrough. On my dance floors, I focused on a sound that contrasted with everyone else’s. I needed that fire and passion to return. I gave my global tour and EP the moniker Code/Red to indicate a warning: Luke broke out.Luke is back with a laid-back vibe. Be careful!
The artist is also celebrating the near completion of a hugely ambitious and nearly 80-date 2025 tour, which put crowds across the world on high alert.
Code/Red is out on Dim Mak. Listen to it here.
4 – Parris Goebel, A Girl Is a Drug
In the buzzing, throttling “It’s My World,” the second track on the producer, vocalist, and choreographer’s first EP A Girl Is a Drug, Parris Goebel announces, “Don’t want to party, I am the party.” The album, which is executive produced by Kito, Billboard’s Dance Rookie of the Month, is unsurprisingly snappy and stylish in all the right ways, showcasing a swaggering musical sensibility comparable to the culturally revolutionary choreography Goebel has created for superstars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
A Girl Is a Drug it out on Mad Decent. Listen to it here.
5 – Kasablanca, Higher Resolution
Kasablanca have been around for awhile, and have long been shrouded in secrecy with the duo’s refusal to publicly announce their identities, but while personal details are unknown to most, all that really matters is that their music has long been genuinely epic. That sonic trajectory continues today with the duo’s debut album, Higher Resolution. Coming with the esteemed Anjunabeats stamp of approval, the 12 tracks balance disco, electro, French touch and serious Moroder tendencies, weaving these influences into tight, punchy and sophisticated thrillride tracks that are both cinematic and unabashedly danceable.
Higher Resolution it out on Anjunabeats. Listen to it here.
