Truth be told, we can only hope that you guys are still copping CDs. There's always something to be said for going to the store and buying a physical copy of an album you'd been waiting for, especially when it's of the electronic variety. We remember the days where the majority of our time spent at the CD shop was in the import section, trying to figure out which albums would be worth those inflated prices. These days, the trip to Beatport or iTunes makes it a lot easier to cop an album in your underwear, but the feeling of excitement when you hit play on track one is still the same. We're junkies for the album project in dance music, as it is one of the easiest ways to set apart who's actually expressing themselves and who's just "making tracks." This fall, we have a solid crop of releases that we can't wait to devour; here are the most anticipated albums for the fall of 2013.
Trentmøller - Lost
Release Date: September 23, 2013
Label: In My Room
Denmark's Trentmøller has been moving away from the electronic scene over the last few releases, and his latest album, Lost, has him diving deeper into band-oriented work more than he has in the past. With features from Low, Ghost Society, and others, he's really helping define what is and isn't electronic music. You can preview the album right now over at Pitchfork.
Krewella - Get Wet
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Label: Columbia Records
Columbia threw their hat into the EDM ring with Krewella, a trio featuring sisters that sing as hard as they rage. Their songs are undeniably catchy, with basslines to match, and with features from Pete Wentz and Travis Barker, we'll see if they can match the success of the punk bands that they're influenced by.
Claude VonStroke - Urban Animal
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Label: Dirtybird Records
For his imprint Dirtybird's 100th release, Claude VonStroke comes correct with Urban Animal. The "Dirtybird" sound in the house scene has been a staple for those who like the more bass-driven house that's emerged over the last few years, and Claude's third solo project, based on early previews, will not disappoint.
Sub Focus - Torus
Release Date: September 30, 2013
Label: Virgin EMI
Sub Focus has grown since his days strictly making drum & bass. While his diehard group of fans at the time might not have appreciated that shift, he's continued to push the envelope, creating a number of anthems in the dubstep and house lanes along the way. Torus has him expressing himself further, with recent singles like "Endorphins" highlighting just how on point he is with the current landscape of UK bass music.
Machinedrum - Vapor City
Release Date: September 30, 2013
Label: Ninja Tune
The first full length in Machinedrum's Ninja Tune contract, Vapor City is a beautiful arrangement, focusing on the dark side of juke and jungle (areas Machinedrum excels in), but also adds so much to. The sense of space and atmosphere he throws into his productions is unparalleled.
Camo & Krooked - Zeitgeist
Release Date: September 30, 2013
Label: Hospital Records
Camo & Krooked call Zeitgeist "Camo & Krooked 2.0." It looks like they're in a situation where it's time to bring their sound to the next level, highlighting exactly why drum & bass powerhouse Hospital inked them in the first place.
Moby - Innocents
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Label: Little Idiot / Mute
Anything Moby does is worth it, and his first new album in two years features everyone from Skylar Grey to Cold Specks adding to his "electronica" sound.
Chase & Status - Brand New Machine
Release Date: October 7, 2013
Label: Casablanca
With Nile Rodgers, Pusha T, and Major Lazer collaborating on the Brand New Machine, this could be the best a Chase & Status album will do in the US. Based on their early singles, they are leaving no bass alone, bringing us everything from early '90s rave style to forward-thinking trap bangers. These two know how to pen a huge track, so expect some special surprises of many varieties on this one.
John Digweed & Nick Muir - Versus
Release Date: October 7, 2013
Label: Bedrock Records
John Digweed and Nick Muir aligned on this concept-album Versus, which finds the duo working with everyone from jozif and Pig & Dan to Marco Bailey and Psycatron on a number of interesting bits. Word is the album started out as a remix swap project, but turned into this entirely different animal. It spans three discs, one mixed by Digweed, one unmixed, and a third "electronica" disc with productions from Digweed and Muir.
Feed Me - Calamari Tuesday
Release Date: October 14, 2013
Label: Sotto Voce
Feed Me kicks off his new imprint, Sotto Voce, with his latest project, Calamari Tuesday. After a widely-publicized call to producers to spend some time at home making music, Feed Me did just that, and churned out some strong material. "Rat Trap" goes ham on the 808s, while "Ebb & Flow" is an intense, emotional dubstep monster. This will be one for the record books.
Klute - The Draft
Release Date: October 14, 2013
Label: Commercial Suicide
Klute's seventh album The Draft finds him back from a three-year period of just taking in all kinds of music, then doing what a drum & bass producer does best: filtering those sounds into a dnb template. The results vary from tracks that might be a bit more rock or soul with a dnb spin, or totally mashing those vibes on top of a drum & bass riddim, but Klute's a don in the scene, and his decade-plus spent captivating audiences and releasing important material is one to take notice of.
Wilkinson - Lazers Not Included
DJ Rashad - Double Cup
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Label: Hyperdub
Footwork's prodigal son, Rashad's name is on the lips of every footwork enthusiast (and hipster publication trying to wrestle that alt-EDM cred), for good reason. With Double Cup, Rashad expresses himself with his crew, with features from DJ Spinn, DJ Earl, DJ Phil, and others, as well as a special acid-romp with Addison Groove. He finds a way to splice some jungle drumwork on a number of tunes, and keeps the soul on front street in a way that many acts only dream of creating.
Ryan Hemsworth - Guilt Trips
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Label: Last Gang Records
Ryan's been a blogger's dream for the last few years, being adventurous to produce for Chippy Nonstop as quickly as he would drop a house set in the Mixmag DJ Lab. He's creating interesting soundscapes, and his long-awaited album should surprise many who doubt his technique.
Hot Since 82 - Little Black Book
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Label: Ultra Music / Moda Black
He recently mashed out the Essential Mix, and is a name that house lovers have been speaking on for a while. Linking up with Ultra Music and Moda Black, Little Black Book should show those who might be sleeping on the producer/DJ what he's been doing, via original bits as well as remixes for Rudimental, Green Velvet, and Shadow Child.
Gesaffelstein - Aleph
Release Date: October 28, 2013
Label: unconfirmed
We know practically nothing about Gesaffelstein's album, aside from the fact that it's an album project and the title is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. With his single "Pursuit" being huge on our playlists, as well as his production work on Yeezus, the Bromance bomber has a project that we couldn't ignore if we tried.
Jubei - To Have & Have Not
Release Date: October 28, 2013
Label: Metalheadz
If you want to know what the next chapter of Goldie's Metalheadz imprint will be, look no further than Jubei's forthcoming album To Have & Have Not. He's been under Goldie's wing for a few years now, and with a project that's boasting features from the likes of dBridge, J:Kenzo, and Goldie himself, this will be a drum & bass/bass music enthusiast's wet dream.
Booka Shade - Eve
Release Date: November 1, 2013
Label: Embassy One
Word is that Booka Shade almost broke up during the recording process of Eve, but they powered through their first album in three years, bringing members of Groove Armada and Azari & III in to help flesh out their house sound.
Mat Zo - Damage Control
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Label: Astralwerks / Anjunabeats
Mat Zo's one of the most talked about acts in the dance music scene right now, with his productions turning sub woofers into gold. For his debut album Damage Control, we have high expectations; he previewed some bits months back that included him collaborating with A-Trak and High Contrast, but the actual tracklist only shows bits with Porter Robinson (their massive single "Easy") making the album. Not that that matters; this project is going to be huge, and a late contender for album of the year.
Lady Gaga - ARTPOP
Release Date: November 11, 2013
Label: Interscope Records
What's that Gaga doing on our dance music list? Oh, nothing but the fact that DJ White Shadow, who helped make her last album Born This Way shine, is back for her third album alongside acclaimed EDM producers like Madeon and Zedd, who is having his own banner year. Word is that everything from "complextro" to trap sounds are being brought into the Gaga realm, although with the way her mind works, we'll see how these sounds get manipulated when the final project drops.