Features

Russell E. L. Butler has been making evocative music for nearly a decade. Their latest, the subtly dazzling, hugely expressive ‘Call Me G’ on T4T LUV NRG, is perhaps their best work yet. But, as Bruce Tantum learns in conversation with the Brooklyn-based artist, the album is more than just a collection of beautiful tracks.

In 2023, electronic music artists around the world used long-form works to showcase both range and specialism. DJs and producers best known for club-ready works explored personal themes through dream-pop, jazz and ambient, while others returned to the dancefloor with renewed vitality. Among fusions of hip-hop, amapiano, dub, dancehall and R&B we had dialled-in demonstrations of jungle, techno and deep house at their purest. Here, DJ Mag contributors select their personal favourite albums of the year, offering an unranked overview of the sounds that made the past 12 months so memorable for electronic music in all its forms

2023 has been a bumper year for bangers. From chart-bothering drum & bass, fusionist club scorchers and playful rave barnstormers, through underground avenues of garage, dubstep and breaks, into amapiano, anthemic house, R&B and experimental electronics, DJ Mag's contributors write about their personal favourite tracks of the year, offering an unranked overview of the sounds that made the past 12 months so memorable for electronic music around the world

In this series, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, NYC's Analog Soul spotlight their all-time favourite house tracks

Nia Archives is a jungle sensation. Since exploding onto the scene just two-and-a-half years ago, she’s won multiple awards, become a festival headliner, and racked up millions of plays with a deeply personal take on the genre that also pays homage to its Black pioneers. Life’s not always been easy, and she’s had to become hyper-independent to survive and progress, but now she’s rewriting her story. Christine Ochefu learns about Nia’s upbringing, her love for everything ’90s, and how she’s creating space for young Black women to thrive in electronic music

In the fabric of New York's club scene, Kristin Malossi is a crucial thread. As DJ Voices, her sets favour "energy and drama over genre". As one of the bookers at underground institution Nowadays, she champions artists who imbue their selections with authenticity and adventure. Alongside her 90-minute Recognise mix, she tells Eoin Murray how a devotion to community and integrity informs everything she does

In South Africa's burgeoning ballroom scene, pioneering figures and DJs are finding their own ‘Ha’ in the country's past, and in the contemporary sounds of gqom, amapiano, and Afrobeats. Tazmé Pillay learns more

With offices across the globe and genre-defining hits coming out of its ears, Armada Music has evolved to become the biggest independent dance label in the world. As the Dutch imprint celebrates 20 years of existence, DJ Mag’s Olivia Stock meets up with co-founders Armin van Buuren and Maykel Piron during ADE and visits the Armada offices to discover the secrets to the success of this slick electronic music operation

The latest and greatest DJs and producers rising to the top this month. From devilishly groovy deep house and electro, to future-facing hip-hop, bass and beyond, here’s December 2023’s list of upcoming talent you should be keeping track of

Propelled by online communities and inspired by the backing soundtracks of digital realms, Omni Rutledge aka omniboi has evolved beyond his 8-bit beginnings, but he’ll never lose touch with the music that first rocked his world. Megan Venzin catches up with the multi-instrumentalist to learn more about his Twitch kingdom and his new EP on Nettwerk Music Group

In this series we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week Bell Curve spotlights hyper colourful club cuts, bass-heavy rollers and dreamy alt-pop

Founded by Jensen Interceptor and Assembler Code in 2018, International Chrome has become a byword for electro-licked club heaters — but it’s much more than that. From charity releases to expansive tapes, the label’s focus on bringing like-minded individuals together and connecting global sounds has kept things in a state of constant evolution. Alongside a mix from its catalogue, Ben Murphy learns more

Spain’s electro and IDM underground is popping off like never before, thanks to a percolating network of new labels, DJs, producers, clubs and festivals. Ben Murphy talks to some of the people behind this growing scene, and finds out why it’s happening now

Ever since her earliest releases on Studio Barnhus, Sofia Kourtesis has been zeroing in on her core sound: a pulsing, fluttering style of house that seamlessly blends joyous euphoria with introspective melancholy. Here, she shares the journey of personal growth, familial love and vulnerability that led to the creation of her debut, 'Madres', on Ninja Tune

In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, New York-based multidisciplinary musician Slauson Malone 1 spotlights acoustic oddities, ambient gems, breakneck singeli, cello jazz and post-jungle weapons

Released 40 years ago, Talking Heads’ fifth album was a firm fixture in Larry Levan’s tastemaking Paradise Garage record bag. A stone-cold new wave disco classic filled with now-iconic hits, it spread through New York’s clubs like wildfire. Here, Ben Cardew learns how ‘Speaking In Tongues’ enshrined one of the era’s least classifiable bands on dancefloors forever 

Rotterdam’s Suze Ijó is part of a new generation of house DJs who play with deep, funky and spiritual intention. Alongside a “sweet mix with a hopeful message”, she speaks to Ria Hylton about her musical journey so far

It’s not all bright lights and fist pumps, this DJ life. Technical issues, travel delays and mis-matched line-ups are par for the course when you’ve been playing out long enough — not to mention the self-doubt many struggle with, even at the peak of their career. But these difficult sets, brutal as they are, can also bring about moments of breakthrough — and more often than not, they’re plain hilarious. Dave Jenkins catches up with ten DJs to hear the story of their worst moment behind the decks.

Latin American electronic music is everywhere, with once overlooked artists from countries like Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela now touring globally. Felipe Maia examines the current boom of sounds ranging from heavy baile funk and speed dembow to deconstructed reggaeton and raptor house, and looks at some of the barriers that artists still face, both at home and abroad

Get acquainted with Honeydrip, the Montreal DJ and producer merging the rhythms of sound system culture with spectral ambience and psychedelic vibes