This month, dubstep producer Skrillex released his fourth studio album, Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3, and, far from the ‘most hated man in music’ he once was, the project received widespread acclaim. It’s a wonderfully silly romp that satirises Skrillex’s earlier notoriety, with key moments narrated by meme-wise phonk producer DJ Smokey and one exaggerated ‘brostep’ drop even being ‘confiscated by Atlantic Records’ and omitted from the album altogether. The project signals a wider turn towards hard dance sonics in popular music, elsewhere manifested this month in the release of sophomore album 头7 from mysterious Chinese producer and rapper (?) DJ小女孩 (aka DJ Gurl). 

 In other music news, pop icons Lorde, Addison Rae and PinkPantheress have all kicked off new album campaigns with singles of their own. Where Lorde’s new release “What Was That” is a swelling synth-pop anthem, Addison’s “Headphones On” stands a little more understated, offering a softly spoken, sensual pop track that seems destined to be listened to in isolation. Meanwhile, PinkPantheress, as ever, exists in a realm of her own, paying homage to two-step rhythms with new single “Tonight”. 

Completing this month’s Dazed playlist, we have a pair of mellow grime tracks: “Grime Flow” from Red Bull GMT standouts Deema and MicOfCourse, and “Flashing Lights” from fearless sound system killer BXKS; as well as lo-fi jerk rap banger “DAYDREAMING MADE ME BLUE” from Norfolk rapper Ledbyher, and countless more.

Although we post these round-ups at the end of every month, we update the playlist regularly for our subscribers – so be sure to follow us on Spotify to keep up to date.