Welcome to Mixmag’s round-up of upcoming music releases that you should take note of

Gorillaz prepare to scale ‘The Mountain’ with new single release

Gorillaz are leading up to the release of their ninth studio album ‘The Mountain’, due to land on February 27, with the release of a new single ‘Orange County’ (ft. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar).

It’s a companion track to ‘The Hardest Thing’ (ft. Tony Allen), and arrives with an official visualiser combing both, swelling between grandiose and intimate sounds.

The full album features a stacked list of collaborators, with additional names including Ajay Prasanna, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Johnny Marr, Asha Bhosle, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey, plus samples of late pioneers such as Bobby Womack, Mark E Smith and Proof.

Gorillaz are also heading out on an international tour, with tickets on sale now.

*Pre-order ‘The Mountain’ *here

KAVARI to debut on XL Recordings with ‘PLAGUE MUSIC’

KAVARI has revealed her debut EP on XL is on the way,

Earning support from the likes of Aphex Twin, Ethel Cain, Ninajirachi, Flume, and Yeule, KAVARI journey deeper into her dark, tenacious sonics across the four-track EP, which lands on February 6.

The lead track ‘IRONS VEINS’ is out now, alongside a video directed by regular collaborator Game Nova.

*Pre-order it *here

Moby is releasing his 23rd album next month

The industrious Moby is with his 23rd album, ‘Future Quiet’. next month, landing on February 20.

The 14-track record features an orchestral rework of his 1995 track When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die’, which was brought back to mainstream consciousness by Stranger Things in recent years, featuring Gabriels vocalist Jacob Lusk.

Speaking about the LP, he said: “‘Future Quiet’ is, not surprisingly, quiet. To be clear; I love bombast. I love excess and volume. But as the world gets louder and crazier I find myself needing the refuge of quiet, both as a listener and as a musician. For me, and hopefully for others, ‘Future Quiet’ is a refuge. The world, self-evidently, is more demanding than it’s ever been. The world screams at us, our screens scream at us, other people scream at us, and to retreat from the screaming we need safety and refuge. That for me is the goal of ‘Future Quiet’. Writing and recording it was a refuge for me, and I hope that listening to it is a refuge for you.”

*Pre-order it *here

Danny L Harle drops another single ahead of new album

Danny L Harle has released a new single called ‘Raft In The Sea’, a collaboration with Julia Michaels, ahead his new album ‘Cerulean’ dropping on February 13 via XL, exploring a sound he describes as “melancholic euphoria”.

“I was incredibly honoured to work with Julia - she does not need to do anything for anyone. I initially met her during a Dua Lipa session, and my jaw literally dropped when I heard her sing this idea in the room. I heard something in her voice that I’d not heard in her own music. In a similar way to working with MNEK, I wanted to bring out the rawness and melancholy of her voice. When we were making this song, I asked her, ‘Can you just be sad?’ And she said, ‘For you Danny, I will.’” Her performance is just incredible.”

The 13-track LP also features PinkPantheress, Caroline Polachek, Clairo, kacha, Oklou and MNEK,

*Pre-order it *here

**Daphni shares two new singles from upcoming album ‘Butterfly’ **

Daphni has dropped two new singles, ‘Good Night Baby’ and ‘Talk To Me’.

Both are taken from his new album ‘Butterfly’, which lands on Jiaolong on February 6.

Speaking of ‘Good Night Baby’, Snaith says: “‘Good Night Baby’ is a good illustration of how far a finished track can end up from it’s origin / of how rudderless I am when making music most of the time. This one started out more like the mostly drums only track that you hear towards the end... but somewhere along the way turned into a big mushy loved up track with all the feels.”

On ‘Talk To Me’, he says: “The polar opposite of ‘Good Night Baby’, it’s rare that I manage to keep my tracks as sparse and spare as this one—just wubs, drums, voices and occasionally a little synth melody. I didn’t think that this was done until I played it out but on a big soundsystem it struck me that this was all it needed.”

*Pre-order it *here

**Nene H explores the fracturing and healing around a breakup on second album ‘Second Skin’ **

Nene H is releasing her second album ‘Second Skin’ on March 27 via UMAY, described as “a sonic diary of emancipation tracing the fracturing and reassembling of self after a breakup.”

The lead single ‘Promises, promises’ is out now, with disparate sounds spanning grime, experimental, Middle Eastern melodies and South-West Asian vocals colliding.

*Pre-order it *here

**Wilfy D and Katy B join forces on **Rinse

*Rinse *has released a new single, Wilfy D feat. Katy B ‘Dreamstate’.

It sees the Bristolian producer and South London singer serve up smooth house sounds.

“‘Dreamstate’ is one of my favourite songs to date, It’s got all the flavours for me. A bouncy drum beat, soulful chords and of course Katy’s incredible vocals,” says Wilfy D.

“I’ve been a fan of Wilfy D for a while now and was so excited to work with him. As soon as I heard the beat it felt so dreamy and wanted to write a story to reflect that that state when you’re falling in love or in your element on the dancefloor,” adds Katy B.

*Buy it *here

Kareem Ali returns with new jazz house track ‘On My Heart’

Phoenix’s Kareem Ali is back with the latest single taken from his new five-track EP, ‘Renewal’ – a record that explores his “deeply personal journey”.

Latest single ‘On My Heart’ dips into jazz-inflected territory, paying homage to classic deep house and Afrofuturism as an “invitation to feel, move, and start again”.

*Pre-order *here

DJ Tennis takes the reins on next fabric presents mix

DJ Tennis has been enlisted to take on the next fabric presents mix, announced earlier this week with a new single titled ‘I Wanna Know’ alongside UK-based DJ Ashee.

The tracklist features new original music from DJ Tennis, as well as features from the likes of Josh Wink, Paurro, Vitess, Andre Zimmer, and more.

*Pre-order *here

Previously unreleased Frankie Knuckles mix lands on Apple Music

A previously unreleased mix from Frankie Knuckles, recorded in 2011 via Defected but was paused from being released due to his ill health, is now available on Apple Music for the first time.

“As stewards of Frankie’s legacy, we are thrilled and deeply honoured to share this previously unreleased project with his legion of fans,” says The Frankie Knuckles Foundation’s Frederick Dunson. “It beautifully captures his quintessential Directors Cut sound in 2011 which has become synonymous with his name, mixed in classical FK style!”

*Listen *here

Shy One reveals details of debut album ‘Mali’

London’s Shy One has revealed details around her debut album ‘Mali’, due to land on Touching Bass on March 12, with 10 tracks “exploring and illuminating” Black British electronic music.

The record spans house, broken beat, dub, techno and rap, with the first single from the record, ‘I Can Tell’ featuring George Riley, out now.

*Pre-order it *here

BXKS drops 10-track album ‘FEAR OF ECLIPSE’

Breakout rapper BXKS has dropped a brand new 10-track album, titled ‘FEAR OF ECLIPSE’, on her own record label, PlayPiem.

The record brings in elements from the breadth of club culture, seeing her rap over 140, gqom, dancehall and more, with a nod to UK soundsystem culture.

*Buy it *here

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