Known for tracks like Careless, Skin Deep, and Ingrid Is A Hybrid, British duo Dusky have become one of the biggest names in all of club music. The pairs highly polished brand of deep and melodic house has made them a go-to source of quality dance music in recent years, and their latest studio album only strengthens their position. Titled Joy, the 13-track record brings an impressive combination of deep house, tech house, electronica, and breakbeat, with a few subtle hints of italo and progressive
thrown in for good measure too. It’s a pretty eclectic soundscape when viewed from a far, with energetic acid basslines, uplifting piano chords, wispy vocal chants, and piercing breaks all coming through in that harmonising Dusky production style. The project comes via their own 17 Steps label, where they have released music from names like Third Son, Ketama, Loods, Mella Dee, TERR, and others since its launch back in 2014. Dusky set themselves a pretty high bar with their 2016 Outer LP, and while there’s nothing that makes Joy an outright album of the year contender, it does offer a great album which is absolutely worth your time.
Where to start:
E-Dawn: Big nostalgic house tune with uplifting piano chords
Eros: Smooth vocals sit between playful drum & percussion rhythms
Supply Systems: Chunky kick drums and dark filtered basslines
Previous from Dusky:
Outer LP (2016, Polydor)
Stick By This LP (2011, Anjunadeep)
If you like this then check out:
Bicep – Bicep (2017, Ninja Tune)
George FitzGerald – All That Must Be (2018, Domino)
Dusky – Joy LP is out now on 17 Steps.