Danny L Harle – Harlecore
The British producer came up with the concept for his debut album—the soundtrack to a nightclub that exists exclusively online—well before clubbing became virtual by necessity. But the music of Harlecore holds up outside of the interactive online rave that accompanied the album’s release: a euphoric, chaotic mash of trance, Eurodance, gabber and any other strain of maximalist dance music on the far end of the “tasteful” spectrum. (One of Harle’s many collaborative alter egos on the record, MC Boing, functions like a modern-day Crazy Frog chirping over bonkers piano house and Spanish makina beats; you’ll either love it or hate it, and more power to it for that.) Like any good club night, there are dramatic highs and lows, from the soaring arpeggios and DJ Sammy-esque hook of “Do You Remember” to the hypnotic chillout of frequent collaborator Caroline Polachek’s features under the alias DJ Ocean; together, they sound like a promise that the rave will never die.