Elkka

If such things were more predictable than they are (side note: they're predictable just enough of the time to make them seem so, and also to create a sense of overarching logic that prompts people to reach for terms like "if there was any justice..."), then Elkka's new/debut album Prism of Pleasure would/will be this year's equivalent to last year's Sofia Kourtesis album: intermittently songful and consistently emotional deep-to-tech-house carefully pitched halfway between the dancefloor and the diary entry.

This is mostly softer and lusher than Elkka's earlier work or her DJ Kicks mix: at the extreme end you get the endlessly spiralling "Passionfruit" (a collab with John Carroll Kirby) or the pillowy ambience of "I Just Want To Love You" (which samples John Martyn's "Small Hours" perhaps a bit too blatantly). But it's mostly pretty focused, upbeat, celebratory stuff like "Make Me", "Airtight" and "Your Skin" - techno that sounds like it grew up on a diet of Madonna's Ray of Light and Kylie's Impossible Princess.

I also like the contextual setting Elkka is pushing for this album too, as the soundtrack to her moving to London and embracing her queerness. It's a narrative that is neither necessary for the music to work nor manifestly obvious without having been spelled out, but it's also impossible to unhear it as the perfect explanation for how enthusiastic and excited the album sounds.

yesss been rinsing 'Passonfruit' and 'Right Here'

Passionfruit is perfect

Haven't heard the album yet, but loved the two EPs that came out over the last few years

"DJ Friendly" is one of my favourite tracks of the past few years and when I hear it in the wild it always goes off, I'm looking forward to getting around to this

greatly enjoyed this tim, thank you

"air tight" -> "your skin" -> "passionfruit" = purest drive bliss

thinking of this as the jessie ware dance album i wanted but never really got

i was like …. “surrender2me” must be interpolating something … and it’s elton john???

lesley duncan* thanks first google result

I really wanted to like this more than I did, there are some great single tracks here but over the course of an album it feels a bit too Emo Festival Dance Music for me

I wasn’t consciously expecting 2024 to produce a second great sapphic techno album, but Or:la’s ‘Trusting Theta’ is excellent and almost feels like it is in deliberate dialogue with Elkka’s album, offering the dark, percussive counterweight to Elkka’s sensuous sheen

The elkka album is really good but honestly the or:la might be more where my head is at these days ! Percussive, spare, repetitious, more about exertion than sensuality. Love the “cascades of color” tenaglia mix vibes of “cooking up pepper spray”

Intrigued by all this.

I realize I’m basically repeating the dichotomy Tim already articulated but it was an honest unprompted first reaction. Lol

I realize I’m basically repeating the dichotomy Tim already articulated but it was an honest unprompted first reaction. Lol

i'm making a mix for my gf rn and it sounds like this'll fit right in, thanks tim

fuck

on my third listen, aoty

Probably my techno aoty at least - though if WordColour manages to squeeze out an album before the end of the year that would likely be in contention.

Speaking of explicitly queer themed techno albums, Midland’s (first!) album Fragments of Us is (a) a total trip; (b) the kind of explicitly polemical techno release that most producers give or take a DJ Sprinkles would shy away from; and (c) gorgeous-sounding, just incredibly crisp and tacticle; even if (d) everything sounds like an intro or interstitial mood piece rather than a proper “track” let alone “anthem” - it’s very film soundtrack-ish.