MICHELLE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Organ-filled ambient house courtesy of a four-way collab between AP, DJ Tjizza, Eversines and Michelle, who all form parts of the UK dance music collective Picnic. Refractive acid, dreamatic plastics, stoic echoics... every possible corner of trance-inducing dance heaven is scoured on this all-encompassing EP, the highlights of which, in our humble opinions, are 'Nyxation' and 'Panther'.

Review: Needs' commendable charity drive continues to bring forth the goods, both in terms of good causes and world class club music. Rallying round in support of World Mental Health Day 2020, Shanti Celeste kicks the record off in style with the rapid fire, deep-diving workout 'Fantasma'. OCB keeps the pressure up with the psychotropic techno of 'RS3', while Michelle works up some delightfully freaky synths on playful jacker 'Aesthetic'. Bobby's 'Free Your Mind' is a 90s-tinged, full fat techno production indebted to Detroit, Peder Mannerfelt keeps things stripped and raw on 'Our Levels' and Yu Su weaves a beautiful tapestry of interweaving rhythms on 'Brittney'. Adam Pits' trippy techno sounds resplendent on 'Wind Tunnel' and DJ Sports completes the set with the inventive, dembow slanted funk of 'Needs Dub'.

Review: Michelle's first project, 2018's Heatwave, celebrated the vibrant energy of New York City where all six band members grew up. Following its success and their 2022 album, After Dinner We Talk Dreams, the band expanded their horizons and headed out on tour across the US and Europe with artists like Gus Dapperton, Arlo Parks and Mitski. For their new album, Songs About You Specifically, Michelle retreated to a house in Ojai, California. Immersed in the serene desert surroundings, they found a new sense of solitude and intimacy and this shift is reflected in their music, which now embraces starry shoegaze, funk and 80s synth pop.