This week in dance music: We recapped last weekend’s Portola 2025 fest in San Francisco, and Armada Music opened a 7,000 square foot creative space in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood. The six floor facility is built out with recording studios, an event space, listening rooms and other bells and whistles.
Fortnite announced that The Daft Punk Experience will launch within the gaming platform on Sept. 27 and feature 31 songs from the duo’s esteemed catalog, and Bye Bye Plastic, the organization co-founded by Blond:ish that aims to bring down the use of single-use plastic in the dance scene, announced a new initiative called Zero Plastic Club: NYC. Launching during Climate Week: NYC (Sept. 21-28), the initiative will work to eliminate 42 tons of waste from New York’s nightlife industry annually by working with the city’s nightlife community to reduce and eliminating the use of plastic bottles, cups, wristbands and other single-use items used at shows and parties.
And in a move many DJs have long been asking for, Serato announced that it’s now integrated with Spotify, with DJs now able to mix directly from the DSP’s entire catalog in real time. This integration also launched in djay, the DJing software made by Algoriddim. Meanwhile, the operators behind Miami’s Club Space brought a countersuit against Insomniac Events, alleging “predatory tactics and greed” in regard to a soured partnership over the Miami venue Factory Town.
Calvin Harris’ former business manager responded to fraud claims, saying he’s never stolen from anybody after accusations that he abused his access to Harris’ finances. Billboard‘s August Dance Rookie of the Month Ninajirachi earned a record eight ARIA nominations, including nods for album of the year and best solo artist, with fellow Aussie star Dom Dolla also earning seven noms.
Fred again.. announced a ten show run and ten different cities in support of his new USB002 project, with the shows only being announced in the days preceding them. We shared an exclusive clip of the Kygo: Back at the Bowl concert film that’s opening in theaters across the U.S. today, we shared exclusive Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights 2025 sets from UNIIQU3, Moody Jones, Life on Planets and J. Phlip and we announced CLUB Billboard, a livestream DJ series that will feature DJs play the most essential Latin music of the moment.
And last but never least, these are the best new dance tracks of the week.
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Purity Ring, Purity Ring
Trending on Billboard
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}The experimental electronic duo return with their fourth studio album (and first LP and five years), a self-titled, 13-song project that encapsulates all the delicacy, style and sharp celestiality that have long made the Canadian pair a cult favorite. The album, weighted by the previously released single “many lives,” “part ii,” “place of my own” and “imanocean” comes ahead of a 23-date North American tour that starts Oct. 18, in Ventura, Calif.
Purity Ring is out on The Fellowship. Listen to it here.
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Madeon, “Hi!”
Trending on Billboard
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}Madeon launches a new era with a new and punched up sound, with the French fav officially entering his punk phase. Does it work? As the song itself exclaims a few times, “we love it.” The aptly named “Hi!” buzzes with raucous energy, with Madeon adding enough electronic elements to the tight, two minute, 22 second track to create connective tissue between his previous oeuvre and this new one.
“I was making a completely different kind of music but then something happened to me and I switched it all up,” the producer says. “This electronic punk sound became ‘Hi!’ It’s urgent laptop rock. It has to be right now. I love this music so much ’cause I didn’t expect it, it kind of erupted.”
“Hi!” is out on Mom + Pop. Listen to it here.
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Rochelle Jordan, Through the Wall
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}Perpetually one of the coolest artists in the scene, Rochelle Jordan releases her 17-song new album, Through the Wall, today. While there’s a lot of music to be had on it, the album also moves as quickly and fluidly of a great night out, with the British-Canadian artist fusing R&B and house into sumptuous productions that play out over an hour. Her upcoming live dates include shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle throughout November and December.
Through The Wall is out on EMPIRE. Listen to it here.
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Indira Paganotto & Nile Rogers, “Arte Como Amante”
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}Eras and styles of dance music collide happily on “Arte Como Amante,” a fiery collab from Spain’s Indira Paganotto and dance world architect Nile Rodgers, who met during Miami Music Week this past March and subsequently got in the studio together. Rodgers’ iconic guitar work is all over this one (especially on its grand finale of an ending) with Paganotto taking the production into the thrilling realms of psytrance and techno she’s making her name on. The result is a multi-movement, genuinely interesting song that vibrates with passion and feeling. Its name does, after all, translate to “art as a lover.”
“Arte Como Amante” is out on ARTCORE. Listen to it here.
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Disclosure & Chris Lake feat. Leven Kali, “one2three”
Trending on Billboard
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}It’s obviously going to be straight heat when Disclosure and Chris Lake link up, but the three guys bring in a secret weapon here in for the form of Dutch artist Leven Kali, who serves as MC for the song, announcing its punchy sonic twists and turns before singing the verses in one of the smoothest vocal turns in recent memory. Simply just fun, stylish and completely undeniable.
“one2three” is out on Apollo Records. Listen to it here.
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UFO, “UFOs”
Trending on Billboard
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}“Who the hell is UFOs?” you’re perhaps asking. It’s a great question with a thrilling answer, as the song is the first ever collab between French heroes Braxe & Falcon and their compatriots Phoenix. A gently moving and slightly melancholic indie track, “UFO” finds the supergroup making deeply pretty, nostaliga-soaked music for the ride home from the club. It comes with a video directed by Warren Fu, who’s also directed videos for Daft Punk, Phoenix, The 1975, The Weeknd and Dua Lipa, and which features personal archival photos from each of UFOs six members.
“UFOs” is out on Domino/Smugglers Way. Listen to it here.