released: june 21, 2024

genre: electronic / dance

from: london, uk

label: touching bass

a few thoughts: i’ve been a fan of ben hauke’s raw, tribal and immersive sound for a few years now. the south london producer has electrified dancefloors for years now, firmly establishing himself as one of the leading voices within the electronic / dance underground scene. and despite leaving such an impact already on london’s burgeoning club scene, with ep and single releases that are still on my rotation to this day, club cute is his debut album, released via our friends at touching bass. a riveting and immersive listen, the talented producer paints a dynamic, sonically rich and eclectic soundscape that captures the intensity and unpredictability of the big city. from the broken-beat madness of the opener “heyyyy” and “bridge city” and “tekfunk”, to the hip-hop his kaleidoscopic hip-hop production on what tha meanin’ featuring goya gumbani and the closer “is still” featuring jadasea, the album is a bold love letter to dance music in its many forms. the r&b influence on “made to measure”, defined by katy b’s incredible featured vocals makes it a hypnotic and soulful cut on the album, while the darker, more gutteral beats on tracks like “univerz” featuring brother portait and “moooood” capture the urgency and intensity of ben hauke’s signature sound. the ukg groove of “another ghost” is phenomenal, with vocal samples and jazzy chords that create this hypnotic colourful and vibrant energy to it, while “wivwiv” featuring shy one has some of the heaviest drum grooves throughout the project. club cute is not only beautiful love letter to club music in its many forms and sounds, but a poignant representation of what london, as a place and space for creativity and music, can bring to dancefloors around the world.

the album: