5 Standout Releases - Week of Jan 26
We select five standout releases from the week of January 19, highlighting new, emerging music worth your time from across the scene.
3 minutes read
DRS - Open Road EP
Released last week on DnB Allstars Records, “Open Road” is a four-track EP that sees DRS working closely with a tight circle of collaborators across the project. The release brings together contributions from Turno, Dogger, Jony Beats and TomInTheChamber, with DRS positioned at the centre throughout.
Rather than functioning as a loose collection, Open Road feels deliberately structured around collaboration.
The EP reflects DRS’s continued presence within contemporary drum & bass, not just as a vocalist, but as a consistent connective force between producers and scenes. It’s a concise project, but one that feels considered in both its construction and its timing.
Listen Here: Mistfits
longstoryshort - CLOSING THE CHAPTER EP
Released 29 January 2026 under Monstercat’s Uncaged/Instinct umbrella, “CLOSING THE CHAPTER” is longstoryshort’s latest four-track EP. Featuring “how to feel alive,” “pullin me in,” “over and over” and our standout “feel somethin” into a project that feels like a big moment in his career.
Rather than overextending, the EP presents a focused set of tracks that explore a range of electronic dance subgenres, from 2-Step Garage through to Electro House and Future House, with each track sitting cleanly alongside the others. The project covers a range of styles while remaining cohesive from start to finish.
Listen Here: feel somethin
33 Below, Pocket, Crybaby - Close To Me
“Close To Me” brings 33 Below together with Pocket and Crybaby on a collaborative single. The track centres on a steady, driving rhythm, with Crybaby’s vocal providing a melodic anchor that runs through the arrangement rather than sitting on top of it.
There’s a sense of restraint in how the track develops, elements are introduced gradually, allowing the groove and vocal to carry the momentum. Pocket’s contribution adds textural detail around the edges, while 33 Below’s production keeps everything locked and purposeful.
The result is a track that feels designed for movement without sacrificing atmosphere, sitting comfortably between club functionality and melodic clarity. A strong example of three distinct voices meeting on common ground.
Listen Here: Close To Me
Dusky - Tales from the Power Hour EP
Out via 17 Steps, “Tales From The Power Hour” is Dusky’s latest EP. Across the project, percussion and low-end movement play a central role, with production choices that prioritise groove and continuity from one section to the next.
Rather than building around overt hooks, the EP focuses on momentum, layers of rhythmic interplay and evolving texture that unfold steadily over each track. The sequencing keeps the energy flowing, with transitions that feel engineered for longer sets rather than isolated plays.
“Tales From The Power Hour” reflects the duo’s ongoing presence within forward-leaning dance music, offering a collection that sits comfortably in a mix while inviting deeper listening to its structural detail.
Listen Here: Manticore
LB aka LABAT, Skin On Skin - Feel So Good Around U
LB aka LABAT joins forces with Skin On Skin to release“Feel So Good Around U”, a single that is part of a wider set of releases under the same title.
While LB aka LABAT and Skin On Skin are associated with house & techno driven by filtered grooves and eclectic dance influences, “Feel So Good Around U” pushes into more breakbeat/drum & bass territory, marking a clear shift in their sound.
Built around a vocal hook, the track balances forward motion with melodic presence, making it a choice that sits comfortably in sets where emotion and energy are a primary focus. As part of a larger project that’s shaping up across formats and collaborators, Feel So Good Around U shows artist’s exploring the edges of their sound by reworking their club instincts through a breakbeat-led structure.
Listen Here: Feel So Good Around U
