Optimism – Digitalism

Good afternoon music fans. Today I’m bringing my thoughts on Digitalism, with some new music, an unreleased gem, and a stone cold classic.

Some of you might be new to Digitalism so let’s start with the basics. Digitalism is a German electro duo formed of Jens Moelle and İsmail Tüfekçi. In 2007 they released the album Idealism, which contains one of my favourite tracks of all time, Pogo. Few tracks bring my teenage years back to life as much as this one.

Fast forward to 2026 and they have released their fifth full length album, Optimism. (I wrote about their fourth, JPEG, here.) I saw them tour Optimism at EartH last weekend and it sounded awesome.

Their sound may have lost a bit of the impact and freshness that it had in the peak noughties electro era, but there’s no question that at their best they can bring an infectious, feel-good electro sound that few can match. On this album, tracks like Golden and Starburst invite comparisons to Daft Punk or Justice – which I know is a huge claim, but one that they can live up to.

A stand out track from the album for me is Sirens. It marks a stylistic shift for the duo. The album version is crying out for some vocals to be laid down on top of it. In fact, they put the track out there on the internet for people to rap over and CentralCee has had a crack. This is relatively normal in the world of rap, but unusual in electronic music. In London they performed an unreleased version, which was totally electric and I’m sure will feature on an extended release at some point. At least, I hope it does.

But then there is yet another side to Digitalism. Some of their music is undeniably cringe. The kind of stuff that would have you scrambling for the volume if it came out of your speakers at a house party. Listen to House Alarm or City of Love and you will see what I mean. “After the party – the afterparty”. “We get lost in the city of love. We get hot in the city of love” etc. etc. Eesh. And so for that I’ve got two potential explanations. The first is that they fancy themselves as Hamburg’s answer to LCD Soundsystem and are executing in a brutally naïve ‘English as a second language’ kind of way. The second explanation is that they are much more self-aware – playing in an ironic, self-mocking way for comic effect. Maybe this explanation is more palatable, but personally I don’t need my electronic music to be funny. I was once told that if you don’t take yourself seriously then no-one else will. But maybe that’s just me having a sense of humour failure.

At the end of the day maybe Digitalism are just trying to make electro music that will make you smile. And I guess the world could do with a bit of that right now.

I’d love to know your thoughts. Send me a message with your take.

Rose Rouge – St Germain

Rose Rouge is a stone cold classic. No question. Iconic drums, iconic piano, iconic Marlena Shaw vocal sample. We know this.

But maybe, like me, you’ve always thought of it as a sunset record. A Café del Mar kind of number. It certainly does that job.

Recently though, I was at Giant Steps listening to a vinyl set by DJ Sotofett when he dropped it. And let me tell you, it absolutely went off.

Streaming the track, the horn section can blur into a single layer. But hearing the track on the incredible Giant Steps soundsystem pulled them apart in the most incredible way. The two horns trading blows at 3:50 section (trumpet played by Pascal Ohsé and tenor sax played by Edouard Labor) sounded nothing short of sensational.

Do yourself a favour: if you ever get the chance to hear Rose Rouge on a proper soundsystem, take it. You might discover that one of the definitive chill-out records of the 2000s is also a devastating club track.

Explorations – Sam Goku

I’m totally obsessed with this 3-EP offering from Germany-based artist Sam Goku – released on the ever-excellent Permanent Vacation label. Across 12 tracks these Explorations span lo-fi house sounds, ambient drifters and low-key techno bangers. Throughout, and I think this is the the real achievement of the series, everything feels imbued with soul and emotion – not an easy feat given the almost complete lack of vocal samples. Put it all together and you have 12 tracks that feel as natural in your headphones in your home, as they do heating up a smoke-filled dancefloor in an opening set.

Crooked Stile – Crooked Man

Presenting Crooked Man’s 3rd album, Crooked Stile.

I like to think of Crooked Man kind of like Crazy P’s troubled, misbehaving twin. The tracks are as excellent and share the same funky groove – but where Crazy P is warmth and light, Crooked Man is dark and grit. And say it quietly, but maybe a bit more fun. You can put Crazy P on in the living room, this is an album best saved for the basement. Introduce Crazy P to your family, keep Crooked Man’s phone number saved under a different name in your phone. You get the idea.

If you only listen to two tracks, make them: Big Love – which has a delightfully grimy, driving hook; and Don’t Leave Me This Way – an update of the 70s version that I cannot wait to play out.

Let me know what you think.

Two Weeks – FKA Twigs

I’ve had this in my head for about a month now. It’s FKA Twigs huge 2014 single Two Weeks.

The lyrics tell the story of seducing a taken man. A story of intense unrequited sexual desire. I’ll quench your thirst, just chase the high and stop your doubting – the vibe is sensual and erotic to the max – give me two weeks, you won’t recognise her. Delivered with FKA Twigs’ inimitable blend of vulnerability, intimacy and aggressive sexuality, the track feels almost filthy.

And here is a free download of Ben Gomori’s version. As the name suggests, it goes even higher and plays out lovely on the dancefloor. Enjoy.

Best of 2025

Happy New Year to you all. Thank you as ever for checking out the blog. For the second year running over 1,000 of you came to the site, which is really special.

Here are my most played tracks of the year courtesy of Spotify. Heavily featured artists include TEED (as usual), Maribou State, Seb Wildblood, Caribou, Little Dragon and NEIL FRANCES. You’ll find the new Leon Vynehall, along with various bits and pieces across all genres that I had on repeat this year. There is also a complete album by Marconi Union; I think I put it on and then fell asleep while it played in a never-ending loop. You’ll understand when you hear it.

And as a little New Year’s treat, here is a link to my top 48 on Soundcloud. Knock yourself out.