The best dance music from the Bay Area in 2022
Ready for another year-end list? How about eight?
In celebration of all the great music released by Bay Area artists over the past year, we’ll be sharing daily wraps of our favorite releases of 2022. Starting today, every day we’re publishing a new list highlighting the best music from the Bay Area across a wide variety of genres, including dance, downtempo, folk, hip hop, metal, and rock.
Read on for our favorite club music from the Bay in 2022, or shuffle the playlist.
masochists get all the girls - Technopagan
“I still believe life is what you make of it. The difference is: Now I understand that not everyone can be strong all the time. Because of that, I’m nicer to people now than I was back then.”
This might be my favorite club-ready album of the year—and not just because there’s a flip of “G3 N15” (originally by my music crush Rosalía). The latest release from SF dance label NO BIAS, masochists get all the girls is technopagan going hard. Hard, but nice. It’s extremely energetic, maybe even frantic sometimes, but always in a loving way. Fizzy, bright, and sparkling, it’s designed for peak dance floor happiness.
— Ronny Kerr
404 - sf cowboy
sf cowboy’s latest project 404 takes well-known samples and makes them feel brand new. While not the first to edit Fergie or Frank Ocean, sfcowboy re-contextualizes some of those artist’s biggest hits into mid-tempo acid house bangers. It’s definitely a bit cheeky, but it’s very fun. We hope they never lose their sense of humor.
— Elliot Engel
MULTI - bastiengoat
Selected by Ronny Kerr. Highlight: “Want to make you fall in love.”
3 EPs - Cherushii
“It would be untrue to say that we did not have any grief come up during the project, but it would also be false to say that it has been a highly emotional process. The four of us want the record to be a celebration of Chelsea’s music and Sabrina’s mirthful artwork, so production of the reissue, though very demanding at times, was also full of inspired creation.”
That’s Evelyn Malinowski (aka Experimental Housewife) in an interview with 48 hills, discussing this very special release on her label Perfect Location: 3 EPs brings Nobody’s Fool, Starlight Express, and Manic to vinyl for the first time, three techno and house releases by Cherushii (aka Chelsea Faith), one of the victims of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire. Originally released in 2015 and 2016 on Bandcamp, the reissue is intended to honor Faith’s legacy, shining a spotlight on her mighty, iridescent productions and dusting them off for the next lovingly late-night illuminated dance floor.
— Ronny Kerr
Dreams - Chrissy
Chrissy’s third (!) EP this year assures their place as one of the Bay Area’s hardest working producers. Back for another bump of high energy party music, the four-track Dreams is a propulsive blend swinging from UK funk to old-school vocal house. “You Don’t Have to Worry” hits you in mouth right out the gate with uplifting vocals, bumping bass, slinky synths, and anthemic piano chords. Rave on!
— Elliot Engel
CONFUSION IN ILLUSION - IDHAZ
Selected by Elise Mills.
GIOVANNI - JUANNY DEPP
Inspired by James Baldwin’s 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room—“particularly the intense beauty and tragic, violent flaws” of the title character—GIOVANNI is comprised of four new dembow-adjacent tracks by JUANNY DEPP. As the title and inspiration suggest, this is a bit more heady than the artist’s previous releases, exploring ambient techno (on the opener) and minimal house (on the title track) as well as their more clubby uptempo sound (on “AVIANCA”). Also definitely check out any of the other five (!) EPs released by JUANNY DEPP this year; you can’t go wrong.
— Ronny Kerr
Sepulchre - Richard Haig
“Existing in the nether region between a song and a track is where I naturally come to rest. I love a groove but feel most satisfied when composing and performing a memorable piece.” One new trend (or am I just paying better attention?) is the rising tide of dark, deep, goth-glazed darkwave from artists like Boy Harsher, Alice Glass, HEALTH, and others. Here in the Bay Area, we have a producer creating original work within this palette, and it’s probably better than anything else I’ve heard: His name is Richard Haig, the EP is Sepulchre, and I dare you to tell me that “Altered State” isn’t the most darkly delectable piece of techno you’ve heard all year.
— Ronny Kerr
“N Line” b/w “Ulloa” - Shibumi
“I wanted to represent SF in the sound, art, and track titles because SF has a rich drum & bass history, having been one of the major US cities for the genre ever since it first arrived from the UK.” Following a string of releases on UK/European labels, local producer Shibumi released “N Line” b/w “Ulloa” on his own label 10:30, giving us a brand new pair of crisp and clean two-steppers. True to his statement, both tracks sound like classic late 90s, early 00s drum & bass—the A-side an epic hoovering up of the brain stem, the B-side an orchestral comedown perfect for sundown in the Sunset.
— Ronny Kerr
Deadly Venom Weapon - SOENEIDO
Only a month following their supremely excellent Strugglist EP, hardcore junglist SOENEIDO returned with four new fire drum & bass tracks on DEADLY VENOM WEAPON (released by NO BIAS).