Electric Feels: Your Electronic Music Recap feat. Bag Raiders, SACHI, Hounded + more

The world's electronic music scene moves quickly. Every week, we're treated to a horde of different singles, remixes, albums and more from the genre's vast sub-genre umbrella and often, it's hard to keep up. Here's where we try to bring you up to speed, covering five of our favourite electronic releases from the week just gone. Check out Pilerats' homepage for more brilliant music and news.

Bag Raiders - Lightning feat. The Kite String Tangle

Bag Raiders are one of Australian electronic's most recognised acts, with a surprisingly extended back catalogue that goes way, way further than the memes they're perhaps most well-known for. Since 2015's Waterfalls EP, the house-pop pairing have been solidifying their craft for creating sweaty, club-ready house beats and pairing them with shimmering vocals - Benjamin Joseph and Mayer Hawthorne being two of their most recent - and with their latest single Lightning, it feels like they've found their lane. It's a soaring, sun-soaked banger that unites an uplifting, slicked-back production with the bright vocals of The Kite String Tangle, who on Bag Raiders' biggest collaboration to date, adds a further shading of light-hearted, summery goodness. "It’s a reflection on thinking you don’t need anyone but then meeting someone who has such an undeniable pull that you couldn’t keep yourself away even if you tried," explain Bag Raiders on the single, which marks the announcement of their second album Horizons, which will arrive later this year after ten years in the making. "Love isn’t always smooth sailing, sometimes it’s sunshine and rainbows, sometimes it’s rain and thunder."

SACHI - Worst Behaviour feat. Sam DeRosa

New Zealand electronic duo SACHI have become one of our favourites over the years, winning us over time and time again since 2015's break-out single No More - something they've continually one-upped ever since. After a single-heavy 2017 marked with collaborations alongside MOONZz, NÏKA, Thomston and Mick Jenkins, the duo kept it relatively quite in 2018; their only release being Hollywood Angel with Australian pop's up-and-coming success story, E^ST. Now, they're stepping forward, kicking off their year ahead with another bright collaboration Worst Behaviour, which features New York singer Sam DeRosa. It's a classic SACHI song brimming with their bright, festival-ready synth melodies and soaring hooks, crafting a bubbly production rich with lush synth and placing alongside DeRosa's vocal. "Worst Behaviour is about a lopsided relationship where one half is playing games while the other is smitten," they explain. "It came together super quick because it was something we all related to and thought others could too."

Hounded - Hollow feat. Panama

Sydney musician Hounded is someone we've had on our radars for a while now, with his 2016 single Feel So Right holding our attention enough to land him on our acts to watch in 2017 list - something he well and truly made true with the Savoi-featuring On My Side and its follow-up, Higher in 2017 and 2018. His latest single is perhaps his biggest yet, teaming up with Australian electronic favourite Panama for a sultry, washed-out single that sees Hounded's production step back a little, allowing Panama's vocal to shine amongst chiming vocal cuts and a twanging instrumental underneath. It's lush with his signature, rich synth work and those bright, wind-swept melodies that mark his past work, but this time, it feels more slick and polished, signalling an exciting year ahead of a producer on-the-rise. "I was originally trying to write this uplifting little pop track, but Panama’s lyrics were dark and melancholic, screaming of love loss. That wasn’t how I heard the song at all. But I ultimately realised that these two ideas can coexist in sound, because they coexist in life," he says. "Someone may be going through a breakup and listen to the record and relate to what Panama is saying and feel some kind of connection to it. While others may hear the uplifting instrumentation and feel a sense of joy. We really tried to capture and contrast both elements because they exist together in the real world."

Godlands - Valour feat. BOI

Continuing our trend of long-time Pilerats favourites enters Adelaide producer Godlands, who with an extensive, release-heavy 2018, set herself forward as one of Australia's best bass producers - and one of our most-loved. Valour continues this consistent run, teaming with BOI for a single that contrasts heavy and light - mixing a stabbing, bass-driven production with BOI's soaring vocal that glides over the top. Rounding out a year marked with appearances at Touch Bass and Splendour, releases on Dim Mak, and a whole lot more, Valour sees Godlands step forth once again, teasing what will be a big 2019 ahead with a clashing, empowering anthem. "Valour is an empowering track about going to war and facing your demons," she says. "It’s the first track I ever worked on with a vocalist in a studio. To be able to work with BOI was really inspirational, bouncing back ideas constantly and moulding a track into a finished piece was a really rewarding experience."

Kim Petras - 1, 2, 3, Dayz Up feat. SOPHIE

Moving into the more pop-centric side of electronica comes Kim Petras, an LA-via-Germany popstar-on-the-rise, who with a consistent run of brilliant singles over the last two years, has stepped forward as a cult-followed musician that demands your attention. After a run of brilliant releases, she's currently ending her current 'era' with a three-peat of singles, with 1, 2, 3, Dayz Up being the best of them. It pairs Petras' captivating vocal with a rich production by experimental forward-thinker SOPHIE, who adds a clanging, percussive twist to the single's staccato synth stabs and punchy sampling. It's a light-hearted and fun single that unites Petras' relaxed and confident vocal alongside SOPHIE's production which seems to contrast Petras' vocal perfectly - giving us the hope and promise that there will be plenty more to come between the two later.