Listen to Noir, a new house-pop gem from UK ones-to-watch Joe Turner and Tom Dunne

Header image by Alex Rawson.

South London-raised producer Joe Turner is someone we only just met last year, but already, he's well eclipsed the trajectory we thought was laid out for him. Back then, we were chatting about his intricately layered debut EP Textures, a collection of warm house music that centred on themes of club euphoria at a time where it couldn't be experienced, exploring the cathartic and freeing qualities of the clubs he had experienced over the last decade. "I think it’s reflective in a lot of the [dance music] being put out this year, tapping into the culture of going out, meeting new people, and just experiencing music and how much it means to everyone," he said.

Skip forward a few months, and dance music is beginning to dig itself out of the coronavirus-indebted grave it was first placed into. Last week, ravers descended on Liverpool for a controlled, maskless club event featuring acts like Fatboy Slim and The Blessed Madonna, in what was the first legal dance music event since March 2020 (and a test to see whether they were possible, even as the country continues to grapple with COVID-19). Then, there are the eyes marked on the UK's re-opening, pencilled in for mid-June.

Joe Turner's new music seems to embrace the excitement about club music's return, first shown in Too Much earlier in the year - his first single since dropping Textures last year - and again with Noir, a second single arriving the same week as Liverpool's return of club music. The second of the two tracks seems to channel the energy of that show even though it was written well before it happened, capturing the rushing energy of dance music and the euphoria that occupied his debut EP, but now, seems to really take the centre stage of his work.

A big part of that comes from Tom Dunne, who has littered dance music tracks throughout the last few years. His vocal moves with a really quite enchanting spirit, one that encapsulates the same qualities within dance music itself. "It was a pleasure working with Tom on this track. I don’t think my message would’ve been fully conveyed without his incredible vocals and lyrics - he effortlessly made the track what it is today," says Joe.

"Noir is a really special song for me. It reflects change and progression in both my sound and my life. It’s about going through a tough time - and being strong enough to survive the darkest days. Life will always throw problems at you, but these situations are what make us stronger, and I think Noir portrays this kind of emotion."

A mix of darkness and hope, Noir is really something special, and you can take a dive into it below:

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