12.06.26
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This is Cue Points, a series where DJs get granular with current tracks in their sets, giving us the low-down on what makes them work.

More than two decades after first emerging as one half of The Knife alongside his sibling Karin Dreijer, Swedish producer Olof Dreijer continues to push dance music into playful, unexpected territory. His debut album, Loud Bloom, released last month via Dirty Hit’s electronic sister label dh2, pairs unpretentious, exuberant club music with a restless experimental streak, drawing on rhythms from across the globe while welcoming vocal contributions from artists including MaMan, Diva Cruz and Toya Delazy. “After taking a break, I’m very happy to have arrived at allowing myself to just have fun with my own music again,” he said – a spirit that is felt abundantly across the project.

Here, Dreijer selects five tracks he keeps returning to in his sets right now.

K-HAND – These Sounds

This track I often play before or in connection to my track Makwande w Toya Delazy. It’s not so easy to find tracks with as much shuffle and swing as I have in Makwande, and this one gels really nicely and builds up well for it.. Also, I like to play some older tracks like these to remind the younger crowd a bit where techno comes from – Detroit – and it’s an invention by black American people, which often gets forgotten in today’s gentrified dance music scene.

Talisman – MATAM

This track has this mix of 6/8 groove, which is also kind of a Brazilian Funk groove on top of straight 16th notes. That’s a combo I often like to use, so this one gels well with my own music, especially after my track Echoed Dafnino with MaMan. It also works to start or transition into the techno part of my set, which I usually do about halfway through.

DJ Bone – We Control the Beat

This track is really nice to put acapellas on top – lately, I’ve put Little Simz’ Thief acapella on. It’s quite a well-known classic, so it’s fun to hear it in another way with a modern acapella on top. Also, this kind of house groove still feels fresh.

Gene Richards Jr – Broken

This is just one of these newer techno tracks that makes me excited about techno again! It has one foot in the past and one in the future (and one in the present ).

RUIZ OSC1 – TE KIERO

This one is really difficult to mix in. It’s much faster than most of the other tracks I play, and the groove is like fast cumbia. I love it. I usually try to work up to 140 bpm and play this towards the end.

Loud Bloom is out now via dh2