This Week in Dance Music: Surprises, New Releases and Standout Tracks

Roundup of major moments, festival news and the best new dance tracks

Dance music made headlines this week when Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk unexpectedly joined the Because Beaubourg bill in Paris, sharing the stage with Fred again.., Busy P and Erol Alkan. The appearance followed another strong set from Fred again.. in Lyon—where he performed alongside Caribou and Floating Points as part of his ongoing USB0002 run.

Emerging 2025 talent Ninajirachi earned two nominations at the inaugural New South Wales Music Prize. Meanwhile, the Friendship rave cruise revealed its 2026 lineup and confirmed that edition as its final voyage. Cercle also published the Tame Impala set they recorded with the band in Mexico City earlier this month. We covered highlights from the 2025 Amsterdam Dance Event and spoke with America Foster, who recently joined Major Lazer as the group’s youngest—and first female—member.

Foster says Diplo discovered her after a viral moment on social media. She explains that she began to weave her songs into short-form content—bits about everyday life, delivered in rhythmic snippets—and that audiences responded strongly, in part because her pronounced Jamaican cadence defied expectations given her background.

On the live-events front, Swedish House Mafia and a Skrillex × Fred again.. b2b were announced to headline a two-night New Year’s run at San Francisco’s Pier 80 (Dec. 30–31). Puerto Rico’s The 5th Element Festival unveiled the lineup for its inaugural January edition, and Wicked Oaks Festival issued a public statement addressing recent reports of injuries and a death.

Below are our favorite new dance releases of the week.


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This Week’s Top New Dance Tracks

  • Sub Focus feat. Grimes — “Entwined”

    The lead single from Sub Focus’ forthcoming album Contact lands as a high-energy drum & bass cut anchored by Grimes’ otherworldly vocals. The production’s roomy, cinematic textures and brisk momentum make the collaboration feel both futuristic and euphoric—an apt release for Halloween.

    Grimes has praised Sub Focus’ approach, describing the work as cinematic and emotionally resonant. “Entwined” is out on Casablanca. Listen: YouTube.

  • Eli Brown & Anna Reusch — “Done Searching”

    “Done Searching” pairs Eli Brown’s punchy UK club sensibilities with Anna Reusch’s warm guitar textures. The track’s buoyant melody is instantly memorable, riding waves of dynamic arrangement that swell and recede to excellent effect.

    Released via Armada Music. Listen: YouTube.

  • Blond:ish, Darco & Broken Hill — “GOAT”

    Blond:ish teams with Israeli techno producer Darco and California-based Broken Hill for a lean, hard-driving tech-house record. A gospel-tinged vocal lifts the track into peak-time territory, while inventive production details keep it propulsive and surprising.

    Out on ABRA X. Listen: YouTube.

  • St. Lucia — “People Change”

    The latest single from St. Lucia previews their upcoming album Fata Morgana: Dusk. “People Change” explores transformation and forgiveness over a sunlit, ’80s-inflected arrangement that blends electronic and analog elements with a buoyant pop sensibility.

    Jean-Philip Grobler describes the song as both a reflection on past hurt and a meditation on growth and resilience. Fata Morgana: Dusk is set for release on Dec. 6. Listen: YouTube.

  • Daniel Avery — Tremor (album)

    Daniel Avery’s sixth album Tremor is an expansive, genre-blurring statement. Across 13 tracks he fuses shoegaze, techno, industrial textures and ambient passages, collaborating with artists including Alison Mosshart and yunè pinku. The record moves between thunderous intensity and delicate atmosphere, delivering a cohesive full-album experience.

    Released on Domino. Explore the album: YouTube channel.

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