Over the last decade, Anjunadeep has grown into its own, moving out from under the shadow of its Anjunabeats home base. No longer seen simply as an offshoot of the dance music giant, the imprint currently stands as the main supplier of grooves ingrained with more substance and purpose than the ordinary deep house shakers saturating the scene nowadays. They want no part in watering down the party with mindless cuts and big-money trends. Instead, they’ve built up a catalog from their inner circle of forward-thinking artists who are invested in changing the dynamic of the dancefloor.
Nocturnal Wonderland is lucky to have locked in a label takeover at Sunken Garden. Before the Anjunadeep crew starts digging in, we got with cofounder James Grant to give our readers a guided tour of what’s in store this weekend. Here, he shares a few words on one must-hear record from every act his brand is bringing to SoCal on Saturday.
Nocturnal Wonderland 2016 takes place September 2–4 at the San Manuel Amphitheater & Grounds in San Bernardino, CA. Tickets are available now . For more information, visit the official website .
Âme
Sven Väth “Esperanze” (Ame Remix)
Plenty of great Âme tracks to choose from, but I’ve picked this one, as it’s a great refresh of an old-time favourite of mine.
Cubicolor
Cubicolor “Still Linger in My Dreams”
One of my favourites from our Anjunadeep 06 compilation—this one really captures Cubicolor’s knack for beautiful melodies.
Gab Rhome
Gab Rhome “Drifting”
Gab’s Anjunadeep debut early last year, after some lovely releases on All Day I Dream. The textured grooves and dreamy atmosphere combine so well.
George Fitzgerald
George Fitzgerald ft. Boxed In “Full Circle”
I opened a lot of my sets last year with this, taken from George’s debut album Fading Love. Top marks to the brilliant Bonobo remix, as well.
Henrik Schwarz
London Grammar “Wasting My Young Years” (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
The London Grammar album is always a poignant listen for me, as it was one of my sister Charlotte’s favourite albums. Henrik works his magic here with Hannah Reid’s haunting vocals.
Lane 8
Lane 8 ft. Solomon Grey “Diamonds”
A breakthrough track for Daniel, ahead of his debut album Rise—this one still gets the dancefloor singing along. Also, it was the first taste of the ongoing collaboration with Solomon Grey.
Simian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco & Bicep “Sacrifice”
An amazing collab with Bicep, another talented duo that we’d love to see on an Anjunadeep stage some day. This one’s a slow builder with an epic breakdown.
Yotto
Yotto “Personal Space”
A big one when we first heard it at Anjuna HQ, and the first of Yotto’s streak of “Essential New Tunes” on BBC Radio 1.
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