Caught yourself in a music rut, rinsing the same set of tracks over and over? Even if you haven’t, we’re halfway through the year baby its time to freshen up your rotation! Check out these stellar recommendations handpicked by our presenters.

Deb Marcus, host of Mornings on Mondays

Teether, Kuya Neil, ZK King – CYA

This track lurks within the stormy and swampy walls of a cavernous space. It reminds me of a travelling, spreading liquid at the same time, allowing calm thoughts and dance moves to emerge from the echoey depths.

goopsteppa – Tricky22

It seems like both my recs are cave-based — not sure why this has happened but I am not mad. This one is a thoroughly goopy, propulsive tune. The reverberations cast throughout make a perfect background soundscape for if a bunch of stalactites and stalagmites grew legs and started grooving in their homes.

Luke Joseph, host of The Bridge on Thursdays

deejaysavethechildren – Jungle Funk

What a name, what a track – hard hitting breaks with just the right amount of dub sentimentalism. Playful rhythms crafted from classic samples transition seamlessly into intricately chopped jungle breaks and back again. All this whilst taking just the right amount of productive freedoms to create atmosphere and keep things entrancing.

Little Archer – Purkinje City

Luscious chords swell to bring forth delicate synth arpeggios all driven by a buttery smooth beat. Reminiscent of the ever great Nujabes – the track feels nostalgic with a soft hand of melancholy as the delicately out of tune piano perseveres through the rich building composition.

IsGwan – Endian

A gentle and unassuming ambient buildup makes the drop into a hypnotically moody bass line so much sweeter. All this with ear candy -esque top percussion scintillating throughout. I really wanted to just say “this track goes so hard, you should play it on full blast” – because it really does go hard and you should play it on full blast – but I decided not to.

AR & Lxgacy, hosts of RUNXMUK RADIO on Saturdays

Mokomokai – Kupe

Produced by Dusty and Ghos, we have a filthy jazz sample accompanied with a smooth baseline and punchy percussion kickin like a baby in the womb. Over this instrumental, Rappers Dirty and Melodownz flow effortlessly yet accurate with their strikes. Fresh from Aotearoa, they bring us there with their lyricism and references to artists such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Six60 and Che Fu, as well as much appreciated anti colonial sentiments expressed throughout. Long story short, this sh*t is tuff.

JUWAN – Mr. If I Don’t Got It (I’ll Get It)

Produced by Sollyy, whose previous works include ‘Oppboyz’ with DXVNDRE, the production is unmatched. The beat is vicious, a fusion between trap drums and laid back snare patterns. The bass slaps harder than a tradie who just fed a machine his last $50 and hasn’t hit a single feature. Juwan’s lyricism and wordplay single-handedly inspired Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe from beyond their graves. Long story short, listen to this joint or risk missing out on another banger that we have been trying to inform you about, like your car’s extended warranty.