+/-
Album ∙ Electronic ∙ 2021
Few artists bridge chart pop and underground club culture quite like Boys Noize. The Berlin-based DJ/producer native, born Alex Ridha, is as happy commanding festival main stages as he is dropping vintage acid house at subterranean after-hours joints. Though he won a Grammy in 2021 for his production on Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me” (and nabbed a previous nomination for 2020’s “Midnight Hour,” with Skrillex and Ty Dolla $ign), his 2021 album +/- (pronounced “Polarity”) finds Boys Noize happily turning his back on the spotlight. Some of the album’s best songs reimagine old-school club aesthetics in unexpected ways: “Love & Validation” pairs house beats with gothic synths and Kelsey Lu’s Soft Cell-like vocals. “Girl Crush” plays Rico Nasty’s coquettish vocals off grinding, distorted techno. And “Affection” applies Boys Noize’s characteristically chilly palette to the hot-blooded sound of classic freestyle.
Ridha completed many of the album’s tracks during the pandemic, and a fierce nostalgia for the pleasures of dancing is palpable: The vibe throughout is sexy and slightly sinister, shot through with the electrifying expectations of a first visit to a particularly eye-opening nightclub. On “Nude,” Estonian rapper Tommy Cash sings, “I wish we were all nude,” over a pounding techno beat, giving voice to clubbers’ desire for a long-overdue communion. But many of these songs got their starts long before COVID shuttered clubs; “All I Want,” an ecstatic house anthem featuring Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, goes all the way back to 2011. That Ridha rescued the long-lost track from a broken hard drive makes its placement here feel all the more auspicious. Full of sleazy, slow-motion tracks steeped in EBM and ’90s techno, this is Boys Noize’s love letter to late nights on low-lit dance floors, bodies heaving in sweaty unison.
Affiliate Token:
Affiliate Campaign Name:
(Optional)
Optional to segment marketing (email, social, etc). Cannot be used to track individual clicks or contain any personal identifiable information. Can contain up to 40 characters. Avoid using ?, /, or & within this field.
Optional to segment marketing (email, social, etc). Cannot be used to track individual clicks or contain any personal identifiable information. Can contain up to 40 characters. Avoid using ?, /, or & within this field.
ITSCG Token:
ITSCG parameter is a group-level token for the Apple Services Performance Partners Program. This value can never be changed and must always remain the same in your affiliate links.
ITSCG parameter is a group-level token for the Apple Services Performance Partners Program. This value can never be changed and must always remain the same in your affiliate links.
ITSCT Token:
The ITSCT parameter is a partner-level token for the Apple Services Performance Partners Program. This value is static and should not be changed unless you are a partner who has been provided your own distinct token. If so, you may override the default ITSCT value with your own assigned value.
The ITSCT parameter is a partner-level token for the Apple Services Performance Partners Program. This value is static and should not be changed unless you are a partner who has been provided your own distinct token. If so, you may override the default ITSCT value with your own assigned value.
Content Link
Short Link
Preview Player
The player is responsive. Its width will automatically expand to fit mobile and desktop layouts
The player is responsive. Its width will automatically expand to fit mobile and desktop layouts