''Harlecore'' is the debut full-length album by British

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

ian Danny L Harle. It was released 26 February 2021 via Mad Decent. The album draws heavily on rave music, and features Harle taking on the personas of four different DJs, including: DJ Danny, MC Boing (a revived collaboration with PC Music producer Lil Data), DJ Mayhem (a collaboration with Scottish producer

Hudson Mohawke Ross Matthew Birchard (born 11 February 1986), better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish-American producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his influential work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A ...

) and DJ Ocean (a collaboration with American musician Caroline Polachek). ''Harlecore'' was supported by the singles "On a Mountain" and "Boing Beat", released 14 January 2021, and "Interlocked" and "Ocean's Theme", released 10 February 2021. Accompanying the album itself,
Harlecore
' will also act as a "24/7, virtual club experience".

Background and release

Harle had hosted many live shows, DJ sets and concerts featuring the "Harlecore" title, dating as far back as September 2017. Harle has also adopted the "Harlecore" title in recent remixes. Also familiar is the MC Boing moniker: a collaboration with former labelmate Lil Data (a.k.a. Jack Armitage), which made its premiere in May 2017 as a part of PC Music's Month of Mayhem project. In late 2019, in a since deleted Tweet responding to a fan asking for new solo material, Harle stated he'd been "working on a lot of stuff" that would "be worth the wait". On 8 January 2021, social media accounts for @ClubHarlecore begun posting short videos, teasing the release of something soon. This was followed by the release of the singles "On a Mountain", (its music video released the same day), and "Boing Beat" on 14 January, A live performance of "Boing Beat" would be held on the virtual club site on 25 January, followed by a lyric video, released on 27 January. Teasers of DJ Mayhem were posted to social media the day before the release of "Interlocked", (its music video was also released the same day), and "Ocean's Theme" on 10 February. A music video for "Ocean's Theme" was released later, on 19 February.

Reception

In a positive review, Heather Phares of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' wrote that "''Harlecore'' gives the blissful escapism of late-'90s and early-2000s rave culture a 2020s update while staying lovingly true to its roots," calling it "a briskly entertaining look back -- and forward -- at some of

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstra ...

's fizziest, gaudiest sounds." For ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', critic Michael Cragg called it "big, dumb escapist fun with – as no one says any more – a massive donk on it." Luke Pearson of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' described it as "full to bursting with '90s rave goodness — it's big, fun, and just a little bit dumb, all delivered with a massive meta wink from Harle himself." For ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...

'', Andrew Ryce asserted that "''Harlecore'' transcends any coherent analysis. It's making fun of dance music and celebrating it at the same time," and described it as blending old hard dance styles, hyperpop, and

Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...

. Ryan Middleton from ''Magnetic Magazine'' compared "Ti Amo" and "Do You Remember" to early 2000's music and Basshunter.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Spotify.Vinyl edition Side A Side B Side C Side D

Personnel

* Danny L Harle – production * Nao – vocals (track 1) *Gloria Adereti – vocals (track 1) *Lil Data – vocals (track 2, 6, 12) * Hannah Diamond – vocals (track 2) *

– production (track 3, 8, 11) *

L Devine Olivia Rebecca Devine (born 21 June 1997), known professionally as L Devine, is an English singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Bros. Records, she released her debut EP ''Growing Pains'' (2017). This was followed by the release of t ...

– vocals (track 3, 7) * Caroline Polachek – vocals (tracks 4, 10) *Georgia Twinn – vocals (track 5) *Emily Verlander – vocals (track 8) *Karina Ramage – vocals (track 9) * Eyelar Mirzazadeh – vocals (track 11) *Gabber Eleganza – vocals (track 13) *EG Huang - art director & graphic designer

Release history

References

{{reflist 2021 debut albums Electronic albums by British artists Mad Decent albums Albums produced by Danny L Harle